Catholic League president Bill Donohue offers a religious reality check based on some news items from today:
Bart Ehrman doesn’t believe in God, which is why he is just the right guy to teach religion at the University of North Carolina. It’s not as though he is uninterested in religion—he likes to study the Bible, it’s just that he doesn’t believe it to be the inspired word of God. Above all, he wants us to view the Bible with great skepticism. But not his writings—we should all swallow his dogmatic convictions. His latest book contends that large parts of the Bible are a forgery, though he does not say who the cheaters are. Unfortunately for Bart, it was just reported that Biblical scholars believe they have uncovered a collection of ancient texts in a Jordanian cave that may constitute the earliest Christian writings.
Patrick S. Cheng is a seminary professor who also needs a reality check. His brilliance shines in the Huffington Post: he argues that “Christianity is queer because radical love lies at the heart of both Christianity and the queer experience.” Perhaps he should read Leviticus.
Fr. Roy Bourgeois has had three years to recant his opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings on criteria for the priesthood. If he doesn’t do so in 15 days, the Maryknolls will be forced to kick him out. This will no doubt please him, which is why there will be no reality check.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act supposedly protects more than just Indians, but not according to a 10th Circuit Court ruling. They say unless a believer belongs to a government-designated tribe, he can be prosecuted for possessing eagle feathers. Looks like this court could use a reality check. And how do they prove who is an Indian?
If a Christian or Jewish teacher needs a day or two off for religious observance, the request is granted under the legal banner of religious accommodation. If one of these teachers were so bold as to ask for three weeks off—right before final exams—it would be denied. But a Muslim woman made exactly this request. She was denied, sued, and now has the backing of the Obama administration. They all need a reality check.
