As continue our review of the outrageous and offensive things we heard from the right in 2016, let’s look at the some of the year’s rhetoric involving anti-Muslim hysteria and religious freedom. You can check out previous posts from the Year in Quotes here. […]
Religious Freedom
The Texas Freedom Network supports the constitutional guarantee of the separation of church and state, which protects the right of all Americans to practice the faith of their choice, or none at all, free of government interference.
Unfortunately, efforts to knock down that wall are a constant in Texas. Politicians and extremists continually work to impose their views on others, especially around issues like abortion, access to contraception, and LGBTQIA+ equality. And in a distortion of the principle of religious freedom, far-right groups have supported legislative efforts to allow people to use religion as an excuse to ignore laws they might not like and even as a weapon to discriminate against others.
Resources
- Prayer in Public Schools: A Primer (2001 report)
- The Texas Faith-Based Initiative (2002 report)NDOP_Report_2005_Revised
- A Report on The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (2005 report)
- Reading, Writing & Religion: Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools (2006 report)
- Reading, Writing & Religion II (2013 report)
- Can This Class Be Saved? The ‘Hobby Lobby’ Public School Bible Curriculum (2014 report)
A Simple Request
I am a rabbi in Tyler, Texas, and my three children proudly attend our local public schools. At the invitation of our local superintendent, I was recently honored to share a presentation on religious diversity with all of the principals in our school district. This invitation did not come out of nowhere. It was part […]
Texas Legislator Confirms: ‘Yes, I Hate Islam’
Texas state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, lost her re-election bid in the Republican primary on March 2, but she’s still reinforcing her reputation as one of the Legislature’s biggest Islamophobes. Wednesday night she posted on her official Facebook page a link to a video featuring Brigitte Gabriel, one of the most vicious anti-Muslim extremists in America today. In […]
Ted Cruz: A True ‘Champion’ of ‘Religious Liberty’
Ted Cruz needs to just get it over with and start doing air quotes every time he utters the term “religious liberty.” Or at least have a staffer stand next to him, ready to flash a cardboard sign with an asterisk every time he says it. Here was Cruz on “Good Morning America” on Monday: […]
Ken Paxton, Obsessed with Defending Discrimination, Is Politicizing the Texas Attorney General’s Office
Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller warned today that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is further politicizing the state’s chief law enforcement agency with the appointment of yet another prominent culture warrior to a top staff position in his office. […]
