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When the angels pull rank
In Vietnam, angels can pull rank to save Christian Missionaries. The Christian organization 'Voice
of the Martyrs' is teaming up with conservative multi-media network 'The Blaze', spawned by
right-wing pundit Glenn Beck. In an exercise of anecdotal confirmation bias, Dr. Jason
Peters, the Vice President of 'Connection' for the Martyrs regales listeners with tales
of the subtleties of God's modern interventions to sporadically rescue his unwanted missionaries
bringing the gospel to various global hot-spots.
Among his offerings for the faithful is a story of a stranded missionary rescued from
a Vietnamese checkpoint by a motor-cycling police officer of a rank higher than ever
seen in the area. Riding with this officer gave the missionary the chance to return home
safely, whereupon the man was credulously assumed to be an angelic visitor. Apparently,
Angels are on duty within the Vietnamese police force, and listeners to The Blaze will not
be encouraged to posit earthlier explanations for these, or the other tales from 68 countries
where the Martyrs operate.
The law-enforcement angels were apparently unable to penetrate into Nigeria, where another
Missionary survived a head wound from Boko Haram terrorists for refusing to renounce
Jesus. But where divine protection does not occur, the Missionaries cultivate an attitude
of forgiveness.
You can’t do that!
Prominent Saudi Arabian journalist, Alaa Brinji, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for a series
of pro-human rights tweets according to a report by Amnesty International. On March
24th, the Saudi monarchy found Brinji guilty of “insulting the rulers”, “inciting
public opinion”, “ridiculing Islamic religious figures”, and “accusing security officers
of killing protesters”.
Amnesty International says Brinji, who has worked for several respected Saudi news papers,
is a prisoner of conscience “imprisoned solely for peacefully expressing his views.”
In 2014, Brinji sent out a series of tweets in support of human rights advocates and calling
for the right of Saudi women to drive cars. The repressive theocratic Saudi regime governs
according to an extremist, sectarian form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, which denies
women the right to drive or travel without being accompanied by a male guardian, and
regularly beheads people for sorcery, apostasy, and drug possession.
James Lynch, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program said,
“The sentencing of Alaa Brinji to a five-year prison term is utterly shameful. He is the
latest victim of Saudi Arabia’s ruthless crackdown on peaceful dissent, where the aim
appears to be to completely wipe out any and all voices of criticism. Putting someone behind
bars for peacefully exercising his legitimate right to freedom of expression, and defending
the rights of others to do so, is a complete distortion of the very notion of justice.”
Lynch added: “The authorities must ensure his conviction is quashed and release him
immediately and unconditionally.”
Concerned pediatricians
For the second time in as many years, the US Supreme Court is grappling with women’s
access to birth control against personal religious beliefs. At the crux of the issue is whether
or not employers who are religiously opposed to contraception should cover it in their
health plans. But Bernard Dreyer, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, argues
that this ruling has potentially dangerous implications, reaching far beyond just access
to birth control.
“There’s no discernible difference between a religious objection to contraception and
a religious objection to a vaccine,” said Dreyer. "If [the Supreme Court] entitles an
employer to be totally exempt from contraceptive coverage, it would presumably allow an employer
to do the same for vaccination coverage.”
If Dreyer’s fears are correct, a ruling in favor of religious employers could lead
to a potentially deadly slippery slope. For example, a church-run school that objects
to intrauterine devices could more easily say it won’t fund a measles vaccine, cutting
off many low-income families’ access to the potentially life-saving vaccination. Some
religions, such a Christian Scientists and the Dutch Reform Church, have strict doctrines
against vaccines.
Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans on the individual and company level must fully
cover vaccines, just like contraceptives. The law has technically ended out-of-pocket
pay for these “preventive services,” though and not all pharmacies and insurers have yet
complied.
The American Academy of Pediatrics filed an amicus brief earlier this year, urging the
court to consider “effects far beyond the facts of this case. Future objectors,” the
document reads, “could prevent children from obtaining critical, life-saving preventive
care.”
Aside from the issue of access to medical care, this case brings up other important
questions: What powers should employers have over the private medical decisions of their
employees? And does the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment essentially give religious
employers the right to simply ignore laws they disagree with?
Justice Sotoymayor seemed to be troubled with the latter question during oral arguments.
“If everyone who said laws violated their beliefs chose not to follow them”, she said,
“how will we ever have a government that functions?”