Historic Foundations for Religious Freedom and Their Inherent Conflicts

Decades ago, when this essayist and his wife wished to transform their old bedroom into a modern “primary bedroom,” the plan was to build a bathroom right next to it from the ground up. The city inspector required the addition’s foundation to be attached so firmly to the foundation of the original house that it would be impossible for one foundation to shift without causing the same shift in the other. That directions were followed and the addition proved stable. Most people understand the need for the city ordinance which regulates new foundations for “additions.” However, when it comes to the ethical foundation for religious freedom, things are not so simple. Many distinct arguments have been historically used to support religious freedom, and some of these foundations shift in different measure and in different directions than do the foundations for the rest of our laws. Because of this, we should not be surprised that Americans who agree that religious freedom is a good idea do not all agree about how far that freedom should go

The Bible and the Constitution: Reading Methods, Relevance, and Authority

Politics and religion have united and/or divided people groups for as long as records have been kept. Currently most of the divisiveness tormenting America’s potential for harmony is in these two fields. The debates have many fronts and factions. This paper is an attempt to bring some clarity to the debate between religious conservatives and progressives over how the Constitution should be read. Conservatives are so named because they wish to preserve older interpretations which they believe best represent the original decisions – decisions conservatives for the most part still endorse. Progressives, on the other hand, argue that our new times require new measures. Moderate Progressives want to keep the old values, but argue for new policies to apply those values to modern times. Radical Progressives want to replace even the old values with something more up to date. Conservatives use history to discover the intention of the “framers” which they believe is best seen in how the framers of those values applied the law in their own times. Moderate Progressives follow a more complicated hermeneutic which argues that the true values underlying the framer’s decisions – when properly understood – must lead us now to different policies and practices. The radical Progressives are willing to start over with a new set of values

Looking for the Least: An Analysis and Evaluation of Interpretive Issues which have Influenced the Interpretation of the Judgment of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31--46)

This dissertation analyses and evaluates the interpretive issues which have influenced the interpretation of Matthew\u27s Judgment of the Sheep and Goats (Matt 25:31-46). The first chapter summarizes 18 interpretations of Matt 25:31-46 drawn from the reading perspectives of scholars who represent distinct approaches to interpretation from ancient to post-modern times. This chapter demonstrates how these commentators\u27 opinions about the locus of meaning affected their interpretations of Matt 25:31-46. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 list and discuss the many other interpretive issues that have influenced the interpretation of Matt 25:31-46. Chapter 2 explains the relevance of theories which have been adopted concerning the author\u27s identity and life setting. Chapter 3 discusses the interpretive issues that are related to the wording of the text and its relation to other texts both inside and outside of Matthew\u27s Gospel. Chapter 4 discusses the interpretive issues that are related to the proper identification of the genre of Matt 25:31-46 as well as those issues related to the rhetorical structure of the passage and its relation to the broader lines of argument in the balance of the Gospel. Chapter 5 evaluates all of the interpretive issues listed in chapters 2, 3, and 4 from a reading perspective that recognizes the locus of meaning in the author\u27s intention. This chapter opens with a working description of the author and his life setting. The balance of the chapter evaluates each interpretive issue in the light of this working description of the author. The chapter concludes that this author would have intended the passage primarily to console the missionary disciples who were facing neglect and persecution in their obedience to the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20). The least in 25:40 and 45 were therefore primarily intended to refer to the disciples, especially in their missionary capacity. A secondary intention may well have been a warning to other Christians to practice brotherly love. The dissertation ends with a brief Epilogue which discusses the strengths and limitations of this method of interpretation

Global Outsourcing: A Study of Student Attitudes

The practice of global outsourcing by U.S.A. companies is frequently the source of heated debate. Recently a Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll found that 86% of Americans believe that outsourcing is the number one factor contributing to the country’s continuing economic distress. This study presents the results of a survey designed to assess the attitudes toward global outsourcing among business students and non business students at a large regional university in the Southeast U.S.A. A survey of attitudes toward global outsourcing was administered to 284 undergraduate and graduate students. Descriptive statistics, frequencies and MANOVA methods were used to analyze the data collected. Statistically significant differences with attitudes were found among the students\u27 level of knowledge, age, gender, major, and classification. The results indicate business majors are more positive toward global outsourcing than are non-business majors. Another finding is that older students (\u3e25) and MBA students are more pessimistic toward global outsourcing. Those “older” and MBA’s were mostly concerned with the impact of such outsourcing on jobs. Implications for teaching international business are discussed

Global Outsourcing: A Study of Student Attitudes

This paper presents the results of a survey designed to assess students’ attitudes toward global outsourcing. A survey of attitudes toward outsourcing jobs abroad was administered to 284 undergraduate and graduate university students. Descriptive statistics, frequencies and MANOVA methods were used to analyze the data collected. Statistically significant differences with attitudes were found among the students’ level of knowledge, age, gender, major, and classification. Essentially what was learned is that overall, business majors are more positive toward global outsourcing than are non-business majors. However, it was also learned that older students (\u3e25) and MBA students are more pessimistic toward global outsourcing. Those “older” and MBA’s were mostly concerned with the impact of such outsourcing on jobs. Implications for teaching international business are also discussed

The northern limits of glacial lake Algonquin in upper Michigan

A number of ancient shorelines formed by late-Pleistocene proglacial lakes have been found in eastern upper Michigan. These shorelines delimit several water planes, the uppermost of which is correlated with the Main Lake Algonquin stage. This correlation is based on the continuity of the highest water plane with Main Algonquin shorelines in Wisconsin and Ontario, the strength of the shoreline features, its altitudinal relationship with lower water planes, and a reinterpretation of radiocarbon dates from the Sault Ste. Maria area. The isobases of this water plane have a bearing of S75[deg]E. At the time of the maximum extent of Lake Algonquin, ca. 10,600 yr B.P., its northern, ice-limited border lay along the Munising moraine, the northernmost of the two main morainic systems of eastern upper Michigan. This interpretation lends support to the idea of a period of slow deglaciation from ca. 11,000 to 10,000 yr B.P. An ice lobe occupied the central Lake Superior basin until early Holocene time. Radiocarbon dates on wood found beneath till or outwash at several sites indicate a minor ice readvance from the central Lake Superior basin ca. 10,000 yr B.P. If true, this would have prevented the development of the post-Duluth series of glacial lakes in the western Lake Superior basin until ca. 9900 yr B.P., well after the end of the main Lake Algonquin stage.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24386/1/0000656.pd