The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Faith

Paul Ryan, Congressman from Wisconsin, draws criticism from a broad coalition of religious voices for his praise of Ayn Rand, the philosopher who once said she “promote[d] the ethic of selfishness.” The coalition questions the morality of the choices reflected in budget cuts and tax policy supported by the GOP. [Time]

Progressive Muslim-American feminist Amanda Quraishi creates 365muslim, an app providing daily facts about Islam, passages from the Quran, sayings from the prophet Muhammad, and other information about Islam. [Statesman.com]

Issues concerning the separation between Church and State were hot last week– In Texas, the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that prayer at a public high school graduation is not unconstitutional.  Supporters of the previous prayer ban argue that “[a]ll children should feel welcome at this important event in their lives regardless of their opinions about religion.” [Huffington Post]  

Up north, the 2^nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that New York City can keep religious services out of its schools without violating worshippers’ free speech or free exercise of religion rights. [International Business Times]

Who says faith can’t be fun? Check out this blog–Food, Faith and Being Fabulous: A Foodie’s Guide to Life, or A Seminarian’s Guide to Food, and Other Things. [www.reverendchef.com]