Landscapes of Nothingness
The fundamental question of why there is something rather than nothing is a metaphysical and theological question—and with respect to such a question the natural sciences necessarily have nothing to say.
The Bishops and the Mandate: Principled Witness vs. Politics as Usual
The controversy over the HHS mandate is not a spat about wonkish detail or tribal privilege. It remains a struggle for the principle of religious freedom, the soul of civil society.
What’s at Stake in the “Same-Sex Marriage” Debate?
The law cannot be divorced from reality, from nature. The moment this happens, law becomes arbitrary, the whim of the ruling power: it becomes tyranny.
Marriage Unmoored
Many expect that the Supreme Court will soon overturn the traditional marriage laws remaining on the books in forty-three states, a prospect that would have been unthinkable only a decade or two ago. What happened?
Equality versus Freedom?
Lawmakers must look past the “equality versus religious freedom” standoff, and consider the substantive merits of each particular case.
The HHS Mandate, Cooperation with Evil, and Coercion
The fundamental problem with the mandate is that it coerces some people into doing what they think is wrong, and this problem remains regardless of whether the coercion excuses the actions of the people being coerced.
Obama’s Contraception Cram-down: The Pork Precedent
An ancient example of resistance to a tyrant’s attempt to coerce violations of religious conscience provides an interesting perspective on resistance to the Obama administration’s recent healthcare coverage mandate.
Mandates and Bad Law
Were the central task of government to be seen as that of aiding citizens in their own self-constitution, oriented towards real human goods including the good of religion, the HHS mandate would be seen for the unjust imposition it is.
The Paradise of Sexual Revolution
The sexual revolution puts forth a vision of paradise in which we rig up some nifty devices to guarantee infertility, consider neither holiness nor virtue, and believe in the blessings of no one and nowhere and nothing.
Justice Kennedy, Abortion, and Same-Sex Marriage
If marriage is to be preserved in the present struggle, our task is to sort through the influential kinds of arguments about same-sex marriage and abortion that have been introduced by Justice Kennedy.
The HHS Mandate and Legal Precedent
Contrary to what Obama supporters would have us believe, there’s no precedent for the HHS mandate.
Morals and Mandates
Morality is not about keeping as long a leash as you can on the harms you cause. It is about keeping upright intentions and rejecting unfair tradeoffs—neither of which Obama’s proposed revision even pretends to affect.
President Obama, the Right Not to Do Wrong, and the Politics of Ruse and Delay
No one can be rightly coerced by the state to be directly complicit in the commission of a wrong. This goes for any businessman, employer, insurance company, or individual, regardless of faith.
Is Free Verse Immoral?
Free verse does not simply express a “debased” yearning for freedom from tradition. Like earlier forms of metered poetry, it too expresses the trials of confining human thought to written language.
The Ninth Circuit’s Desperate Targeting of Justice Kennedy
This week’s decision in the Prop 8 case is a desperate appeal to Justice Kennedy, and the latest assault of judicial supremacy.
Coming Apart, and Back Together?
Charles Murray argues we’ve come apart, but can therapeutic Deism and the sexual revolution put us back together?
A Muslim View on Respecting Life
Life’s fragility should remind us of the greatness of God, and the goodness of God’s creation should inspire us to respect life. Adapted from remarks made in the Princeton University Chapel for Respect Life Sunday.
Personally Opposed, but Sleeping with the Enemy
Personally opposed, but actively supporting…well, it’s complicated.
Natural Causes, Divine Commands, and Human Wellbeing
The precepts of the natural law are obligatory not because they are commanded, but because they are necessary for our well-being. God’s revelation of these precepts is better understood as a divine reminding and authoritative inviting.
Conservative Poverty Fighting
Neither liberal nor libertarian, a principled conservative way of helping the poor.
Tax Romney, not Corporations
It’s time to end the corporate income tax: it strains job-creating businesses, punishes workers rather than capital owners, encourages wealthy companies to find loopholes in the tax system, and allows some of the richest among us to pay strangely low personal income tax rates.
