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Sacred Cows, Holy Wars: Exploring The Limits Of Law In The Regulation Of Raw Milk And Kosher Meat, Kenneth Lasson Dec 2013

Sacred Cows, Holy Wars: Exploring The Limits Of Law In The Regulation Of Raw Milk And Kosher Meat, Kenneth Lasson

Kenneth Lasson

SACRED COWS, HOLY WARS Exploring the Limits of Law in the Regulation of Raw Milk and Kosher Meat By Kenneth Lasson Abstract In a free society law and religion seldom coincide comfortably, tending instead to reflect the inherent tension that often resides between the two. This is nowhere more apparent than in America, where the underlying principle upon which the first freedom enunciated by the Constitution’s Bill of Rights is based ‒ the separation of church and state – is conceptually at odds with the pragmatic compromises that may be reached. But our adherence to the primacy of individual rights …


Between Evangelism And Multiculturalism: The Dynamics Of Protestant Christianity In Indonesia, Chang Yau Hoon Nov 2013

Between Evangelism And Multiculturalism: The Dynamics Of Protestant Christianity In Indonesia, Chang Yau Hoon

Dr Chang Yau HOON

No abstract provided.


Legal Ethics And Jurisprudence From Within Religious Congregations, Thomas L. Shaffer Nov 2013

Legal Ethics And Jurisprudence From Within Religious Congregations, Thomas L. Shaffer

Thomas L. Shaffer

No abstract provided.


A Hands-Off Approach To Religious Doctrine: What Are We Talking About?, Richard W. Garnett Nov 2013

A Hands-Off Approach To Religious Doctrine: What Are We Talking About?, Richard W. Garnett

Richard W Garnett

At the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Law Schools, the program organized by the Section on Law and Religion presented for consideration the claim that “the United States Supreme Court has shown an increasing unwillingness to engage in deciding matters that relate to the interpretation of religious practice and belief.” The Court, it was proposed, is — more and more — taking a “hands-off approach to religious doctrine.”

This proposal was, and remains, timely and important, as is illustrated by — to mention just a few, diverse examples — the ongoing property-ownership dispute between several “breakaway” Episcopal …


The Political (And Other) Safeguards Of Religious Freedom, Richard W. Garnett Nov 2013

The Political (And Other) Safeguards Of Religious Freedom, Richard W. Garnett

Richard W Garnett

This essay is a contribution to a symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s still-controversial decision in Employment Division v. Smith. That decision, it is suggested, should not be read as reflecting or requiring hostility or indifference towards claims for legislatively enacted accommodations of religion. Smith is not an endorsement of religion-blind neutrality in constitutional law; instead, it assigns to politically accountable actors the difficult, but crucially important, task of accommodating those whose religious exercise would otherwise be burdened by generally applicable laws. The essay goes on to suggest several things that must be true of our law …


Assimilation, Toleration, And The State's Interest In The Development Of Religious Doctrine, Richard Garnett Nov 2013

Assimilation, Toleration, And The State's Interest In The Development Of Religious Doctrine, Richard Garnett

Richard W Garnett

Thirty-five years ago, in the context of a church-property dispute, Justice William Brennan observed that government interpretation of religious doctrine and judicial intervention in religious disputes are undesirable, because when civil courts undertake to resolve [doctrinal] controversies..., the hazards are ever present of inhibiting the free development of religious doctrine and of implicating secular interests in matters of purely ecclesiastical concern. This statement, at first, seems wise and fittingly cautious, even unremarkable and obvious. On examination, though, it turns out to be intriguing, elusive, and misleading. Indeed, Justice Brennan's warning presents hazards of its own, and its premises - if …


Standing, Spending, And Separation: How The No-Establishment Rule Does (And Does Not) Protect Conscience, Richard W. Garnett Nov 2013

Standing, Spending, And Separation: How The No-Establishment Rule Does (And Does Not) Protect Conscience, Richard W. Garnett

Richard W Garnett

The First Amendment’s “Establishment Clause” is widely thought to protect “conscience.” Does it? If so, how? It is proposed in this paper that the no-establishment rule does indeed promote and protect religious liberty, and does safeguard conscience, but not (or, at least, not only) in the way most people think it does, namely, by sparing those who object from the asserted injury to their conscience caused by public funding of religious activity. The Supreme Court’s decision in Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation - a case in which the Justices limited taxpayer standing to bring Establishment Clause claims - reminds …


Religious Freedom, Church Autonomy, And Constitutionalism, Richard W. Garnett Nov 2013

Religious Freedom, Church Autonomy, And Constitutionalism, Richard W. Garnett

Richard W Garnett

No abstract provided.


