The Hanukkah miracle begins with the story of the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus making the observance of Judaism punishable by death. The Jews fought back, and against seemingly insurmountable odds, reclaimed Jerusalem and the Temple which had been desecrated by Antiochus’ army. After reclaiming the Temple, the Jews were disappointed to find that there was only one day’s worth of oil left to burn in the Temple. The Hanukkah miracle is that this one-day supply of oil lasted eight nights. On this, the last day of Hanukkah, American Jews have another …
President Obama apparently has a soft spot in his heart for religious liberty. And the New York Times editorial board is not pleased. The president last week issued a much-awaited executive order setting government-wide policy on community-based and religious nonprofits that receive federal grants. The executive order is meant to act on the recommendations of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. That panel’s recommendations cover many topics arising in the context of federal financing of religious nonprofits, which receive and spend about one third of the money …
Tomorrow, voters in California, Arizona, and Florida will decide whether to approve amendments to the constitutions in those states that would define marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. The amendment in California would overturn the recent decision of the California Supreme Court to impose same-sex marriage by judicial fiat despite a democratic measure supported by 61% of California voters that defined marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. The amendments in Arizona and Florida would preempt judicial decisions redefining marriage in those states. …
