Tag: Robert P George
Robert P. George: Religious Freedom Matters
Posted on February 8, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
National Religious Freedom Day, being marked today in the United States, reminds us that freedom of religion or belief is a pivotal human right, central to this country’s history and heritage. It is also recognized as such by the United Nations and other international bodies. Yet the issue frequently sparks debates that too often generate more heat than light.
That the mere mention of religious freedom triggers such powerful emotions, in the United States and overseas, helps explain why this critical right has not been accorded the centrality and respect it deserves, especially as a component of U.S. foreign policy. But whatever the reason, the United States must still look closely at the issue – and why it is key to successful U.S. foreign policy.
Robert P. George: What Lincoln Really Said at Gettysburg
Posted on November 22, 2013 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
If you’re not familiar with the writings of Robert P. George, you should be. The brilliant professor of law at Princeton is well respected in most circles for his keen insight into matters of law and public policy. But he is also respected as a man of faith that believes in the conservative, traditional values America was founded upon.
After President Obama removed the words “under God” from his recitation of the Gettysburg address this year an article of Dr. George’s surfaced in which he addressed the issue. Defenders of the president claim that Obama was merely quoting one of the “other copies” of the Gettysburg address in which the words “under God” do not appear. Indeed at least five copies of the address exist and at least two o those copies do not have the words “under God” in them. But this excuse is not acceptable, as Dr. George explains:
“Of course, none of these copies is actually the Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address is the set of words actually spoken by Lincoln at Gettysburg. And, as it happens, we know what those words are. (The Bliss copy nearly perfectly reproduces them.) Three entirely independent reporters, including a reporter for the Associated Press, telegraphed their transcriptions of Lincoln’s remarks to their editors immediately after the president spoke. All three transcriptions include the words “under God,” and no contemporaneous report omits them. There isn’t really room for equivocation or evasion: Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address—one of the founding texts of the American republic—expressly characterizes the United States as a nation under God.” Click here for original article.