Social Issues

Discrimination v. adoption agencies

Back in 2007, Mollie mentioned that the British government had passed a law requiring all adoption agencies to provide services to gay couples. Now we’re seeing ramifications from that law in recent stories about a Catholic adoption agency’s loss in court.


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All the single ladies

I frequently mention how much I appreciate interesting stories about day-to-day religious life. A few weeks ago we looked at that great New York Times piece about how different religious adherents live out their faith in their residential choices.


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Did bloggers cause Cordoba mosque controversy?

The two-thirds of Americans who oppose the Cordoba House might argue that theirs is a fairly understandable reaction against an ill-advised project. Some, such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, say that their opposition is part of a concerted effort that needs to be investigated.


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'Bully pulpit against abortion'

Funeral services were held today for Denis Dillon, the long-serving district attorney for Nassau County in New York and a man whose Catholic faith influenced his politics. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times promptly covered his death, mostly highlighting his high-profile prosecutions.


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And now for the rest of the story

Louisville Courier-Journal religion writer Peter Smith always does a nice job of covering national stories at the local level or showing the broader significance of local stories. For years he has covered the lawsuit against the Vatican (we’ve discussed NPR coverage here) by a once-local man who said he was sexually abused by a Louisville priest in 1928.


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Got news? Baptist cuts in Texas

Anyone who has lived in Texas knows that there are times when it seems that there are more Baptists inside the Lone Star state then there are people. When it comes to politics, separation of Baptists and state remains a vital issue.


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Are 70% of Americans anti-Islam?

This weekend, President Obama gave a First Amendment defense of the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. The next day he made a point of noting that he wasn’t addressing the “wisdom” of building a mosque at the site. One of those two statements probably angered most people but I appreciate his comments and that distinction — noting that there are two discussions going on right now.


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Patricia Neal and her angels (Take 2)

Truth be told, I had already decided to take a second look at the faith ghosts in the coverage of the death of screen legend Patricia Neal before I read the following from Deacon John M. Bresnahan, a conservative Catholic who is a regular in our comments pages.


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