Free Republic

In the Hobby Lobby decision handed down last month, the Supreme Court was asked to strike a balance between women’s rights and religious freedom. But the major conflict that has erupted in the wake of that decision has been between religious freedom and gay rights. The resulting controversy has split gay-rights and faith groups on the left, with wide-ranging political fallout that some now fear could hurt both causes. One chapter of the controversy is set to close on Monday, when President Obama plans to sign a long-awaited executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against gays and lesbians, according...

In the early hours of Thursday morning, “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” on CBS featured a guest musical performance with vehemently anti-religious lyrics, including a line wishing the mother of Jesus “would’ve had an abortion.” Kristeen Young was host Craig Ferguson’s guest, performing her song, “Pearl of a Girl,” which takes all three of the world’s major, monotheistic religions to task for allegedly repressing women. “I never knew I was a girl until they stooped to tell me,” Young sang in the first verse of her song. “I never knew I was disturbed until they dropped three volumes...

Virginity pledges, alongside abstinence-focused sex ed in general, are a favorite punching bag of those who favor comprehensive sex ed. In addition to being unrealistic, say their detractors, abstinence pledges promote an "all or nothing" approach to sex that may well lead to unhealthier behaviors. A new study in the Journal of Child and Family Studies bolsters these critiques by taking a nuanced look at how people with different levels of religious commitment react to purity pledges. The researchers had 1,380 students at a "large, public Southeastern state univeristy" fill out a survey about their behavior. More than a quarter...

People who disagree with same-sex marriage and birth-control use have been met with accusations of bigotry. Are some Christians being unfairly shamed out of the public sphere? Is evangelical Christian morality still viable in American public life? This is the question lurking in recent debates over religious-liberty issues, from the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision to the Christian bakers who object to baking cakes for gay weddings. In discussions of these cases, objections to same-sex marriage and contraception are described as a retreat from “secular society.” And in some cases, evangelicals actually have retreated: Since the Boy Scouts of America...

WASHINGTON — Tensions between Girl Scouts’ messaging and Catholic teaching have led to a national boycott of Girl Scout cookies, the ousting of Girl Scouts from parishes, and a significant drop in Catholic membership in the Girl Scouts. Now a panel of U.S. bishops has released the results of a two-year investigation into Girl Scouts’ problematic messaging, ties to Planned Parenthood, and continued advocacy of so-called reproductive rights by the organization’s international affiliate, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). Their findings indicate that the concerns continue to persist, regarding the problematic connections between the Girl Scouts...

Just when you thought there couldn’t be another Planned Parenthood scandal, the pro-life group Live Action finds this: an employee encouraging a 15-year-old girl to engage in sex fantasy games with her boyfriend. In the second episode of a series entitled “SexEd: Planned Parenthood’s Dangerous Sex Advice for Kids,” a Live Action volunteer went undercover at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colorado, to see how workers would react to her questions about Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission (BDSM). Unfortunately, this particular employee was all too eager to give the young girl advice about how she and...

Burke, who came out to team-mates in the 1970s and to the public in 1982, died of AIDS in 1995 aged just 42.More than two decades after Glenn Burke abruptly retired from Major League Baseball, the former LA Dodgers outfielder will be honored at Tuesday night’s all-star game as one of the few professional athletes to have come out. Burke's four-and-a-half year career is remembered for his charismatic attitude and the pressures he faced as a gay athlete in the late 1970s. Burke, who played for the Dodgers and the Oakland A's, was the first professional ball player to come...

... Music teacher Flint Dollar has filed a lawsuit claiming Macon, Georgia, Catholic school Mount de Sales Academy discriminated against him based on gender, NPR reports. Dollar can't sue the school for bias against him based on sexual orientation because federal law does not bar such discrimination — and neither does the state of Georgia. Dollar's lawyer, Charles Cox, argues Dollar can use Title VII of the Civil Rights Act — which forbids discrimination based on gender — to sue the school because he was essentially penalized for not conforming to gender stereotypes. ...

“You know of course that we could never really be friends… Men and women can’t be friends, because the sex part always gets in the way.” That’s from the 1989 romantic comedy, “When Harry Met Sally.” But you already knew that. It’s a famous movie and a famous line, and in the 25 years since Nora Ephron’s classic swept the box office, people still love this hilarious and heartwarming tale of true friendship melting into true love.

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- There are atheists and liberals, some who are both, who believe there is no need for God in order for morality to be maintained in a society. They argue that people can act morally apart from a supreme authority. I agree that people can act morally apart from God's standard. However, the real question is why should they? If there is no supreme authority -- no God -- then why behave morally? If there is no God, there are no objective standards for moral behavior. The logical progression leads to anarchy. Everyone does what is right...

