Category Archives: religious news

national news, religious news

This preacher has it exactly right

Rafael Warnock wears two hats and both of them fit him perfectly. He is at once a Democratic U.S. senator from Atlanta, Ga., and also a Southern Baptist preacher who preaches from the same pulpit that once featured the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

He knows a thing or two about the U.S. Constitution and the Bible. If you listen to Warnock long enough you understand the wisdom contained in this gentleman’s facile mind.

He recently called himself a “Matthew 25 Christian,” meaning that he follows the Gospel taught in the New Testament how God fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty and provided comfort and aid to the ill. Today’s Republican Party, he said, cut $1 trillion from Medicare, slashed insurance coverage for 15 million Americans’ health insurance … all in the immediate aftermath of passing the “Big Ugly Bill” promoted by Donald J. Trump.

And yet these politicians all stand foursquare behind the Bible as their guidepost for the legislative agenda they want to become the law of the land.

Warnock also said that the thing that unites Americans isn’t religion, but it is the liberty granted by the U.S. Constitution. which includes the freedom to worship as we please, or not worship a deity. “We have freedom of religion,” Warnock said, “and freedom from religion.”

Well … and yet states such as Texas are requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments on public property and are mandating that public school children study the Bible as a historical document. What utter garbage! The Bible I read is an article of faith. Either you believe what it says, or you don’t. The Constitution grants us as citizens the right to accept or reject the Bible … period, full stop!

We should teach historical events for what they were, matters that occurred in a secular world. And we should keep matters of faith where they belong … in houses of worship.

religious news

Islam is not our enemy

Very soon, Americans are going to commemorate a date that is every bit as infamous as the date that saw the United States plunge into World War II … the day Japan’s naval and air forces attacked our Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Just mention “9/11,” and the whole world knows what you mean. We went to war on that day because terrorists flew commercial jets into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and into a Pennsylvania field when passengers aboard a fourth jetliner sought to wrest control of the doomed plane from hijackers.

President Bush, barely nine months into his job on Sept. 11, 2001, spoke eloquently in an effort to rally the nation behind the fight against international terror. One of the major takeaways from the president’s speech that evening was that “we are not at war with Islam.” The nation was taking aim at the terrorists who masquerade as Muslims.

I mention this today because we are hearing throughout North Texas language that suggests that not all Americans heard the message that President Bush sought to convey. Islam, Bush told us, is a religion of peace.

President Obama also reminded us that the leader of the terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 — Osama bin Laden — was “not a Muslim,” but that he was a terrorist who killed thousands of Muslims during his reign of terror, before U.S. commandos brought justice to the head of al-Qaeda.

And yet, we hear rumblings in North Texas about efforts to ban Sharia law, a tenet practiced by some Muslims. I hear rumblings in small communities such as Sachse. In McKinney, the city council might face a recall effort by residents angry over some council members’ support of a proposed mosque in that city.

I must be clear on this. A mosque is a house of worship where Muslims are guaranteed their right to pray as they see fit. It’s in the Constitution’s First Amendment. As for Sharia law, the Constitution also prohibits the any religion in our public schools. This all strikes me as a cause in search of a villain.

As Americans prepare to commemorate 9/11, a date that will — as Dec. 7 has done — be remembered as a “date which will live in infamy,” may we also remember that our enemies are not Muslims. They are those who have perverted a great religion for a dastardly political cause.

religious news

Sharia Law targeted by Congress

Did you know — and this tidbit caught me by surprise when I heard it today — that there’s a committee in Congress dedicated to ensuring that Sharia Law has no place in American society?

What is Sharia Law? It’s a religious tenet practiced by Muslims around the world.

As I understand it, Sharia Law carries a good bit of weight among devout Muslims. If you violate any of its rules, you can be punished … severely! I understand that Sharia Law allows “honor killings,” which would enable someone to kill a member of his or her family if that person dishonors the family name.

Allow me now to back up just a bit. Let’s visit for a moment the religious freedom clause of the Constitution’s First Amendment. It says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof … “

I now shall sigh just a bit and ask out loud whether any effort to ban Sharia Law runs counter to the Constitution’s guarantee of the freedom to worship how one pleases. It seems like it does.

Moreover, the Constitution also prohibits clearly the practicing of religion in our public schools. Correct? Again, I believe that’s the case.

