by Edwina Rogers
Secular Policy Institute Ranks 2016 Presidential CandidatesSecular Policy Institute has started creating scorecards that indicate how U.S. Presidential candidates measure up on pro-science and pro-religious freedom (where religious beliefs do not influence law) policies.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is the seventh Republican to officially seek the party’s 2016 presidential nomination.┬áSantorum launched his campaign from a factory in the blue-collar town of Cabot, Pennsylvania, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.
If you’re keeping score, Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have announced they are running.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki, and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry say they will announce a decision in the coming days. Govs. John Kasich of Ohio, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Chris Christie of New Jersey and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida are considering running.
How many of these candidates do you think would meet SPI standards?
United States Supreme Court Rules On Right To Wear Hijab
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Muslim woman after retailer Abercrombie & Fitch refused to hire her because she wore a hijab during a job interview. Although plaintiff Samantha Elauf never mentioned her religious beliefs in the interview, she claims that she wasn’t hired because┬áher headscarf didn’t align with the company’s “look policy,”┬áwhich promotes a “preppy” brand. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans think there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. today, while┬á27 percent┬ásay there is not.
Update from Scotland
┬á”Campaigners who called for an official ban on teaching creationism in┬áschools have welcomed a ‘clear statement’ from a Scottish Government┬áminister The Scottish Secular Society, prompted by┬árecent creationist incursions, lodged the petition with the Public┬áPetitions Committee of the Scottish parliament in 2014. The committee┬áagreed to write to the government about the petition, but the┬ágovernment rejected the proposed ban as unnecessary. Subsequently, the┬ácommittee decided to forward the petition to the Education and Culture┬áCommittee, which also agreed to write to the government about the┬ápetition. Secular Policy Institute┬áStaff Will Attend PeaceGame In DC United States Institute of Peace┬áand the FP Group, publisher of the magazine┬áForeign Policy, will host their fourth biannual PeaceGame conference on the topic of ÔÇ£Combatting ExtremismÔÇÖs Contagion: Creating a Counter Strategy and Stemming the Tide of Foreign Fighters.ÔÇØ Secular Policy Institute will attend this conference.┬áClick here┬áto view the powerful lineup of participants. Stay up-to-date about these event by following the hashtag┬á#PeaceGame┬áon Twitter.
presentation in Scottish publicly-funded schools of separate creation┬áand of Young Earth doctrines as viable alternatives to the established┬áscience of evolution, common descent, and deep time.”
For the full story in the Glasgow Herald, visit:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/scottish-government-creationism-banned-from-sci