Matthew Cantirino

Our First, Most Cherished Freedom (new statement) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Bishops Issue Call for ‘Great National Campaign’ Laurie Goodstein,  New York Times What Should Kids Be Reading? Sandra Stotsky,  Manhattan Institute Of Miracles, Magicians, and . . . . Continue Reading »

Peter Berger dissects Robert Putnam’s latest book (“American Grace”) over at The American Interest , putting special emphasis on the rise of the so-called “nones” in American society. The “nones” are people without religion who, by virtually all estimations . . . . Continue Reading »

Port Huron, 50 Years Later: What Progress? Naomi Schaefer Riley, The Chronicle of Higher Education Social Teaching and the Paschal Mystery Fr. Francis Belanger, O.P., Ordo Praedicatorum Debating Death and Brain Death Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture Teenagers: Not the Real Issue in Out-of-Wedlock . . . . Continue Reading »

The Institute for American Values is hosting an event  at their New York offices on April 26 exploring the psychology of casinos (with the aid of a neurobiologist!) and the rapid proliferation of the American gaming industry in general. Several months ago they also launched a website dedicated . . . . Continue Reading »

As you may have noticed in today’s “First Links,” (and as Rob Vischer at  Mirror of Justice  has also noted ) Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan recently defended his budget proposal by invoking Catholic social teaching, specifically the challenging tenets of . . . . Continue Reading »

The Problematic History of  Toleration Evan Haefeli,  Immanent Frame The New Science of Hardwired Identity Sasha Issenberg,  New York Magazine Dolan: Mormonism No Obstacle for Catholic Voters Alex Roarty, National Journal Paul Ryan: “Faith” Helped Shape Budget Plan Tim . . . . Continue Reading »

Over at the Corner, Maggie Gallagher (no stranger to controversy herself) wades into the Derbyshire affair, writing forcefully in favor of clear, absolute, and binding moral lines against racist sentiment in conservative precincts: I don’t know in the post-web era if . . . . Continue Reading »

“Imprecatory prayers,” which ask God to harm another person, have been affirmed as acceptable speech under the First Amendment, according to a story from  Religion News Service : Is it okay to ask God to do harm to another person? The theology of such “imprecatory prayer” . . . . Continue Reading »

I Am Thomas James M. Kushiner,  Touchstone Mitt’s Women Problem Katrina Trinko,  National Review Don’t Know Much About Theology . . . Walter Russell Mead,  Via Media The Disconnect: Why Are So Many Americans Living Alone? Nathan Heller,  The New Yorker Priests in . . . . Continue Reading »

Matthew Milliner  argues on his blog that academia is now embracing religion as a valid hermeneutic—even as a field of study. It’s an argument he’s articulated previously , but one worth tracking closely. Quite forthrightly, he asserts that: If you don’t think  . . . . Continue Reading »