In Perspective

For those of you in the NYC area, I’m teaching two courses at St. Bart’s Center for Religious Inquiry that may be of interest. Arabic Immersion Day Readings in the Qur’an Hope to see you there. teaching islam

Here are my notes from the Public Policy Panel. Please keep in mind that this is a stream of consciousness capture of my interpretation of what they had to say. (sorry for the terrible formatting – no time to fix it right now)

As an American who sometimes ruminates on the role of God in our society, I find the debate over the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools interesting. I can’t separate whether I’m okay with the pledge because it does not violate constitutional separation of church and state or because I believe that it is in fact God’s authority that really provides inalienable rights. If it’s the former, then I don’t really have a problem. However, if it’s the lattter and “one nation under God” is fine with me personally, then I shouldn’t be okay with it as…