Another big series of stories this year came to us courtesy of the First Amendment. Free speech and religious rights were at the forefront of a number of issues.
In Florida, we had a few cases of "not in my back yard" going on, particularly when some Orthodox Jews wanted to hold in-home services (which you're allowed to do if you're a rabbi in Maine). That wasn't nearly as scary to the homeowners' association as the Santerians who were sacrificing chickens and goats in the 'burbs, which led a resident to comment, "that religion is okay, but to have it here in our neighborhood?" In Texas, the question arose of whether animal sacrifice for ritual purposes is a protected religious freedom at all.
In February, a Wisconsin man complained about a door-to-door ordinance that kept him from spreading the word of the gospel, because he said that it violates his right to free speech. The question also arose about whether painting symbols on your fence is covered by free speech, or if it needs to be looked at as a zoning issue -- although it seems many of the complaints about the symbols were that they were less than aesthetically pleasing, rather than because they were Pagan in nature.
Finally, Wiccan chaplain Patrick McCollum addressed the United States Civil Rights Commission, and explained how the Dominant Religion Lens Factor has an effect on prisoners -- and other people -- who practice something other than mainstream spiritual paths. Interestingly, a new study confirmed that while people think they have a lot of religious freedom in America, their perception of what constitutes freedom shifts a bit when it comes to beliefs that don't mesh directly with their own -- thus confirming McCollum's point about that filter system. The study had some conservatives worried about some sort of "faith deficit," which apparently is what you get when you are willing to accept beliefs that are different than yours.
Next up on 2008 in Review: Laws against fortune-telling, and the license-plate issue!
In Florida, we had a few cases of "not in my back yard" going on, particularly when some Orthodox Jews wanted to hold in-home services (which you're allowed to do if you're a rabbi in Maine). That wasn't nearly as scary to the homeowners' association as the Santerians who were sacrificing chickens and goats in the 'burbs, which led a resident to comment, "that religion is okay, but to have it here in our neighborhood?" In Texas, the question arose of whether animal sacrifice for ritual purposes is a protected religious freedom at all.
In February, a Wisconsin man complained about a door-to-door ordinance that kept him from spreading the word of the gospel, because he said that it violates his right to free speech. The question also arose about whether painting symbols on your fence is covered by free speech, or if it needs to be looked at as a zoning issue -- although it seems many of the complaints about the symbols were that they were less than aesthetically pleasing, rather than because they were Pagan in nature.
Finally, Wiccan chaplain Patrick McCollum addressed the United States Civil Rights Commission, and explained how the Dominant Religion Lens Factor has an effect on prisoners -- and other people -- who practice something other than mainstream spiritual paths. Interestingly, a new study confirmed that while people think they have a lot of religious freedom in America, their perception of what constitutes freedom shifts a bit when it comes to beliefs that don't mesh directly with their own -- thus confirming McCollum's point about that filter system. The study had some conservatives worried about some sort of "faith deficit," which apparently is what you get when you are willing to accept beliefs that are different than yours.
Next up on 2008 in Review: Laws against fortune-telling, and the license-plate issue!
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