I’ve been sitting on several links of interest pertaining to religion.
On February 21 the Ayn Rand Institute issued a release that begins, “‘Death sentences for blasphemy, such as the one handed down to Sayad Kambakhsh in Afghanistan recently, are to be expected under any constitution that enshrines Islam as the state religion and the Koran as the supreme law of the land,’ said Thomas Bowden, an analyst at the Ayn Rand Institute.”
Diana Hsieh wrote a February 12 blog entry about an article discussing Protestant monks. Hsieh writes, “While these new evangelical monks don’t embrace the asceticism and isolation of the Catholic tradition, the mere fact that some modern-day Protestants find the deeply religious ideals of the Dark and Middle Ages appealing should be cause for concern to secularists. Christianity was tamed by the Enlightenment, but not permanently. It can and will return to its dark and wild roots, if unchecked by reason.”
The Undercurrent features a February 19 blog entry by Eric Brunner that begins, “An Iraqi Muslim man on U.A.E. television recently proclaimed that the moon is half the size of the sun, that the earth and the sun are flat, and that things that aren’t mentioned in the Koran are not to be considered in the matter. The man was on a show in which the contestants were debating whether or not the Earth is really flat or not, on a television station that is supposed to be the voice of the Iraqi people.”
And a February 15 entry from The Undercurrent states, “[I]n Saudi Arabia yesterday, the color red was outlawed. The Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice symbolically forbade Saudi citizens to celebrate Valentine’s Day.”
There’s a new Colorado-based group called the Coalition of Secular Voters. I don’t know anything about the group other than what’s contained on its web page.
Father Jonathan Morris wrote for Fox News on February 11: “The Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Rowlan Williams, recently proposed the United Kingdom to establish separate courts, based on Sharia Law, for British Muslims. He says it will promote ‘social cohesion’ and will free Muslims from being forced to choose between ‘the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty.’ The archbishop’s rogue proposal and subsequent rationale should serve as a warning for all Western countries, including the United States, where immigration influx is challenging cultural identity.” But immigration is hardly the central problem. After all, immigrants aren’t behind Father Morris’s call to impose faith-based politics such as by outlawing abortions.
On a lighter note, The Denver Post now hosts a blog called “Higher Note” about Christian music. I don’t suppose that there’s anything particularly Christian about the music itself, but the idea is that the lyrics and shows promote Christianity. Just do not, under any circumstances, watch this video featuring “Faith + 1,” which is not a “Higher Note” favorite.