Redstate

Posted at 10:35am on Jun. 19, 2008 Tolerance and tyranny.

By Paul J Cella

Only a man of uncommon obtuseness could fail to predict this. In New Jersey, a homosexual couple wants to get married on a pavilion owned by a Methodist organization.

When Bernstein and Paster asked to celebrate their civil union in the pavilion, the Methodist organization said they could marry on the boardwalk — anywhere but buildings used for religious purposes. In other words, not the pavilion. [Rev. Scott] Hoffman says there was a theological principle at stake.

“The principle was a strongly held religious belief that a marriage is between a man and a woman,” Hoffman says. “We’re not casting any aspersions or making any judgments. It’s just, that’s where we stand, and we’ve always stood that way, and that's why we said no.”

The refusal came as a shock to Bernstein, who says Ocean Grove has been revived by the gay community.

“We were crushed,” she says. “I lived my whole live, fortunately, without having any overt prejudices or discrimination waged against me. So while I knew it was wrong, I never knew how it felt. And after this, I did know how that felt. It was extremely painful.” [. . .]

So the couple filed a complaint with New Jersey’s Division of Civil Rights, alleging the Methodists unlawfully discriminated against them based on sexual orientation. Attorney Lawrence Lustberg represents them.

“Our law against discrimination does not allow [the group] to use those personal preferences, no matter how deeply held, and no matter — even if they’re religiously based — as a grounds to discriminate,” Lustberg says. “Religion shouldn’t be about violating the law.”

Do I even need to tell you which side the court found for? Read on.

Posted in Christianity | Culture | Liberty | Same-Sex Marriage | Tolerance | Tyranny — Comments (100)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:06pm on Apr. 1, 2008 The City: A New Journal of Faith, Culture, and Politics

Subscribing Would Be a Good Idea

By Ben Domenech

I'd like to take time out from your afternoon to encourage you all to sign up for a free subscription to a new journal published by Houston Baptist University.

The City is a journal of Christian thought, featuring insightful articles in our first issue on bioethics, marriage in a postmodern age, and C.S. Lewis's contributions to the nature of teaching - among other topics. Many of you will recognize it as essentially a reborn version of The Critical, a smaller and more politics-focused journal to which many of you subscribed. Except this time, following the model of Hillsdale's Imprimis, it will be distributed free of charge.

The thoughts of leading Christian academics and others on the issues and challenges of the age, delivered to you thrice-annually, and for free. While I am biased, I cannot think of a reason why you would not want to receive this journal. Can you? I thought not.

You can subscribe here. Thank you in advance, and we hope you enjoy it.

Posted in Academia | Announcements | Christianity | Culture — Comments (3)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:30am on Dec. 13, 2007 Islam is better than Christianity

What Judeo-Christian Heritage?

By Jeff Emanuel

[Update: The Democrats in question are: "No" votes: Ackerman, Clarke, DeGette, Hastings (FL), Lee, McDermott, Scott (VA), Stark and Woolsey.

Lee voted no on Christmas and missed the Ramadan vote.]

What would you say if I told you that eighteen Democrat Representatives -- elected members of the United States Congress -- either voted against, or simply voted "present" on, a resolution passed in honor of Christmas?

Then, what would you say if I told you that seventeen of these eighteen American Representatives also voted for a resolution passed in honor of Ramadan?

No joke -- and believe me, it gets better. Go below the fold for more.

Posted in Are you freaking kidding me? | Christianity | Christmas | Democrats | Islam | Liberals | Ramadan — Comments (75)/ Email this page » / Read More »