Archive for the ‘Government’ Category
Sep 20 2011  |
The American Dream lives on in the hearts of many of the nation’s most devout believers despite the prolonged recession and continued high unemployment. More than half of Americans who are convinced God has a plan for their lives still strongly believe that, “Anything is possible for those who work hard,” according to the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey. This belief and other endorsements of free-market economics may hold workplace benefits for individuals, but also could have an impact on the larger debates that have gridlocked government over whether to respond to the recession with less or more government intervention to meet the needs of struggling Americans.
[Read Full Column...]Aug 31 2011 |
When it comes to guaranteeing freedom of religion, the lesson from extensive global research is that it matters much less what nations say in their constitutions than what they are prepared to do to enforce those laws. As new leaders in Egypt and Libya seek to protect hard-won freedoms, and governments from France to the United States struggle with religious diversity, two studies presented at the recent annual meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion in Las Vegas illustrate the challenges ahead. One sign of hope: Even if you do not start out loving them, getting to know your neighbor goes a long way to limiting prejudice, research shows.
[Read Full Column...]Jul 30 2011 |
The nation is hovering near financial crisis. More and more Americans are falling into poverty. Universal health care, Social Security and Medicare have become political bargaining chips. But many Americans have decided only the wealthiest of the wealthy bear responsibility for paying higher taxes. Religious groups would seem to be in a strong position to raise ethical questions about individual responsibility for the common good. Yet research indicates that faith groups have a mixed record in getting people to share their wealth and possessions with their neighbors in need.
[Read Full Column...]Jun 18 2011 |
The multibillion dollar gambling industry keeps racking up political victories as states expand lotteries and make way for casinos in the hopes of raising revenue that do not require tax hikes. However, efforts to oppose the personal and social ills of gambling by religious groups have not been in vain, according to a developing body of research. People who attend church regularly and have a high percentage of close friends in the congregation are among the least likely Americans to have gambling problems, according to a new study on religion and gambling among U.S. adults.
[Read Full Column...]Jan 18 2011 |
One of the last great efforts at state-sponsored atheism is a failure. No more than 15 percent of adults in the world’s most populous country are “real atheists;” 85 percent of the Chinese either hold some religious beliefs or practice some kind of religion, according to the Chinese Spiritual Life Survey. In a nation with few sources of independent data on religion, the spiritual life survey represents one of the best pictures to date of the Chinese religious landscape.
[Read Full Column...]Dec 28 2010 |
Amid widespread international disregard for religious freedom, one group of countries stands out: Muslim-majority nations. “Religious persecution is not only more prevalent among Muslim-majority countries, but it also generally occurs at more severe levels,” Brian Grim of the Pew Research Center and Roger Finke of Pennsylvania State University report in a new book, “The Price of Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Conflict in the Twenty-First Century.”
[Read Full Column...]Sep 23 2010 |
Religious freedoms are more often promised than delivered. Majority religions are tempted to limit competition and strengthen themselves by seeking favored status. Governments contemplate the strife committed in the name of religion, and see restrictions as a way to protect the public good. Yet it is the act of restricting religion, not the presence of diverse groups of faiths, that most likely leads to religious persecution and violence, Brian Grim of the Pew Research Center and Roger Finke of Pennsylvania State University point out in a new book examining “The Price of Freedom Denied.”
[Read Full Column...]Jun 24 2010 |
If we build it, they will come has been the hope for centuries of congregations seeking to grow in the religious marketplace. But some researchers are observing an increasing willingness by local governments to challenge religious construction projects despite a federal law designed to protect religious freedom. And it is no small matter. Denying property rights to faith groups “may even represent a more invidious attack on basic religious liberties than whether ‘under God’ should appear in the Pledge of Allegiance,” says political scientist Anthony Gill of the University of Washington.
[Read Full Column...]Mar 2 2010 |
Religion counts in the politics of abortion. And some religious groups have far more clout than others in the debate. The issue of public funding of abortion perhaps more than ever holds the potential to tip the political balance with the prospects for comprehensive health care reform nearing life support. That makes the Catholic Church and evangelical groups key players in the conversation. Research shows their most committed members, the people they have the most influence over and are most likely to mobilize, are among the strongest supporters of restrictions on legal abortion.
[Read Full Column...]Feb 17 2010 |
Haiti’s efforts to promote religious freedom, along with a recent period of relative political stability, mean a wide range of religious groups have ties on the ground and are energizing faithful throughout the world to provide long-term assistance in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake.
Religious discrimination can lead to persecution and political isolation, and in some cases foment terrorism among the marginalized. The flip side is that religious freedom offers nations such as Haiti the opportunity to benefit from faith’s sweeter fruits of a humanitarian calling to ease suffering.
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