The hunt for a perfect contraceptive has gone on for millennia. A new candidate is now on the horizon: a wireless implant that can be turned on and off with a remote control and that is designed to last up to 16 years. If it passes safety and efficacy tests, the device would be more convenient for many women because, unlike existing contraceptive implants, it can be deactivated without a trip to the clinic and an outpatient procedure, and it would last nearly half their reproductive life. Developed by MicroCHIPS of Lexington, Massachusetts, the device will begin pre-clinical testing next...

"Paedophilic interest is natural and normal for human males,” said the presentation. “At least a sizeable minority of normal males would like to have sex with children … Normal males are aroused by children.” Some yellowing tract from the Seventies or early Eighties, era of abusive celebrities and the infamous PIE, the Paedophile Information Exchange? No. Anonymous commenters on some underground website? No again. The statement that paedophilia is “natural and normal” was made not three decades ago but last July. It was made not in private but as one of the central claims of an academic presentation delivered, at...

HOUSTON, Texas--Earlier this week a service was held at the George W Spencer Funeral Home for 12-year-old Octavia Marie Watkins, according to a recent report by a local Fox News affiliate. Octavia's death was easily preventable: she died because she was thrown from the hood of a moving vehicle. But it's the reason she was on the roof of the car that has investigators puzzled. Allegedly, her friend's mother, who was giving her a ride home from a local pool, ordered the girls to ride on the hood and trunk of the car because she felt their swimsuits were too...

Psychedelic mushrooms can do more than make you see the world in kaleidoscope. Research suggests they may have permanent, positive effects on the human brain. In fact, a mind-altering compound found in some 200 species of mushroom is already being explored as a potential treatment for depression and anxiety. People who consume these mushrooms, after “trips” that can be a bit scary and unpleasant, report feeling more optimistic, less self-centered, and even happier for months after the fact. But why do these trips change the way people see the world? According to a study published today in Human Brain Mapping,...

"Men are also allowed to receive extra credit, as long as they shave their bodies from the neck down. Student Stephanie Robinson said it was a “life changing experience.” Female Arizona State University students can receive extra credit for defying social norms and refusing to shave for 10 weeks during the semester. Women and Gender Studies Professor Breanne Fahs, encourages her female students to cease shaving their underarms and legs during the semester and document their experiences in a journal. "One guy did his shaving with a buck knife." Student Stephanie Robinson said it was a “life changing experience.” “Many...

(Must see video...Ugh) The limitless imagination of the American marketing mind came to the fore again this week, as a San Francisco Burger King franchise unveiled its “Proud Whopper” in honor of LGBT Week. It’s exactly the same as a regular flame-grilled Whopper, but inside its rainbow-colored wrapper read the words, “We are all the same inside.” Senior Vice President Fernando Machado told Fox News, “It showcases who we are as a brand. It shows how we, as a brand, believe in self-expression.” The fast food chain even produced a video to highlight the campaign, ending with a little girl...

It was a revealing convergence Monday when the five-member conservative Supreme Court majority delivered the Hobby Lobby contraception decision even as President Obama announced that House Republicans had officially shelved immigration reform. Both disputes reaffirmed the GOP's identity as the champion of the forces most resistant to the profound demographic and cultural dynamics reshaping American life—and Democrats as the voice of those who most welcome these changes. And both clashes captured a parallel shift: While Republicans took the offense on most cultural arguments through the late 20th century, now Democrats from Obama on down are mostly pressing these issues, confident...

I can tell you for sure that when I get ready to consume my lunch, the thing I want to be thinking about is dude-on-dude action.

The TV reporter was caught up in a discussion about the rarity of openly gay CEOs when he said, ‘I think Tim Cook is open about the fact he’s gay.’ Simon Hobbs is likely wishing he could press rewind. The CNBC co-anchor spoke too soon during a live segment of "Squawk on the Street" Friday when he accidentally outed Apple CEO Tim Cook. New York Times columnist and CNBC contributor James B. Stewart spoke about his recent column dealing with the "tortured life" former BP chief John Browne led as a closeted gay CEO. "I just found it very, very...

The first thing you'd probably ask Lisa Marteau is: Why would people want to hang from hooks pierced through their skin? The reasons are different for each person who participates in this activity known as body suspension, and the Boulder woman is careful not to make generalizations. She tiptoes around her words. She does not want to misrepresent the community — to further distort society's misconceptions and opinions about this unusual hobby.