<a href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thereligioushistorynerd/2022/12/the-first-dalai-lama/">The First Dalai Lama

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Handel's Messiah

2022-11-23T09:10:32-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Arguments Against the Wall of Separation Between Church and State

Last updated on: November 23, 2022 at 9:10 am By Barbara O'Brien

I’ve written a number of columns looking at issues involving religion and the U.S. Constitution. The last one, Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Between Church and State, explains the history behind the (in)famous “wall of separation” phrase and what it means. But a lot of Americans are enraged by Thomas Jefferson’s church and state metaphor, which he used to explain the religion clauses of the First Amendment to the Constitution — “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,... Read more

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General Christian

Wall of separation

2022-11-23T11:58:45-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Between Church and State

Last updated on: November 23, 2022 at 11:58 am By Barbara O'Brien

There is no more controversial phrase in U.S. history than Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation between church and state.” It first appeared in a letter written by Jefferson in 1802, while he was President of the United States, and it began to turn up in Supreme Court opinions in the 19th century. Jefferson’s metaphorical wall of separation between church and state is routinely disparaged by religious conservatives to this day. Many Christian Nationalists want to abolish it. Some members of... Read more

Interfaith

General Christian

Wall of separation

2022-11-19T12:01:56-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Thomas Jefferson v. Establishment of Religion

Last updated on: November 19, 2022 at 12:01 pm By Barbara O'Brien

In the 18th century establishment of religion, or designating an official state religion, was common in Europe and in the British colonies in North America. And U.S. founders Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were adamantly opposed to the practice. As these two men of Virginia were laying the foundations of religious freedom in the United States, their first priority was denying government the power to establish a religion. Freedom of religion, they reasoned, required abolishing establishment of religion. Religious liberty... Read more

Interfaith

2022-11-18T11:29:00-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

James Madison and Religious Freedom

Last updated on: November 18, 2022 at 11:29 am By Barbara O'Brien

Among the U.S. founding fathers, nobody cared more about religious freedom than James Madison. Madison (1751-1836), America’s fourth president, was deeply involved in crafting the U.S. Constitution and promoting its passage. His peers called him “the father of the Constitution.” He was the chief author of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, also called the Bill of Rights. And whenever people complain about the many Supreme Court decisions enforcing the separation of church and state — such as Engel... Read more

2022-11-18T22:23:18-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Problem With Bible Readings in U.S. Public Schools

Last updated on: November 18, 2022 at 10:23 pm By Barbara O'Brien

In 1956, a student in a public high school near Philadelphia protested his school’s daily Bible readings and prayer. He thumbed through a borrowed Quran instead of attending to verses from the King James Bible. And then he remained seated, and silent, while the rest of the class recited the Lord’s Prayer. The rest is history. A court challenge that began with a high school student’s quiet protest of Bible readings was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1963.... Read more

General Christian

Politics and Religion

Abington School District v. Schempp

atheism

prayer in school

religion in school