Some reference work contributions now accessible online

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

For those who may be interested, the following is a list of reference work contributions of mine that are now accessible online. Just click the name and you will arrive at the entry. “Agnosticism.” (co-authored with Maurice Redmond Holloway SJ). The New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2009. 2 volumes. Robert L. Fastiggi, Editor in Chief. Detroit: Gale, 2009. volume 1, 5-10. (an update and revision of the original entry authored by M. R. Holloway, SJ) “Alliance Defense Fund.” The Praeger Handbook... Read more

Dear President Obama….

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

A new video at CatholicVote.org: For more on religious liberty and conscience, read the outstanding work of George Mason University law professor Helen Alvare. Read more

Newt Gingrich, Redemption, and the Presidency

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

That’s the title of my latest entry over at The Catholic Thing. Here’s are some excerpts: In 2009, Gingrich was received into the Catholic Church, the faith of his third wife, Callista Bisek. Because Catholic conversion requires the sacrament of confession, Gingrich has been absolved of his sins. This, of course, suggests to many, including me, that one cannot evaluate Gingrich’s candidacy and character without taking his conversion seriously. It is a mistake for Christians to emulate the world and treat... Read more

Richard Dawkins carrier of bu!!sh-t meme

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

(HT: Ed Feser) This is just hilarious. Apparently, the great atheist scientist Richard Dawkins, who recently made quite a public fuss in his refusal to ever debate philosopher William Lane Craig, now claims that he in fact has debated Craig, and according to Dawkins, Craig was deeply unimpressive when they sparred. That’s a pretty amazing feat: Dawkins is claiming that while he would never be caught dead debating Bill Craig he has in fact defeated him in debate at least once.... Read more

The Immaculate Conception, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Catholic Church

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Today, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Sometimes my Evangelical Protestant friends, knowing that I am a Thomist, will point out that St. Thomas Aquinas did not believe in the Immaculate Conception, suggesting that the Church should have stuck with St. Thomas and not declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma. For example, my friend Norm Geisler writes: “Many of the Catholic beliefs that concern Protestants most were not declared dogma until long after Aquinas. For example, Aquinas... Read more

2011 Synthese article may be downloaded for free through December 31, 2011

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

I just found out this afternoon that my 2011 Synthese article, “Or We Can Be Philosophers: A Response to Barbara Forrest,” may be downloaded for free until December 31, 2011. Many people, because they did not have a subscription or an academic appointment at an institution that does have a subscription, were not able to download the article without paying a hefty fee. For those folks still interested in reading the piece, they can do so free of charge until... Read more

Philosophy, the Handmaid of Judicial Review

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

That’s the title of my latest entry over at The Catholic Thing. Here’s how it begins: In his most recent column here at The Catholic Thing, my friend Hadley Arkes raises the question as to why the federal courts, and the Supreme Court in particular, could not extend the protections of the Fourteenth Amendment to unborn human persons by employing the same reasoning these courts have utilized elsewhere. What Hadley is suggesting in his query should be uncontroversial: the courts must apply... Read more

Religion, Politics, and the Public Square

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Over the years I’ve published several academic articles dealing with the separation of church and state and the status of theology as knowledge. I bring this to your attention because of the increasing attention on the religious beliefs of those running for the U. S. Presidency. Here are some of my articles with links: “How To Be An Anti-Intelligent Design Advocate,” University of St. Thomas Journal of Law & Public Policy 4.1 (2009-2010): 35-65. “Must Theology Sit in the Back... Read more

Progressive Politics and Diminishing Religious Liberty

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Over at Public Discourse this morning, attorneys Jane Robbins and Emmett McGroarty have authored an eye-opening piece, “Mandating Our Religious Freedom.” Here’s how it begins: People of faith must reclaim their religious freedom, granted by the Creator and protected by the Constitution. The Founders’ protection of religious freedom in the First Amendment was in keeping with their recognition of the supreme importance of the individual, who was created by God and subject to God’s natural law. The early twentieth-century Progressives... Read more

Is There a Right to Clone?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

I don’t think so. In a 2002 article in the Nevada Law Journal, “Cloning and Reproductive Liberty,” I make the argument that one cannot get a right to clone from the Supreme Court’s reproductive rights jurisprudence. You can read the article here. Read more