The Spiritual Values Of Wilderness, John C. Nagle Nov 2013

The Spiritual Values Of Wilderness, John C. Nagle

John Copeland Nagle

The Wilderness Act of 1964 is the principal legal mechanism for preserving wilderness in the United States. The law now protects over 100 million acres of federal land, half of which is in Alaska. Yet the contested meaning of the term wilderness continues to affect the management of those wilderness areas, and the designation of additional lands as wilderness areas. Much current thinking about wilderness emphasizes the ecological and recreational interests that Congress cited when it enacted the law. These justifications for wilderness preservation are important, but they are incomplete. They are best supplemented by a better understanding of the …


Playing Noah, John C. Nagle Nov 2013

Playing Noah, John C. Nagle

John Copeland Nagle

The biblical story of Noah and the ark has been cited by numerous writers as a justification for the protections contained in the Endangered Species Act. In that story, Genesis reports that God instructed Noah to save two of every species from the flood that would destroy life on earth, and that after doing so God established a covenant with Noah and the animals that were saved. The story has inspired writers and activists to posit a duty to imitate Noah today when we struggle to provide the resources and the will to protect all species, however popular or obscure, …


Are Charters Enough Choice? School Choice And The Future Of Catholic Schools, Nicole Stelle Garnett Nov 2013

Are Charters Enough Choice? School Choice And The Future Of Catholic Schools, Nicole Stelle Garnett

Nicole Stelle Garnett

No abstract provided.


Children's Beliefs And Family Law, Margaret F. Brinig Oct 2013

Children's Beliefs And Family Law, Margaret F. Brinig

Margaret F Brinig

In a recent series of opinions authored by Justice Stevens, the Court has recognized that children may have independent religious rights, and that these may be in conflict with their parents'. The questions for this piece are whether considering children's rights independently is a good thing whether it is warranted by children's actual religious preferences and whether children's religious activities actually do anything measurable for the children.

I do not advocate that the Supreme Court become more involved with family law than it has been since the substantive due process days of Meyer and Pierce. I am also not one …


Forum Juridicum: Church Autonomy In The Constitutional Order - The End Of Church And State?, Gerard V. Bradley Oct 2013

Forum Juridicum: Church Autonomy In The Constitutional Order - The End Of Church And State?, Gerard V. Bradley

Gerard V. Bradley

No abstract provided.


Beguiled: Free Exercise Exemptions And The Siren Song Of Liberalism, Gerard V. Bradley Oct 2013

Beguiled: Free Exercise Exemptions And The Siren Song Of Liberalism, Gerard V. Bradley

Gerard V. Bradley

No abstract provided.


Protecting Religious Liberty: Judicial And Legislative Responsibilities, Gerard V. Bradley Oct 2013

Protecting Religious Liberty: Judicial And Legislative Responsibilities, Gerard V. Bradley

Gerard V. Bradley

No abstract provided.


The Natural Relationship Of Church And State Within The Kingdom Of Christ Based On The Encyclical Immortale Dei Of Pope Leo Xiii, Brian M. Mccall Oct 2013

The Natural Relationship Of Church And State Within The Kingdom Of Christ Based On The Encyclical Immortale Dei Of Pope Leo Xiii, Brian M. Mccall

Brian M McCall

This lecture addresses the natural relationship between Church and State and explains Catholic Social Teaching regarding the organization of civil society.


