What happened to US?

by Groff Schroeder

More than two hundred years ago, We the People created a democratic republic, the United States of America (US), founded upon the Enlightenment ideas of separation of powers, democracy and human freedom. Thousands of Americans fought, suffered and died in the Revolutionary War – and many wars thereafter – establishing and protecting the US Constitution and the civil, human and political freedoms its Amendments define.

Recusal Refusal: Dilemmas of Faith and Law for Amy Coney Barrett

By Ken Burrows

Around the same time Amy Coney Barrett was rushed through a confirmation process in 2020 and hastily sworn in as a new Supreme Court justice, she sought to assure her impartiality with this remark: “A judge declares independence not only from Congress and the president but also from the private beliefs that might otherwise move her.” Taken literally, this is exactly as things should be for a SCOTUS justice. But is this how things are for Amy Coney Barrett? Does she judge independently of “private beliefs that might otherwise move her?

Kid Addicts?

By Groff Schroeder

If you tell people you devoutly live your life in a certain way because you are in direct telepathic communication with supernatural beings in the sky who wear flowing robes, sandals, and long beards who grant your telepathic requests with the same supernatural powers they used to create the universe - people often conclude you are religious. But if you tell people you devoutly live your life in a certain way because you are in direct telepathic communication with powerful beings in the sky who have gray skin, big eyes, and three fingers who use high technology to grant your telepathic requests and travel the universe in interstellar space ships – people often conclude you are insane.

The Problem with Blind Faith

By Ken Burrows

When people operate on blind faith, sometimes that can end up being . . . too blind. Especially when it does not consider countervailing evidence. Case in point is an assertion made by a noted Christian author at a recent Colorado Springs suicide prevention event. While both professional and lay people suggest varied solutions to rising suicide rates in the state, this author held that people thinking of ending their life need to turn to the church “because it’s the only place the answers are going to come from.”

The Other Separation

By Ken Burrows

In his autobiography, Founder Thomas Jefferson looked back with pride on his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom but lamented the attempts delegates had made to amend the Statute prior to passing it. He singled out one amendment in particular—the suggestion to modify the phrase “the holy author of our religion” by adding the words “Jesus Christ.” He had been relieved when that amendment was soundly rejected because he intended his Statute to protect, as he put it, “the Gentile, the Christian and Mehometan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every denomination.” In other words, the law was never meant to enshrine the beliefs of any one religion, and it was written to protect the irreligious as well.

Liberty Enlightening the World

By Groff Schroeder

The 1886 statue of Liberty Enlightening the World on Liberty Island in New York City serves as an enduring symbol of the freedoms and liberty guaranteed by the United States Constitution, which founds the United States of America. America is a brilliant experiment in which freedom (personal autonomy) and liberty (freedom for all) sprouted, evolved, and flourished based upon the statement, “all men are created equal” published in the 1776 Declaration of Independence.

A “Creative” Loophole

By Ken Burrows

Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, and Lorie Smith, owner of 303 Creative, have thrust Colorado prominently into the news — and into the courts as well — due to their shared refusal to serve LGBTQ customers. The two business proprietors say the lifestyles of such customers violate their religious beliefs. More specifically, they claim a right to decline offering “creative” services (cake decorating; wedding website design) to such clients because, they contend, this is equivalent to “speech” for them and they cannot be forced to speak in a way that contradicts their faith.

Was democracy saved? by Ken Burrows

Elections have consequences, goes the venerable saying. Many said the 2022 midterms were putting democracy itself on the line. There was a widespread feeling, especially after the January 6^th insurrection, that democracy is not guaranteed as we might have long thought was the case. When the Democrats held onto the Senate and the Republican red wave sputtered, there was something of a collective sigh of relief.

Correcting the “anti-” myths

By Ken Burrows

A favorite canard of those who oppose separation of church and state is that such separation is anti-religion. Christian nationalists—those who seek to fully merge church and state—go one step further. They say church-state separation is also anti-American. Because, they erroneously insist, our Founders created a specifically “Christian nation.”

Perverting Precedence

By Ken Burrows

Much has been written about how the conservative majority on the Supreme Court has lately paid little heed to respecting precedent, despite its three newest appointees having pledged in their hearings to do so. Instead the Court in Dobbs v. Jackson overturned 1973’s Roe v. Wade, which had protected autonomy regarding abortion decisions for almost 50 years. Days later, in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Court re-opened the door to public school prayer, undermining precedents dating back to the early 60s. This ruling also gutted the Lemon Test, which arose from 1971’s Lemon v. Kurtzman case. The Lemon Test was a judicial “screening” measure used to keep church and state from getting overly entangled. It had repeatedly been cited through the years as precedent to follow.

Please enjoy these essays about reproductive rights, which appeared in Freethought Views between 2020 and the present.  Other Freethought Views essays about reproductive rights and many other subjects can be found by clicking the "VISIT OLD WEBSITE" link in the sidebar to the left.