On First Things and a poem
A while back my Dad suggested reading the magazine First Things, which is a kind of intellectual journal for conservative Christians. It is well-written. This blog is based off of the May 2020 edition.
From the article “The Right to Be Wrong”: the piece posits that religion is under threat from would-be reformist atheist or just non-religious governments. “The principal limit on religious freedom in U.S. law is the rule that government may substantially burden the exercise of religion only when doing so is necessary to achieve a compelling government interest,” the essay reads.
I think it is okay to have a bifurcated mind in the modern world. You can believe in both the moral precepts of a religion and the government law if properly enforced by police and lawyers. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” said someone famous. The problem with Communist regimes of the 20th century was that they seemed to think only government law should matter. If the government is corrupt, and almost every one is at some point, innocent people are stolen from, tortured, and killed. The problem with religion, I think, is that sometimes especially minority religions believe that only their faith matters and government law does not.
“Pun-feasance” by yours truly
“Sir, you have been pun-secuted for the 2nd-degree pun-demeanor of pun-feasance. It is pun-ishable by death!”
“Pun no! I’m so pun-ny sorry. Pun-give me, your honor.”