Religious Pretenders In The Courts: Unmasking The Imposters, John O. Hayward Sep 2013

Religious Pretenders In The Courts: Unmasking The Imposters, John O. Hayward

John O. Hayward

When courts decide First Amendment “Free Exercise” cases, they often are confronted with the daunting task of defining what exactly is a “religion.” This article examines how judicial definitions and interpretations of religious faith have evolved over many decades, including legal recognition of Wicca (modern day witchcraft) and Hare Krishna as “religions,” as well as courts steering clear of the issue whenever possible, for example, when faced with an adherent of the “Church of Body Modification” who claims her employer’s dress code violates her religion. It also explores how courts have sought to uncover deception and fraud hiding behind disingenuous …


Are They Like Us, Yet? Some Thoughts On Why Religious Freedom Remains Elusive For Aboriginals In North America, Marc V. Fonda Sep 2013

Are They Like Us, Yet? Some Thoughts On Why Religious Freedom Remains Elusive For Aboriginals In North America, Marc V. Fonda

Marc V. Fonda Ph.D.

It is well-documented that European culture differs from that of Aboriginal culture. Perhaps one of the most striking differences is in the relationships and attitudes each group has towards land. For Europeans the land is a commemorative gift of the creator there to be exploited for economic benefit; for Aboriginal peoples, the land is also a gift but one that a continuing extension of the creator’s immanence in which all things are related to one another. The one is an economic relation, the other a spiritual relation that denotes family. When two very different cultural systems encounter one another, there …


Clash Of Civilization Or Clash Of Newspaper Ideologies? An Analysis Of The Ideological Split In British Newspaper Commentaries On The 2002 Miss World Riots In Nigeria, Farooq A. Kperogi May 2013

Clash Of Civilization Or Clash Of Newspaper Ideologies? An Analysis Of The Ideological Split In British Newspaper Commentaries On The 2002 Miss World Riots In Nigeria, Farooq A. Kperogi

Farooq A. Kperogi

Riots that erupted in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna over a newspaper article that some Muslims interpreted as blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad on account of Nigeria’s decision to host the 2002 edition of the Miss World beauty pageant captured the attention of the media around the world. This article investigates how the British press framed the riots in their opinion columns and editorials. Through an interpretive textual analysis of the opinion pages, the study shows that while the ideological persuasions of left-leaning British press predisposed them to express opinions on the Miss World riots that resonated with what might …


The Politics Of Religious Establishment: Recognition Of Muslim Marriages In South Africa, Peter G. Danchin May 2013

The Politics Of Religious Establishment: Recognition Of Muslim Marriages In South Africa, Peter G. Danchin

Peter G. Danchin

This paper explores the normative dissonances and antinomies generated by the politics around religious establishment by examining post-apartheid law reform efforts in South Africa to recognize Muslim marriages. Since the late 1990s, the South African Law Reform Commission has initiated various projects to recognize the claims of and redress past discrimination against different religious communities, including tribal groups living under customary law and religious minorities with their own family and personal status laws. It is striking how the norms and assumptions underpinning this debate differ from engagements involving the claims of religious communities in Europe and North America where broadly …


Bruce Springsteen & Michel De Certeau - Absent Bodies, Vaughan S. Roberts Apr 2013

Bruce Springsteen & Michel De Certeau - Absent Bodies, Vaughan S. Roberts

Vaughan S Roberts

This presentation brings Bruce Springsteen’s 2002 album The Rising about 9/11 into conversation with Michel de Certeau’s 1984 volume The Practice of Everyday Life – in particular his chapter ‘Walking in the City’. A version was also given at the British Sociology Association 'Sociology of Religion Study Group' in April 2011.


Depictions Of Religion In Children’S Picture Books, Darin Freeburg Mar 2013

Depictions Of Religion In Children’S Picture Books, Darin Freeburg

Darin Freeburg

How children are introduced to concepts of faith is a sensitive matter. One approach used by both religious and secular organizations is children’s literature, including children’s picture books. Picture books are books primarily for preschoolers. The books tell a story using illustrations and few words. This paper offers an exploratory study of how children are introduced to religion and spirituality through illustrative techniques and textual content in such literature. A content analysis of illustrations from 12 titles sampled from a larger collection of 21,000 picture books published in the past 40 or more years was conducted. The current sample comes …


Religious Ideology And Terrorism: Anthropological Considerations, Alan R. Sandstrom Mar 2013

Religious Ideology And Terrorism: Anthropological Considerations, Alan R. Sandstrom

Alan R. Sandstrom

No abstract provided.


