Now that we can remake humanity’s most basic institution at will, or so we think, we can come up with all kinds of improvements. Mexico City is considering marriage licenses that have an expiration date. Leftists in the city’s assembly – who have already riled conservatives by legalising gay marriage – proposed a reform to the civil code this week that would allow couples to decide on the length of their commitment, opting out of a lifetime. The minimum marriage… Read more
Radical thinker praises Christianity
October 5, 2011 By Gene Veith 10 Comments
Jurgen Habermas is a prominent European intellectual–an influential neo-Marxist, a postmodernist critic, and more recently a neo-Enlightenment philosopher. But now, surprisingly, he is singing the praises of Christianity. Lutheran sociologist Peter Berger tells the tale, drawing on some recent scholarship about Habermas: [Philipe] Portier distinguishes three phases in Habermas’ treatment of religion. In phase one, lasting up to the early 1980s, he still viewed religion as an “alienating reality”, a tool of domination for the powerful. In good Marxist tradition,… Read more
You’ve been saved. Now what?
October 4, 2011 By Gene Veith 22 Comments
Michael Baruzzini at First Things has a thoughtful discussion of novelist Walker Percy, bourbon, and existentialism. But it all comes down to vocation: Will Barrett, the protagonist of Walker Percy’s novel The Last Gentleman, complains that he cannot figure out “how to live from one minute to the next on a Wednesday afternoon.” Even Christians, with a solid theological and philosophical grounding, can find the question troubling. So you believe in God, and you believe the Second Person of the… Read more
Vladimir the Great
October 4, 2011 By Gene Veith 26 Comments
Ralph Peters writes that the world has only one towering figure in the halls of power, one ruler of genius: Vladimir Putin. There is one incontestably great actor on the world stage today, and he has no interest in following our script. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin — soon to be Russia’s president again — has proven remarkably effective at playing the weak strategic hand he inherited, chalking up triumph after triumph while confirming himself as the strong leader Russians… Read more
Religious groups may hire on basis of religion
October 4, 2011 By Gene Veith 30 Comments
The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from former employees of the Christian relief organization World Vision who lost their jobs because they no longer believed in the organization’s statement of faith. This means that Christian organizations are not violating discrimination laws when they hire only Christians. The U.S. Supreme Court let a lower court decision stand Monday that Federal Way-based nonprofit World Vision can hire only Christians to work in its U.S. operations. The largest nonprofit in the… Read more
A tea party of the left
October 3, 2011 By Gene Veith 42 Comments
Since the middle of September, some 1000 protesters have been demonstrating on Wall Street, denouncing big business and high finance, calling for more regulations on banks and corporations, an end to housing foreclosures, and more taxes on the rich. The protest movement is called Occupy Wall Street. The protests have been growing. This weekend 700 demonstrators were arrested on Brooklyn Bridge. The movement has spread to Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and other cities. Celebrities from Roseanne Barr to Michael Moore… Read more
Predator drones for bad guys
October 3, 2011 By Gene Veith 46 Comments
A predator drone killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida leader, propagandist, and recruiter. Complicating the matter is that he and one of his minions also killed in the Yemen attack were American citizens. Some are concerned that executing an American like this is a violation of our constitutional rights for due process and a fair trial. Others say that al-Awlaki is a textbook example of a traitor who is fighting on the side of his country’s enemies and that being killed… Read more
Wisconsin’s big weekend
October 3, 2011 By Gene Veith 16 Comments
This was being called the biggest sports weekend in the history of Wisconsin, my former state. And in each contest, Wisconsin was victorious. The Milwaukee Brewers won two playoff games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Wisconsin Badgers welcomed Nebraska to the Big Ten by demolishing the nationally-ranked Cornhuskers. The Packers pounded the Denver Broncos. And the Milwaukee Marathon was won by a guy from Marquette. For a brief, shining moment, Wisconsin teachers and Congressmen, tea partiers and Occupy Wall Streeters… Read more
Doubling down on my prediction
September 30, 2011 By Gene Veith 128 Comments
Earlier I predicted that no matter how bad the economy is that President Obama will win a second term. I’ve been thinking about this some more and I’m even more convinced that I’m right (though, again, I wish I were wrong). The reason “It’s the economy, stupid” won’t carry the day this time is that all of the Republican candidates, following correct free market principles, believe the main thing the government should do in the face of a terrible economy… Read more
Iranian Christian may be executed this weekend
September 30, 2011 By Gene Veith 32 Comments
Youcef Nadarkhani, sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity in Iran, has once again refused to deny Christ, and so he may be hanged as early as today. Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who is facing the death penalty, again refused to convert to Islam to save his life. Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 for the crime of apostasy because he allegedly abandoned Islam for Christianity. As a pastor, Iranian clerics believe that Nadarkhani was preaching in order to… Read more
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