Commentary

Author Kaitlyn Schiess wrote “The Ballot and The Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go From Here” to address how the Bible has been employed in the United States’ political discourse. Schiess addresses what she sees as proper uses and misuses of the Bible when we talk about politics.

Does hearing one’s name called by God signify that one is loved and chosen by God, or that one is delusional, perhaps dangerously so?

The IPCC is reliable, not infallible, and therein lies a problem. Data-collection technologies and analytical techniques constantly change. (Think PC updates!) These changes exacerbate uncertainties inherent in climate-change research. IPCC reports include uncertainties. Climate-change denialists undermine IPCC reports by exploiting uncertainties.

Freedom of the press, like freedom of speech and religion, is sacred in America. Shutting down a newspaper because someone does not like the fact a reporter — or anyone — can search state records for information puts democracy in a very dangerous place.

My greatest challenge is when I try to say no repeatedly to a person who won’t take no for an answer. I need to learn how to say no politely, kindly and firmly. And in all my years, I have not been practiced at doing so.

The obscuring of Sinead O’Connor’s Muslim faith by the mainstream media suggests that the Islamic faith is still seen as somehow incompatible with show business. Few Muslim female singers reach global fame on this scale, so it is disappointing that so few in the media saw O’Connor’s brilliant life as a chance to challenge Islamophobia.

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit occurs when a person actively and willingly pursues a conscious, continuous deliberate malicious attitude of rejecting the Holy Spirit of God, calling God, who is Good, evil.