Rules, Rights And Religion: The Abyssinian Baptist Church And The Quest For Community, 1808-1810, Quinton H. Dixie Mar 2013

Rules, Rights And Religion: The Abyssinian Baptist Church And The Quest For Community, 1808-1810, Quinton H. Dixie

Quinton H Dixie

Religion, as with law, is partially about bringing together opposing narrative interpretations in order to better understand what believers feel is real. This morning I will show how narratives and their various interpretations display how communities bound by laws and morality express their understanding of who they are called to be.


A Delicate Dance: Identity Issues In A Religious Nonprofit Umbrella Organization, Edward J. Gumz Feb 2013

A Delicate Dance: Identity Issues In A Religious Nonprofit Umbrella Organization, Edward J. Gumz

Edward J. Gumz

Religious nonprofit social service and health organizations provide care to a large number of people in American communities. To enhance the services that these organizations provide, religious denominations have formed national nonprofit umbrella organizations. Little has been written about these umbrella organizations, their identity, and their functions. Using archival sources and interviews, this article explores the history and development of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), a large, Protestant, national nonprofit umbrella organization. Elements of this organization’s identity are examined—its ongoing efforts to affirm its religious values and goals, its efforts to meet economic needs, and its serving as a forum …


Religions As Sovereigns: Why Religion Is "Special", Elizabeth A. Clark Feb 2013

Religions As Sovereigns: Why Religion Is "Special", Elizabeth A. Clark

Elizabeth A. Clark

Commentators increasingly challenge religion’s privileged legal status, arguing that it is not “special” or distinct from other associations or philosophical or conscientious claims. I propose that religion is “special” because it functions metaphorically as a legal sovereign, asserting supreme authority over a realm of human life. Under a religion-as-sovereign theory, religious freedom can be understood as at least partial deference to a religious sovereign in a system of shared or overlapping sovereignty. This Article suggests that federalism, which also involves shared sovereignty, can provide a useful heuristic device for examining religious freedom. Specifically, the Article examines a range of federalism …


Symposium Introduction: The Competing Claims Of Law And Religion: Who Should Influence Whom? , Robert F. Cochran Jr., Michael A. Helfand Feb 2013

Symposium Introduction: The Competing Claims Of Law And Religion: Who Should Influence Whom? , Robert F. Cochran Jr., Michael A. Helfand

Michael A Helfand

No abstract provided.


Render Unto Rawls: Law, Gospel, And The Evangelical Fallacy, Wayne R. Barnes Feb 2013

Render Unto Rawls: Law, Gospel, And The Evangelical Fallacy, Wayne R. Barnes

Wayne R. Barnes

There are many voices in American politics claiming that various candidates, laws and policies are necessitated by a “Christian” worldview. Many of these voices use explicit public rhetoric that their position is the one compelled by “Christian” principles. Although religious voices have been present in the United States since its founding, the volume and urgency of the voices seems to have increased dramatically in the last several decades, during the so-called “culture wars.” These voices famously come from the Christian Religious Right, advocating socially conservative laws on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. But there are also voices from …


The Religious Lawyer In A Pluralist Society, Howard Lesnick Feb 2013

The Religious Lawyer In A Pluralist Society, Howard Lesnick

howard lesnick

No abstract provided.


Abraham Lincoln's Religion: The Case For His Ultimate Belief In A Personal, Sovereign God., Samuel W. Calhoun, Lucas E. Morel Jan 2013

Abraham Lincoln's Religion: The Case For His Ultimate Belief In A Personal, Sovereign God., Samuel W. Calhoun, Lucas E. Morel

Samuel W. Calhoun

None available.