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This ignorant brouhaha over the opening of the Senate by a Hindu prayer is worth discussing only because it shows how many Americans know nothing about their Constitution and its separation of church and state.
This question was undoubtedly inspired by the many disturbing reports about doctors and pharmacists who place their personal religious convictions ahead of patients' wishes by refusing to provide legal services and products --from abortions to contraceptives -- and, even worse, by refusing to refer the patient to another doctor whose religious beliefs do permit such medical services.
I take this question as a welcome opportunity to fall silent and fall back on the words of those who have given voice to the noblest human sentiments and aspirations. All of my favorite works of literature are distinguished by their reverence for the natural, not the supernatural.
"Don't ask, don't tell" is an immoral policy for hypocrites and cowards. And that's true whether we are talking about a secular institution like the United States Army or a church.
Since I never had a high opinion of Mother Teresa in the first place, this shameless publicity ploy to foster her candidacy for sainthood--in the form of a collection of tormented letters to her spiritual advisers over the years--does not make me think more or less of her. The media frenzy over Teresa's apparently unending crisis of faith offers a spectacular and comical example of the irrationality, credulity, and unwillingness to face facts that inform all conventional wisdom concerning religion and holiness.
What Islam Really Says About Violence, Rights and Other Religions
Gomaa, Fadlallah, Mubarak, Khan, Siddiqi, Ellison, others | On Faith
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