Mitt Romney's speech on his religion and politics identified 'secularists' as the enemy within the state.
But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America - the religion of secularism. They are wrong.This is grist for the mill of the sensationalists who adore the facetiousness of the 'war on christmas" and other absurdities. Romney is arguing that secularism has no place in constitutionalism. (more)
Israel is drafting a new constitution with the goal of it being in place for the state's sixtieth birthday. Apparently Israel is not governed with a written constitution. In any religious state there is always the issue of secularisation:
The real obstacle that has impeded a constitution for 60 years is not the Arabs, but the disagreements between the secular and the religious. If a decade ago it was clear that a constitution would mean a separation of religion and state, says Abramowitz, now the discourse is on a constitution the religious can live with. And why should the religious agree? In order to change the status quo, where the Supreme Court determines its own jurisdictions, by determining the Knesset's and the court's jurisdictions in advance.While it may be politically sensible, it is constitutionally unwise to allow religion into the constitution or have any constitutional role in government - especially the judiciary. (more)
Religion and State in Israel : Israel faces very difficult religion and state issues. They go to the core questions of defining Israel as a "Jewish and Democratic state".
To learn more about the issues, I suggest signing up for a weekly e-newsletter, "Religion and State in Israel".
For a sample, go: to:http://religionandstateinisrael.blogspot.com/
or email ReligionandStateinIsrael@gmail.com
Well, it's now been two weeks since
Blackburn MP Jack Straw
(the former
Foreign Secretary
and current Leader of the House Of Commons) penned his
now-infamous column regarding the wearing of veils
(
niqab
) by women adhering to a certain interpretation of the tenets of Islam. Perhaps surprisingly and perhaps not, the debate is still
rumbling unabated
.
(more)
adam : I\'m surprised to see it simmer so long as well: I think you\'ve nailed why though - it can be used to segue to basically anything.
The best description I\'ve read of this British process is at the start of a book review from a
few years ago
:
The problem with our public culture is not that it is low-grade: it is that it is fluent, clear, coherent, often vividly expressed, and more or less entirely free of fresh intellectual content. You can go whole weeks reading the broadsheet press without encountering a new idea; you can listen to hundreds of hours of broadcast debate and encounter nothing but received wisdoms. [...] [By contrast with this book] it is possible to disagree with almost every assertion and produce counter-examples for almost every fact, but which gives the strange, giddy-making sensation that there is a source of oxygen somewhere in the room.My role in reading it you\'ve summed up perfectly in your quote from Billy Connolly. For Australian commentary the prose quality is lower and there\'s a few more straight government flacks. The idea ratio is similar.