I have to wonder, then, what in the world is so vital that we have a House committee working on ways to prevent Muslims in this country from believing in Sharia Law. We have criminal laws that punish people for killing other people. If one commits an “honor killing,” then one can be arrested, tried and if convicted can be put to death. It would appear clear to me that losing one’s life at the hands of the state could deter them from committing such a crime as an “honor killing” of a loved one.

I’ve been quick to defend the Constitution. I believe it is strong enough to withstand damn near any assault on its authority. A president cannot suspend constitutional restrictions on his power just because he desires it. Nor can individuals take another human being’s life without facing the wrath of the state.

Which makes me wonder: What the hell is a congressional committee going to do to circumvent the Constitution?

religious news

Faux Christianity on full display

For those who might not recall, I want to declare that I — and many others — have been saying for years that Donald Trump’s appeal among Christians was built on a mountain of lies.

He appealed to evangelicals among his MAGA cabal by supporting them in their spiritual journey. It all broke down the moment he was forced to speak specifically about a passage from Scripture he found particularly moving or profound.

He failed. Every single time. There was that hilarious statement prior to the 2016 election in which Trump referred to “Two Timothy,” which is a description no one uses when referencing the New Testament book. Then he held the Bible upside down in front of a church marquee.

He once declared he never has sought forgiveness from God.

Now comes the latest barrage of bizarre non-starters. He chided Pope Leo IXV for being “soft on crime” because the pontiff opposes the Iran war. He said he’s “not a fan” of the pope, in a statement that sort of equates the vicar of God to the world’s Catholic population to a secular political pundit.

After a series of blog posts I published, a member of my family came down hard on me for criticizing Trump’s admission that he has groped women in their private areas. That’s quite un-Christian of him, I said. My critic said that Christianity endorses second chances, that Trump merely deserves the chance to make good on his sordid past.

The deal breaker, though, might be the post of Trump portraying himself as Jesus Christ. He is cast in holy glow, wearing a Christ-like robe while tending to someone lying down. “Yes, I posted it,” Trump said, but added that he was portraying himself as a doctor. Wow! Did you see any sign of scrubs, or a stethoscope? Neither did I.

Trump’s flirtation with religion has been so plainly over-cooked that it boggles my mind that anyone can take anything this idiot says seriously.

And, yes … there is a glimmer of good news in all of this. Many of the MAGA faithful are finally seeing through the charlatan.

local news, religious news

That was some celebration

I have been home for a couple of days, but I remain filled with emotion over an event I attended this past Saturday in the church where my wife and I belonged for more than two decades.

It was a celebration of life to honor a woman who lived a glorious, joyful and faithful life on this Earth. Her name was Caroline Woodburn, a former Potter County district clerk, a self-described Barry Goldwater Republican, mother of three accomplished children and wife of a district judge in Amarillo.

The church sanctuary was packed. The Woodburn kids — two daughters and a son — all spoke eloquently about the life their mother led. The music was appropriately dignified and glorious. The preacher who presided gave a wonderful eulogy, filled with humor and love.

Then came the kicker.

As the service neared its end, a musician from Amarillo — Chuck Alexander — decided to play the great Neil Diamond hit “Sweet Caroline,” and he invited everyone to sing along. If we didn’t know the words, he said, you’ll know the refrain. Then he began. The song is played at every Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park and is popular among Sox fans.

When we got to the refrain, everyone in the church sanctuary belted out “Sweet Caroline!” … and then followed that with the “bom, bom, bom” contained in the song. What a great moment!

As God is my witness, I am certain there couldn’t possibly have been a dry eye in the room as we sang that song to honor our friend. I also am certain as surely as I am typing these words that there were as many tears of joy as there were of sadness. My own eyes were drenched with tears, but it wasn’t a sad moment for me. I was laughing and crying at the same damn time!

I walked away from that service thinking one thought only. That was a true celebration of a life well-lived. If only we all could bring such joy to those who we meet along our journey on this good Earth.

local news, religious news

Sharia law? It won’t happen!

I am hearing a rumbling or two from a community over yonder here in Collin County about what some folks assert is a growing Muslim influence.

It’s in Sachse, a city that staddles the Collin-Dallas County line. Sitting in a city council meeting the other evening, a woman rose to sound an alarm bell about Muslims, and about Islam. She said she is concerned that the community’s Muslim community is going to foist the teaching of “Sharia law” in our public school system.

Oops. Can’t happen. Sharia law is a strict Islamic interpretation of the Quran, the Islamic holy book.

