The District of Columbia is poised today to join five other U.S. jurisdictions to allow same-sex marriage. The mayor’s signature and a congressional review are still necessary, but even opponents say that battle is all but lost. On the other side of the world, the Guardian newspaper takes a hard look at Uganda’s proposed anti-gay laws.
A federal judge has ruled that a wintry display to freethinking can take its place on the Arkansas Capitol grounds, right next to the Christmas tree. In North Carolina, meanwhile, a free-thinking councilman from Asheville is facing possible legal action for his nonbelief. An Oregon judge declined to dismiss the charges filed against two parents in the faith-healing death of their teenage son. And in South Dakota, inmates are suing over access to tobacco in Native American religious rituals.
The NYT’s David Brooks compares President Obama to his favorite theologian, Rienhold Niebuhr.
Caryle Murphy (formerly of WaPo, where she won a Pulitzer) tries to explain why more Muslim women are wearing the veil. Advocates worry that harassment is driving Muslim women indoors.
A British study has found that the country’s tolerant streak has led more than than 1 million Muslims to call the country home. In Atlanta, two men were convicted of supporting terrorism and sentenced to jail; “This is not about your faith,” the judge told them. The Supreme Court won’t hear the case of former Gitmo detainees who say their religious rights were violated. And from the Dept. of D’oh!, a Virginia school has canceled a scheduled mock-U.N. debate that was going to feature students arguing on behalf of the Taliban.
