News from Around the World

The revived debate over stem cell research spurred by new legislation in Congress perfectly illustrates the point. Despite the ludicrous premise that frozen embryos are people, the views of the religious right have been given more coverage than scientists and people suffering from disease potentially curable with stem cell therapy. The debate over public funding in this area is as red a herring as they come: private research isn't and can't be banned, so symbolism and ideology are the only reasons . But the President is portrayed as heroic for...

News reports covering any issue where morality is involved invariably originate from a position that it's benign when religion seeps into places it doesn't belong and/or influences decisions it ought not to, because “a little faith never hurt anyone.” But is that really true when the vast majority of Americans support a woman's right to choose, stem cell research, gay rights and other issues that run counter to the goals of the religious right?

It's the dynamic of evangelism within and without the government that is subverting the will of the public. There aren't any evangelical homosexuals, evangelical abortion supporters, evangelical Darwinists, or evangelical stem cell researchers. Through the intensity and volume of their arguments, evangelical Christians wield influence disproportionate to their numbers. They do not tolerate lifestyles or viewpoints other than their own (at best you'll hear “hate the sin not the sinner"), yet demand not only tolerance but official approval...