Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Individual Liberty

November 06, 2012

Bigger the Government, Smaller the Citizen

Today is November 6th, and we’re supposedly going to elect a new President of the United State of America by the time Charles Krauthammer goes to bed early tomorrow morning. But for those of us who can’t help but think “big picture” every second of every day, what does November 7th look like – regardless of who wins? Continue Reading...
October 29, 2012

A State That Co-opts and Crushes Civil Society?

John Zmirak, author and Editor-in-Chief of The Intercollegiate Review, wants voters to know exactly what is at stake in the looming Presidential election. In a guest blogger piece at the National Catholic Register, Zmirak pointedly states that the choice between the two candidates isn’t just about whose economic agenda seems more reasonable or who won which debate: …it’s about what America means: At heart of our Constitutional democracy is the freedom of individuals, even those with unpopular opinions, to pursue the good as they choose—and their right to form groups outside the government and push back against its policies. Continue Reading...
October 25, 2012

Is Religious Freedom a “Natural Right”?

Over at The Claremont Institute, Hadley Arkes considers whether religious freedom is a “natural right.” His exploration of the question is lengthy and complex and, as with everything Prof. Arkes writes, worthy of serious consideration. Continue Reading...
October 22, 2012

The New Tolerance at Tufts

Perhaps I’m exceptionally naive, but it always surprises me when colleges and universities—the supposed bastions of tolerance in secular society—refuse to accept people or groups whose views do not align with their own administrators. Continue Reading...
October 12, 2012

The Campaign for Leviathan

The Obama Administration’s requirement for many religious institutions to provide contraception may be a relatively new policy. But as Notre Dame political scientist Patrick Deneen explains, the “origin of the mandate lies in an impulse that can be dated back to the beginnings of the modern era and the rise of the state.” Continue Reading...
October 11, 2012

The Religious Liberty Case Against Religious Liberty Litigation

Current lawsuits against the HHS contraceptive mandate may undermine religious liberty in the long run, says Vincent Phillip Munoz. Not all religious objectors to the mandate are likely to be exempted even if the lawsuits are successful, and judges violate the core meaning of religious liberty when they assess plaintiffs’ religious character: The religious liberty lawsuits ask for exemptions from the HHS mandate for those religious believers who find compliance conscientiously impossible. Continue Reading...