Religion In Public Life

1. Religion In Public Life Michael Molloy David Masover Danielle King Sara Crooker Skiler Miller

2. World Religions By Percentage (2007 est.)

3. The Religious battle

4. Overview • Wealth and religion • Younger people are less religious • Women are more religious than men • Sex education in schools • Holidays • Wearing religious clothing (Burqaas & Head Scarfs) • Gay marriage • Birth Control • Women as Priests • Church and State Separation • Sexual Misconduct and Religious leaders

5. Birth Control • Birth control has essentially become a necessity among women today • Unwanted pregnancy • STI’s • With most religions birth control is not believed until marriage or not even at all. • Children are gifts • Catholic beliefs

6. Birth control continued • 71% in 1000 teenage girls get pregnant • 33.4 million people living with AIDS • 75% of population contract HPV • www.nytimes.com/2010/01/us/27teen.html

8. Other options • Adoption • Celibacy • Abstinence

9. Same sex marriage (SSM) • Marriages used to be arranged • European public administrators categorized the sexual deviants around 1860s and 70s • Became the target of medical, psychiatric and legal intervention as early as 1870s • U.S. saw a rise in the last half of the 20th century when people migrated to the big cities for work • Military and industrial barracks allowed for freedom to express themselves without family and religious disapproval • After WW11 military banned homosexuals • Same Sex marriage was not legal in any state until 2004 • States that allow SSM include Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, California, Vermont and Iowa

10. Iowa’s History • Gay Marriage law was passed in April of 2009 • Overturned a 10 year old ban on same sex marriage but still maintains the church’s right to choose who can be married under its roof • Judges voted out of office after advocating same sex marriage • Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, and justices David Baker and Michael Streit were the target of an estimated $1 million campaign by gay marriage foes

11. Religious and political views • For: Denying marriage to same sex couples is denying humans their equal rights • Against: Marriage is a sacramental or ceremonial union • Some religious individuals and groups feel that they will have to violate their beliefs by being forced to marry same sex couples • Iowa decided that by not allowing same sex marriage violated the state’s constitution and religious beliefs cannot overthrow laws and constitutions • Van Harn, Gary, Milt Ford, M.J. Thiel, and Diana Pace. “Home-Allies & Advocates.” Grand Valley State University. 1995. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. http://www.gvsu.edu/allies/. • Robinson, B.A. ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 10 May 2009. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. http://www.religioustolerance.org/

13. Sexual misconduct and Religious leaders • Catholic Priests • 81% of victims where male • 22.6% were age 10 or younger • 51% were between the ages of 11 and 14 • 27% were between the ages to 15 to 17 years. • Christian Clergy Misconduct • Congregate Females misled into sexual acts • Abuse of power

14. Women as priests • Women are not allowed to be ordained in the Roman Catholic faith • In recent times there has been a movement for women to become priests

15. History of female ordination • In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome women were ordained as priestesses. • In ancient Buddhism women were ordained as Bhikkhunis.

16. Female ordination and Christianity • In Christianity women have been prevented from ordination because of interpretation of certain new testament scripture. • Many Protestant denominations believe women can be ordained and have different interpretations of these scriptures.

17. Separation of church and state • Where the term comes from? • Are we really a “Christian Nation”? • Is this a threat to religion?

18. Separation of church and state The term “Separation of Church and State” never appears in the Constitution… But Jefferson was very clear: Americans “…declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State…. -- Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists (loc.gov) -- Constitution of the United States (archives.gov)

19. Separation of church and state • Jefferson was Deist, along with many other Founding Fathers • “In God We Trust” was added to the money in 1864 • “Under God” was added to the pledge in 1954!

20. Separation of church and state Questions I can’t answer yet… • Are church and state separate? • Should they be? • How far should the state go to avoid religion? • How far should religion go to avoid the state?

21. Separation of church and state Is this a threat to religion?

24. Separation of church and state Is this a threat to religion? • No one is stopping you from putting up a nativity scene • No one can tell you what religion you can or can’t have But it depends on the religion. • Blessing over the wine? • Peyote? • “Fair Game”? • Sacred Hoodie?

25. Conclusion Religion is important because… • It influences people’s actions • It carries a powerful emotional impact But it’s difficult because… • It’s controversial • It’s emotionally charged So pay attention, but draw your own conclusions!