Religion & Law

I just received my copy of the October 2010 issue of First Things.  Lots of good stuff within:  I think that Jody Bottum does a nice job of reminding readers that the "principle [of religious freedom] remains sound, even when it is violated or honored only in the breach."  Yes, as I've grumbled recently, it would be nice if all of those who are at present outraged by others' outrage over the proposed mosque near Ground Zero were similarly outraged (or even bothered) by other assaults on religious freedom and yes, the speed with which many of the proposal's supporters settled on condescension and charges of bigotry as their strategy and explanation is off-putting, but, nevertheless, the religious-freedom principle does not depend for its soundness on the consistency or good faith of those who invoke it.

The issue also includes a review, by Don Briel, of George Weigel's new biography of the late Holy Father:  The End and the Beginning:  John Paul II -- The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy.  (Order it here.)  There is also an intriguing review, by Thomas Hibbs, of William Peter Blatty's new (!!) novel, Dimiter.  As one who thinks that -- the dozens of installments of Saw notwithstanding -- The Exorcist remains terrifying and gripping, I'm looking forward to reading this book that (in Hibbs' words) explores in novel form both the "mystery of goodness" and "the mystery of evil." 

And, Matthew Franck has a helpful review of Hadley Arkes' Constitutional Illusions and Anchoring Truths.  Like Franck (but, perhaps, unlike my colleague Patrick Brennan), I tend to think that the Constitution does not authorize federal judges to engage in a freewheeling, general inquiry into the "rightness" of duly enacted positive laws.

So, again . . . lots of good stuff.  And, I (still) really like the re-design.