October 2, 2015 - LAW AND RELIGION FORUM

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Christina Vlahos

Around the Web this Week

Some interesting law and religion news stories from around the web this week:

A religious exemption passed Monday on a new law requiring all Wisconsin households to be built with carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors and certain plumbing requirements. The religious waiver, requested by an Amish dairy farmer, is possibly the first seeking an exemption from the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code.
The American Civil Liberties Union is accusing the Bossier Parish School Board of wrongly promoting religion by allowing the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to set up prayer-request boxes at Airline High School in Bossier City.
Freedom of religion isn’t reason enough to deny any American their constitutional rights, President Barack Obama said Sunday at a Democratic Party fundraiser as he addressed members of the LGBT community.
A New Mexico municipality that wants to keep a 6-foot-tall Ten Commandments monument outside City Hall told a federal appeals court Wednesday that the structure is not government speech because it was privately funded.
A landmark resolution introduced in Congress last week could mean that vital action is taken to defend Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.
Catholic bishops in Ireland have called on parishes throughout the island to mobilize resources to help with the resettlement of migrants who come to Ireland seeking asylum.

Posted on October 2, 2015July 26, 2016 by

Accetti, “Relativism and Religion”

In November, Columbia University Press will release “Relativism and Religion: Why Democratic Societies Do Not Need Moral Absolutes” by Carlo Invernizzi Accetti (City College, City University of New York). The publisher’s description follows:

Moral relativism is deeply troubling for those who believe that, without a set of moral absolutes, democratic societies will devolve into tyranny or totalitarianism. Engaging directly with this claim, Carlo Invernizzi Accetti traces the roots of contemporary anti-relativist fears to the antimodern rhetoric of the Catholic Church, and then rescues a form of philosophical relativism for modern, pluralist societies, arguing that this standpoint provides the firmest foundation for an allegiance to democracy.

In its dual analysis of the relationship between religion and politics and the implications of philosophical relativism for democratic theory, this book makes a far-ranging contribution to contemporary debates over the revival of religion in politics and the conceptual grounds for a commitment to democracy. It conducts the first comprehensive genealogy of anti-relativist discourse and reclaims for English-speaking readers the overlooked work of political theorists such as Hans Kelsen and Norberto Bobbio, who had articulated the bond between philosophical relativism and democracy. By engaging with attempts to replace the religious foundation of democratic values with a neo-Kantian conception of reason, this book also offers a powerful case for relativism as the strongest basis for a civic ethos that integrates different perspectives into democratic politics.

Posted on October 2, 2015July 26, 2016 by

“The ‘Alawis of Syria: War, Faith and Politics in the Levant” (Kerr & Larkin, eds.)

In November, Oxford University Press will release “The ‘Alawis of Syria: War, Faith and Politics in the Levant” edited by Michael Kerr (King’s College London) and Craig Larkin (King’s College London). The publisher’s description follows:

Throughout the turbulent history of the Levant the ‘Alawis – a secretive, resilient and ancient Muslim sect – have aroused suspicion and animosity, including accusations of religious heresy. More recently they have been tarred with the brush of political separatism and complicity in the excesses of the Assad regime, claims that have gained greater traction since the onset of the Syrian uprising and subsequent devastating civil war.

The contributors to this book provide a complex and nuanced reading of Syria’s ‘Alawi communities -from loyalist gangs (Shabiha) to outspoken critics of the regime. Drawing upon wide-ranging research that examines the historic, political and social dynamics of the ‘Alawi and the Syrian state, the current tensions are scrutinised and fresh insights offered. Among the themes addressed are religious practice, social identities, and relations to the Ba’ath party, the Syrian state and the military apparatus. The analysis also extends to Lebanon with a focus on the embattled ‘Alawi community of Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli and state relations with Hizballah amid the current crisis.