As I read the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment prohibits any law that imposes religious teachings. This is a secular nation, according to the founders’ view. It is not lost on me that they would list the imposition of state religion first as the rights protected under the First Amendment.

So, when someone complains about “Muslim influence” in our community, they should disabuse themselves of any notion that Sharia law is going to be part of any public school curriculum.

It is not going to happen! Period! Moreover, if such a matter were imposed and it ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court, hell would freeze over before this court in particular would approve of such a stunning reversal of the First Amendment.

religious news

What language does the pope speak … in private?

I have to say that until this very moment, I never gave a moment’s thought to what I am about to post on this blog.

The Catholic Church is now being led by an American-born pontiff. Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago. He’s a White Sox fan. He also is fluent in many languages.

What I never have thought about is this: What language does the pope use in casual conversation when he’s knocking around the Vatican? Does he speak his American-accented English, his first language? Or does he speak in Italian, or Spanish, or Latin … or any of the other languages he speaks with ease?

I continue to be amazed that the College of Cardinals selected an American to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. To be candid, Leo XIV’s prresence draws me — a baptized Orthodox Christian — a touch closer to Catholicism.

religious news

Prayer still allowed in school

I am being overwhelmed with the need to dispel a lie that has grown wings and legs over the course of many decades.

It is that the U.S. Supreme Court “took prayer out of our public schools.” It did not do anything of the sort.

What the court ruled was that organized prayer sanctioned by an arm of government is an unconstitutional act.

The court made its ruling in 1962 in the Engel v. Vitale case. “One of the greatest dangers to the freedom of the individual to worship in his own way,” Justice Hugo Black wrote for the Court, “lay in the Government’s placing its official stamp of approval upon one particular kind of prayer or one particular form of religious services.”

The First Amendment to our Constitution states quite clearly that the government “shall make no law” that sanctions a particular religion.

So … what does that mean? The amendment doesn’t not limit government just to Congress, or just to county courthouses, or city halls. Any government entity, and that includes public school systems, must avoid ordering citizens to be indoctrinated into any specific religion.

I want to say as well that the amendment also declares that the government must not “prohibit the free exercise thereof” a religion. What I assume from that? I presume that citizens — and that includes public school students — are free to pray whenever and wherever they please.

I’ve heard it quipped over many years that “for as long as schools present final exams, students will be praying in school.”

So, let the students pray on their own without being forced to pray to a specific deity. I say this as a man of faith who believes with all my heart that religion should be taught at home and in our houses of worship … not in our public schools!

political news, religious news

They are ‘evangelical hypocrites’

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For those among us who continue to proclaim their fealty to the Bible while condemning their neighbors in the context of a heated political campaign, allow me this brief reminder.

The New Testament places no qualifier on whom we should love. It doesn’t tell us to embrace only those who look like us. It doesn’t say to feed only our political allies. It makes no qualifying statement on who deserves our grace.

So, when you hear the garbage being spewed by those who purport to be “evangelical Christians” while they heap all those caveats on who Jesus Christ instructs them to receive their care, please understand that these are religious perverts. They have twisted the words inscribed centuries ago to fit a political narrative that has zero place in understanding the tenets of faith.

They are not “evangelical Christians.” They instead are evangelical hypocrites lurking among those of us who understand –and honor — the messages contained within our holy book.

religious news

State enacts illegal law

A one-time colleague of mine used to argue that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t declare a “separation of church and state.”

Yeah … I know, I would tell him. The point, though, is that the Constitution’s First Amendment is as clear as it gets on this point: Government must not impose religious doctrine.

Thus, Louisiana has enacted a law that is patently, explicitly and absolutely in violation of the Constitution. It should be repealed forthwith.

The state has declared that every public school classroom must contain a display of the Ten Commandments, or else! I presume the “or else” would result in a loss of funding from the state.

To no one’s surprise — certainly not mine — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick declared that in the 2025 legislative session, he will work to enact a similar law in Texas. Given this state’s hard-right tilt, there will be no surprise when the Legislature approved it and Gov. Greg Abbott signs it into law.

The founders created a governing document that makes zero mention of religion. Not Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhist. Nothing, man. It’s a secular document, meaning that every citizen is free to follow whatever deity he or she chooses. Or follow none at all!

Why in the world cannot our government officials allow us just to worship God in church and leave our public institutions just the hell alone? That is what the founders intended!