January/February 2002

And the bombing continues. And we begin to fear everything from anthrax in the air to the omnipresent bogeyman, so easily conjured up from the repressed fears of childhood. And are we still free?

The Charter turns on Christian values

French antisect politicians and activists want to lead a world crusade against “dangerous” or “potentially dangerous” religious groups. They have no legal definition of the word sect, which is terribly confusing, but they agree to use the common sense of the word.1 Religious minorities now experience many problems in France. And in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the French law may prove an engine of prejudice and repression of religious expression.

The countries of Western Europe are America's historic partners in terms of shared commitment to democracy and human rights. But even in Western Europe we are observing new and subtle forms of religious discrimination. The bill enacted by the French government is an example of this potentially dangerous trend. It limits and restricts the rights of all French people from practicing their beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences, and serves as a dangerous model for other states worldwide.

You go to court and establish a point of law. It’s a done deal, right? Surely you don't have to keep going back to court to establish the same point. If only it were that simple. Let me tell you about a point of law established in 1963 by the United States Supreme Court, no less that has to be reestablished several times every year.

How religious beliefs are exploited for policital and secular ends

One Man's Battle to Reconcile Faith & Military Service