Here’s a candidate for the dumbest piece of legislation in the 2019 legislative session. SB2136, sponsored by state Senator Oley Larson (R-Minot), would amend North Dakota’s law pertaining to required subjects for study in public schools to add in a unit on the Christian bible. The pertinent language, added to a list of required units…
On Being a Conservative Atheist
My Sunday print column this week was a rebuttal to certain North Dakota lawmakers who thought an effort to overturn the state’s blue laws was a plot by atheists to promote the downfall of the American family and teach kids about evolution, etc., etc. It prompted a lot of feedback. From the right I got…
Video: Bill Allowing Prayer at North Dakota High School Playoff Games Passes State House
Back in 2015 there was a controversy over prayer at high school sports events here in North Dakota. At the time a Facebook posting of the Bismarck St. Mary’s and Kindred football teams praying after a playoff game on Saturday went viral. The post claimed that the North Dakota High School Activities Association has banned…
You Can Be Grateful If You're An Atheist
Not so long ago Fargo Forum columnist Roxane Salonen wrote a column with this headline: Can those without God be grateful guests? “Moving about this big, beautiful world, we all have a chance to enjoy the thoughtful gestures of God. And yet lack of recognizing the true giver misplaces our gratitude, makes it incomplete,” she wrote in…
James Kerian: Beware Of The Preaching Of The "Nones"
Pew Research has been reporting for several years that “The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace.” Pew refers to these people as the “nones” because they will not self-identify as atheists or agnostics or as Christians or as Muslims or as having any religious views…
James Kerian: Enough With The Censoring Of Religious Motivations In Politics
“I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and I endeavor every day to follow Him in all I do and in every position I advocate.” – Dr Ron Paul “In my moments of prayer I’m reminded that faith and values play an enormous role in motivating us to solve some of our most…
James Kerian: The Unavoidable Mixing Of Politics And Religion
“I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and I endeavor every day to follow Him in all I do and in every position I advocate.” – Dr Ron Paul I don’t typically respond to the comments below my columns. If the readers here are gracious enough to read through an entire column on a topic…
John Olsrud: Time To End Prayers At The Legislature?
For 25 years when I was director of the North Dakota Legislative Council, I coordinated the chaplaincy program for both legislative chambers. Once the program was set up, and a clergy coordinator was selected by a local ministerial association, we told that coordinator the program had to be inclusive and nondenominational. We then kept at…
Ryan Cunningham: Faith Should Not Dominate Measure 1 Debate
At least one church, in Jamestown, placed absentee ballots in the pews advocating for people to vote in favor of Measure 1, dubbed the “personhood amendment” this past weekend. Parishoners were asked to fill the ballot out, vote in favor of Measure 1, and the church would take care of mailing the ballots for them.…
Is Conservatism Hostile To Atheists?
I thought this clip from S.E. Cupp – an atheist and a conservative – talking about atheism in politics was an interesting one. She argues that conservatives are, on the whole, quite welcoming of atheists. Perhaps more so than liberals. First, I should point out that atheists are pretty unpopular in general, and not just…
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