Protecting and Strengthening Religious Freedom: A Memo to President-elect Obama
Publication Date: December 2008
Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)
Author(s): Ryan Messmore; Thomas M. Messner
Research Area: Culture and religion; Government; Politics
Keywords: Faith-based government; Presidential transition; Secularism
Type: Brief
Coverage: United States
Abstract:
President-elect Obama, you spoke truthfully when you said that "[o]ur law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition." That being the case, it is, as you note, a "practical absurdity" to expect Americans not to "inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates." We agree with you that "[s]ecularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square."
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Agricultural economics and farm holdings (55)
- Agricultural extension, research, and technology (12)
- Agricultural population and workers (18)
- Agriculture and agricultural policy (114)
- Beverage industry (1)
- Crop management (30)
- Fiber industry (2)
- Fish industry (19)
- Forests and forest products industry (8)
- Fruit industry (3)
- Grain, seed, and nut industries (4)
- Livestock, meat, and animal products industry (49)
- Processed food industries (3)
- Tobacco industry (15)
- Vegetable industry (3)
- Banking and finance
- Banking operations and services (36)
- Banks and other financial institutions (31)
- Central banks (8)
- Commodity exchanges (8)
- Credit and loans (101)
- Currency (17)
- Financial instruments (6)
- Financial planning and risk (10)
- International banking and finance (79)
- International financial institutions (33)
- Investments and securities (28)
- Money and monetary policy (10)
- Personal finance and saving (75)
- Philanthropy and nonprofit sector (197)
- Public finance (552)
- Stock exchanges (9)
- Taxation and tax policy (636)
- Business
- Accounting (11)
- Acquisitions and mergers (7)
- Advertising and public relations (7)
- Business and business enterprises (14)
- Business and government (63)
- Business finance (26)
- Business operations and practices (25)
- Business organization, administration, and management (26)
- Entertainment business (1)
- Entrepreneurs, executives, and business personnel and occupations (12)
- Hospitality and tourism business (6)
- Insurance (51)
- Markets, marketing, and merchandising (13)
- Personal and housekeeping services (1)
- Real estate business (4)
- Retail business (2)
- Culture and religion
- Arts and arts policy (23)
- Calendars, special days, and ceremonies (12)
- Cultural heritage and preservation (122)
- Culture and civilization (37)
- Intellectual life (2)
- Language and languages (40)
- Literature (10)
- Multiculturalism and cultural relations (122)
- Museums, memorials, and monuments (16)
- Music (2)
- National characteristics (15)
- Religion and religious groups (2085)
- Symbols, emblems, and awards (11)
- Economics
- Education
- Adult, technical, and vocational education (119)
- Colleges and universities (214)
- Curriculum (125)
- Education (208)
- Education financing, facilities, and equipment (185)
- Education personnel and population (130)
- Education policy and planning (377)
- Educational psychology and learning ability (9)
- Information services and sources (69)
- Libraries (7)
- School administration (36)
- Schools (83)
- Statistics, research, and research methods and financing (62)
- Study abroad (57)
- Teaching methods (94)
- Energy
- Environment
- Animals (23)
- Buildings and structures (8)
- Ecology (10)
- Environmental policy (127)
- Forest management (28)
- Geography and cartography (2)
- Land resources and use (88)
- Mining and mineral resources (15)
- Natural disasters (78)
- Ocean and ocean resources (28)
- Parks, nature reserves, and open spaces (47)
- Pollution and environmental degradation (169)
- Radioactive and dangerous substances (59)
- Wastes and waste management (16)
- Water, waterways, and water management (152)
- Weather and climate (142)
- Government
- Central or federal government (100)
- Communism and socialism (8)
- Executive power (79)
- Foreign relations (904)
- Government agencies and bodies (103)
- Government employees (53)
- Intergovernmental relations (22)
- Internal security (371)
- Legislative power and procedure (396)
- Local and municipal government (71)
- Nation state (10)
- Public administration (63)
- Public finance (27)
- Public officials (47)
- Public policy (152)
- Public services and utilities (34)
- State or regional government (130)
- Health
- Dental health services (13)
- Diseases and disorders (277)
- Food and nutrition (109)
- Health care financing (993)
- Health care planning (476)
- Health promotion (123)
- Health services administration (577)
- Health services for adolescents (47)
- Health services for children (412)
- Health services for low income people (188)
- Health services for men (7)
- Health services for minorities (110)
- Health services for non-citizens (52)
- Health services for older people (184)
- Health services for the chronically ill (97)
- Health services for the disabled (43)
- Health services for the uninsured (212)
- Health services for women (78)
- Hospitals and other health care facilities (138)
- Licensing and regulation (66)
- Medical research and technology (216)
- Mental health (79)
- Pharmaceutical services (259)
- Physicians, nurses, and other health personnel (108)
- Preventive health services (89)
- Quality of health care (211)
- Tissue and organ procurement (3)
- Human rights
- International relations
- Justice
- Labor
- Law and ethics
- Administrative law (3)
- Civil law (19)
- Commercial law (10)
- Constitutional law (56)
- Corporations and securities law (18)
- Criminal law (42)
- Environmental law (9)
- Ethics (14)
- Family law (33)
- Health law (72)
- Immigration law (37)
- Intellectual property, copyright, patent, and trademark law (88)
- International law (24)
- Labor law (6)
- Law and jurisprudence (28)
- Liability, torts, and personal injury (36)
- Local government law (3)
- Maritime law (16)
- Military and martial law (23)
- Public law (2)
- Real estate and property law (14)
- Manufacturing and industry
- Appliance and furnishing industries (1)
- Automotive industry (20)
- Building and construction (7)
- Chemical industries (5)
- Clothing and textile industry (18)
- Computer and electronics industry (6)
- Industrial management, production, and productivity (10)
- Industrial materials (1)
- Industry and industrial policy (20)
- Machinery and equipment industry (1)
- Manufacturing and manufactured goods (8)
- Metals industry (13)
- Pharmaceutical industry (47)
- Media, telecommunications, and information
- Broadcasting (26)
- Communication systems (35)
- Electronic data processing, transmission, and retrieval (85)
- Film and video (15)
- Information policy (184)
- Journalism and the news (18)
- Mass media (25)
- Press (4)
- Print media and publishing (1)
- Radio (13)
- Telecommunications (49)
- Telephone (10)
- Television (54)
- Military and defense
- Politics
- Population and demographics
- Science and technology
- Social conditions
- Alcohol and drug addiction and trafficking (110)
- Associations and meetings (91)
- Communication (7)
- Community life and organization (299)
- Discrimination and affirmative action (71)
- History (75)
- Housing (308)
- Leisure, recreation, and hobbies (29)
- Marriage and family life (415)
- Poverty and homelessness (118)
- Psychology (39)
- Public welfare and social services (1279)
- Race relations (34)
- Rural conditions (13)
- Safety and security (123)
- Sex (43)
- Social conditions and problems (94)
- Social movements (12)
- Social policy (44)
- Social research (110)
- Social sciences and social scientists (3)
- Social status (16)
- Social values (98)
- Sports (7)
- Urban conditions (59)
- Volunteerism (84)
- Trade
- Transportation
- Air transport (77)
- Freight transport (3)
- Highways (22)
- Inland water transport (1)
- Mail and delivery service (17)
- Maritime industry and transport (19)
- Motor transport (1)
- Motor vehicles (13)
- Railroads and trains (25)
- Ships and boats (2)
- Traffic and traffic regulation (26)
- Transportation (6)
- Transportation policy and planning (49)
- Urban transport (15)