Does Religion Affect Supreme Court Nominations?

The L.A. Times recently posed this question noting that with justice John Paul Stevens’ resignation, the court will be absent Protestant representation. (Of the eight remaining justices, two are Jewish and six are Catholic.) Certainly, with half of the country Protestant-identified, it makes sense on some ideological level to achieve representation on the court…

Wait, did I just say that? No one needs reminding about the separation of church and state, right? Or do we?

In it’s report on the matter, the San Francisco Examiner noted that religious affiliation is often viewed as a litmus test of political orientation.

“Thus, it’s been argued that recent Republican presidents have favored naming Catholic justices, viewing them as reliably conservative votes on economic and social issues, particularly opposition to reproductive choice and pro-family issues.”

The question becomes how does one’s religion affect the process of interpretation. Many of you may be thinking I’ve jumped the gun on this one–that this discussion is problematic for even assuming religion plays a role. I regret to inform you, dear reader, that we are not free from bias, regardless what religion we ascribe to. (You know, come to think of it, this would actually be a lot more interesting if an atheist was nominated!)

Read the articles (they’re both short), then let me know what you think.

Bonus! Below is a breakdown of religious affiliation by population percentage. Notice that the following have had zero representation: Pentecostals (2.1%), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints/Mormons (2%), Muslims (1.5%), GLBT (1.5%), Buddhists (0.5% to 0.8%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.6%), Mennonites (0.6%), Eastern Orthodox (approx. 0.5%).

Affiliation	# of Justices	% of Justices	% of U.S. population, 2000
Episcopalian	35	32.4%	1.7%
Presbyterian	19	17.6%	2.8%
Catholic	11	10.2%	24.5%
Unitarian	10	9.3%	0.2%
Jewish	7	6.4%	1.5%
Methodist	5	4.6%	8.0%
Baptist	3	2.7%	18.0%
Congregationalist	2	1.9%	0.6%
Disciples of Christ	2	1.9%	0.3%
Lutheran	1	0.9%	5.2%
Quaker	1	0.9%	0.1%
Huguenot	1	0.9%
“Protestant” not further defined	13	12.0%	* 9.7%
Not a member of any church	1	0.9%
Total	108	100.0%	74.4%

*Graph updated 2006.

Love,

Natanya

Religion Dispatches:Is the All-Male Rule of the Roman Catholic Church Self-Destructing?

Newly minted Cardinals, 2007

This short article by Anne Eggebroten from the Religion Dispatches, though flawed, makes the case that the colossal sex-abuse scandal of the Catholic Church is actually a boon for Catholic women. Eggebroten proposes that, “women’s long fight to win the right to an equal role in the Roman Catholic Church is being shortened by the mistakes of this male hierarchy.”

But, we’ll still have to wait 20-40 years to find out.

My favorite line from her article: “Like Dorothy finally face to face with the Wizard of Oz, we have looked behind the pomp and procession to find a few confused and pitifully human old men at microphones still trying to send out impressive puffs of smoke.” This brings to bear one of my main criticisms of religion in general and Catholicism in particular – the overt distrust in humanity and the caricature of most people as contemptible. When the faithful place their religious guardians on such high pedestals, the fall from grace is fatal. A willingness to cede to our collective humanity and the responsibility that entails is the new tipping point.

What do you think?

Love,

Natanya

UFC a Buddhist practice?

The UFC has certainly made its mark on the public across the world–Japan, Brazil, the U.S. and elsewhere–and it’s popularity only continues to grow. But this is not about catching a trend or becoming a fan.

This morning I read an editorial by Jon Rubinstein over at the Interdependence Project blog on Beliefnet.com and it  caught my eye for the ostensibly bizarre correlation between watching the Ultimate Fighting and practicing Buddhism. I have recently watched some fighting, in fact, I passed some 3 hours on Wednesday night watching jabs, punches, kicks, and blocks–hot red blood included.

I may not know the fighters as intimately as some, but I’ve seen how fierce the fights get. The look of aggression in a contender’s eye, the skill of his take-down and the final blow that swiftly knocks a 6’11 man to the floor. It’s seriously hard to imagine the Dalai Lama ever being a fan.

But then again, why not?

As Rubenstein suggests (borrowing from Thich Nhat Hahn), the UFC may just be another kind of mud from which a lotus may blossom. And on another tangent, how is the UFC different from the NFL or NHL or Rugby League–all sports where players “fight” one another in physical contact often with painful or bloody consequences?

For that matter, if ahimsa is the goal, what about driving gas guzzlers, eating meat, or working in pharmaceutical sales? As Rubinstein points out the goal is awareness in what we do and how we react to what is in front of us.

With the UFC here to stay, we might as well take it as an opportunity to pause and look for right intention, right, action and maybe a right uppercut.

Love,

Natanya

A Word About Science and Religion

“Science with out religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

- Albert Einstein

What God Looks Like

A little girl was drawing a picture in class one day.  Her teacher approached and asked what it was she was drawing. The little girl replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” The teacher said, “But nobody knows what God looks like!” The little girl answered…”They will in a minute.”

- Story from the TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson (highly recommended!)

So, I ask you: What does God look like in your own imagination?

Let’s not set boundaries around what we think we know – instead, let’s let our hands, minds, bodies take us down the rabbit hole and into a world we have not yet dreamed.

With tiny teacups and overflowing love,

Natanya

What is God? – Alan Watts answers

Alan Watts was once asked in front of an audience “What is God?”.

He smiled, and said “She’s black, and wears a fur coat.”.

Huffington Post announces new ‘Religion’ section

Religion is still relevant in today’s modern world. And beyond that – it’s increasingly significant. Notice anything new on the Huffington Post recently? If you’re an avid HuffPost reader the new Religion section most likely grabbed your attention.

As well it should! An entire section devoted to the topic of religion allows for a broader discussion with greater depth. That is my hope – what transpires of course remains to be seen.

What do you think? Was this addition surprising? Long past it’s due? Let us know in the comments below!

-Natanya