Patrick Flynn, a Catholic, sued his children’s Catholic school when they demanded his children get vaccinated to attend; Flynn objected on religious grounds, and sued. The diocese defended on religious grounds, claiming vaccines promote the common good and are theologically required. Neither the trial nor the appellate court wanted in on any of it (declaring it a theological matter rather than a legal one), leaving the ruling that private schools in Florida can deny religious vaccine exemptions (which public schools cannot).
Tag: religion
Procter & Gamble church
Named the fastest-growing church in America in 2015, Crossroads has been described by the Cincinnati Business Courier as both an entrepreneurial church and a church for entrepreneurs. Indeed, it was originally a startup—or more accurately an unofficial spinoff from Procter & Gamble Co., the $65B conglomerate based downtown, a few freeway exits south of the main church. In 1990, Brian Wells, a brand manager for Clearasil, started a singles Bible study with a P&G power couple, Vivienne Lee Bechtold, then a brand manager in beauty care, and Jim Bechtold, a marketing executive. The group, which met at the Bechtolds’ home, quickly grew to more than 100 people. Eventually the singles started marrying and having children, and Jim Bechtold asked Wells 1 morning, while the 2 carpooled to work, whether it made sense to start a church.
After ISIS
the middle east will be messed up for decades.
The Islamic State could eventually lose control of Raqqa, but it is expected to regroup in remote areas, such as Al Bukamal and Al Qaim, along the Syria-Iraq border. The movement may be disrupted, but US officials concede that it will be almost impossible to totally dismantle it. An end to Syria’s wider 6-year war—in any way that both stabilizes one of the most important geostrategic countries in the Middle East and favors US interests—also seems increasingly remote. And the quest for a caliphate goes on. “Al Qaeda might lay claim to it for a moment, and the Islamic State may lay claim to it, but there’s always been this dream of recapturing and bringing back the caliphate. Who’s going to tap into that next?”
The problem with religion
true 99.9999999% of the time.
Meridian Reconciliation
A cooperation to make sure Easter is celebrated at the liturgically correct date.
Bologna’s Basilica of San Petronio is not the only example of a meridian line, although it was considered to be the most accurate. Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome has a beautifully realized and particularly grandiose example cutting through its nave; Saint-Sulpice in Paris hosts its own, as does Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence; a church tightly nestled in the packed streets of Fossombrone, Italy, bears a meridian line; the heavily worn remains of a line are still visible in the cloisters of England’s Durham Cathedral; and the duomos of Milan and Palermo also contain their own meridian lines. To determine exactly when the equinox would be, in the future—and, thus, when Easter should properly be celebrated—a more subtle and astronomically precise tool of measurement was required. A meridian line. The Catholic Church supported astronomy for more than 600 years, from medieval times to the Enlightenment. This sponsorship continues into the 21st century
The Cult Running Japan
the bad news is that these clowns won the election
Nippon Kaigi used neto-uyo (cyber right wingers who troll anyone on the internet they feel writes negatively of Japan), intellectuals, politicians, and closet sympathizers in mainstream media to exert considerable influence on policy and public opinion. That included getting the Japanese government to reinstitute the Imperial Calendar, which was banished by the US occupation government. Sugano also credits Nippon Kaigi with politically resurrecting Prime Minister Abe, whose political career was considered dead after his abrupt resignation as prime minister in 2007.
Appoint an atheist judge
the appointment of an atheist Justice would send a meaningful message: it would affirm that legal arguments are secular, and that they are based on a secular document, the Constitution, which was written during the founding of a secular democracy.
The Vatican Mafia
One audit commissioned by COSEA revealed hundreds of people misappropriating the Vatican’s tax-free status to resell cheap gasoline and cigarettes at great profit. An audit of the Vatican museums and pharmacy showed serious discrepancies—amounting to $100Ks—between what appeared on the books and what was actually in storehouses, suggesting either systematic theft or fraud
nothing has changed from the time of the borgias in 1502
Stoned suburbs
“Should we smoke before we pray?” Cynthia Joye asked, tapping the Bible resting on her lap. Joye had just arrived at her friend’s home in Centennial, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver, for the 5th or 6th meeting — it was hard to keep track — of Stoner Jesus Bible Study. “I think the plant is sacred. It puts people in a frame of mind where you think of God.”
the new xanax to try to overcome the existential ennui of suburbia.
Superstition in Africa
Children born with albinism in Tanzania live in constant danger of being attacked by people looking to profit from superstitious beliefs. ~0.005% of people are born with albinism, lacking pigment in their hair, skin, and eyes. In Tanzania, albino body parts are highly valued in witchcraft and can fetch a high price.
superstition and savagery are still far too common in africa.
Gregor J. Rothfuss 