s p o n s o r e d   l i n k s

The True Meaning of the Establishment Clause - a Position Paper from the Center for Inquiry Office of Public Policy.pdf

July 9, 2009 · Filed Under Law · Comment  · Tags: ,

Taken from Introduction: It is the purpose of this position paper to examine critically and objectively the intent of the Founders in proposing and adopting the First Amendment and, in doing so, to determine the proper interpretation of the Establishment Clause. We will begin by summarizing the arguments that have been advanced in favor of the nonpreferentialist interpretation. We will then consider the history behind the First Amendment, in particular the views and actions of Madison and Jefferson, whose beliefs about the separation of church and state are universally acknowledged as critical in understanding the intent of the First Amendment. We will also examine in detail the debates in the First Congress concerning the Establishment Clause and the evolution of the draft language as the Clause was considered by the House, Senate, and subsequently a conference committee. Contrary to the claims of the nonpreferentialist camp, the views of Jefferson and Madison, in combination with the evolution of the language of the Clause in the First Congress, demonstrate convincingly that Congress did not intend to permit government support of religion. Indeed, the First Congress explicitly considered and rejected draft amendments that would have prohibited Congress only from giving preference to one religion over others. When the views of Jefferson and Madison and the legislative history of the Establishment Clause are thoroughly examined, the conclusion that has the most historical support is that the Founders intended to prohibit any aid to religion and to require strict neutrality between believer and nonbeliever.

s p o n s o r e d   l i n k s


The Ethics of Genetic Engineering - A Position Paper from the Center for Inquiry Office of Public Policy.pdf

July 8, 2009 · Filed Under Biology · Comment  · Tags: , , ,

Taken from the third page: THE ETHICS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING: Just as the twentieth century was a golden age of computing, the twenty-first century is the DNA age. The silicon age brought about dramatic changes in how we as a species work, think, communicate, and play. The innovations of the computer revolution helped bring about the current genetic revolution, which promises to do for life what computing did for information. We are on the verge of being able to transform, manipulate, and create organisms for any number of productive purposes. From medicine, to agriculture, to construction and even computing, we are within reach of an age when manipulating the genetic codes of various organisms, or engineering entirely new organisms, promises to alter the way we relate to the natural world.