Stream of Conscience: Becket's Religious Liberty Podcast
Religion & Spirituality Podcas
In Season 2 of Stream of Conscience, we dive deeper into religious liberty to explore its two major components, the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. What did the framers of the Constitution mean when they forbade the “establishment” of religion? Who gets to decide what “free exercise” of religion includes? What’s the difference between the two clauses, and how do we argue cases arising under them? Season 2 also introduces cases that are not strictly religious liberty cases. We’ll talk about how other fundamental freedoms, like the freedom of speech and the right to property, intersect with religious liberty, and why it’s so important to understand these connections as we defend our freedoms.
Location:
United States
Description:
In Season 2 of Stream of Conscience, we dive deeper into religious liberty to explore its two major components, the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. What did the framers of the Constitution mean when they forbade the “establishment” of religion? Who gets to decide what “free exercise” of religion includes? What’s the difference between the two clauses, and how do we argue cases arising under them? Season 2 also introduces cases that are not strictly religious liberty cases. We’ll talk about how other fundamental freedoms, like the freedom of speech and the right to property, intersect with religious liberty, and why it’s so important to understand these connections as we defend our freedoms.
Twitter:
@BecketLaw
Language:
English
Contact:
202-349-7219
Email:
rcolby@becketlaw.org
Episodes
Free to Foster
6/17/2022
In 2018, heroic foster care mothers had to give up their life’s work when the City of Philadelphia forced a 200-year-old Catholic foster care agency to close because of its religious beliefs. This is the story of how Sharonell Fulton, Toni Simms-Busch, and their foster care agency fought for their right to serve vulnerable children and won—unanimously—at the Supreme Court.
Duration:00:54:09
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
1/18/2022
After the City of Ventura, California, asked churches to partner with it to help solve its crisis of homelessness, a small church took the request to heart and made solving the crisis its mission. But no good deed goes unpunished. Years into expanding their homeless ministry, the Harbor Missionary Church suddenly found itself in court opposite the city—and that’s when the Stanford Law School Religious Liberty Clinic stepped in.
Duration:00:42:45
Taking Your Land
1/3/2022
The government took your land, now what? In this episode, we dive into a case about eminent domain, the Takings Clause, property rights, and court access. Where does religious liberty play a part? It turns out that the property rights of religious groups are especially vulnerable.
Duration:00:31:00
What’s in a Name?
12/15/2021
When Asian American rock musician Simon Tam started his band, he never guessed it would bring him to the steps of the Supreme Court. But when the federal trademarking office rejected his band’s name, The Slants, saying it was offensive to Asian Americans, it set Simon on a long and frustrating path through the courts. Though it was a free speech case at its heart, Becket weighed in at the Supreme Court to add another layer of consideration—that the trademarking laws were dangerously close to...
Duration:00:38:32
The State and the Union
12/1/2021
Mark Janus was a public sector employee who became the unlikely namesake of an iconic Supreme Court case, where the Court ruled that private unions cannot force dues on non-members. But what do unions have to do with religious liberty? It hinges on something we call “coercion laundering.”
Duration:00:28:33
Why Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
11/11/2021
After the City of Boca Raton gave a Chabad a shot at building a new center, a small but hostile group sprang up in opposition. What followed was a classic case of Establishment Clause misunderstanding, something that frequently troubles the courts. Rabbi Ruvi New tells about the East Boca Chabad’s journey to building a better home and the prejudice it encountered along the way.
Duration:00:28:18
Rituals
10/29/2021
What happens when the government catches wind of a little-known religion with an unusual ritual, like animal sacrifice? Guest Ernesto Pichardo, a priest of the Lukumi Church, tells us about his Santeria faith and its rituals, including animal sacrifice. Becket’s Eric Rassbach explains why it’s just as important to defend minority faiths as it is to defend familiar and mainstream practices.
Duration:00:34:50
Of Bravery and Beards
10/13/2021
When Simmer Singh decided to join the U.S. Army, he fully believed he could serve his country and uphold his Sikh beliefs and traditions. But when West Point gave him a stark choice—shave his religious beard or get discharged—it started Simmer on a long path to fighting for religious freedom for himself and other Sikhs.
Duration:00:32:31
Live Where You Serve
9/30/2021
For decades, a federal tax exemption has allowed tax-free housing for pastors who live in their church communities, until a lawsuit from an atheist organization challenged the housing allowance. Pastor Chris Butler gives us a look inside his southside Chicago church and explains why his community, and others like it, rely on this tax rule—and what would happen if it disappeared.
Duration:00:29:58
How the Lemon Test Soured the First Amendment
9/17/2021
We’ve all heard the phrase “separation of church and state,” but do we know where it came from? Guest Professor Philip Hamburger gets us into the history of the Establishment Clause, the flaws in the “separation” theory, and why a memorial cross on public property in Bladensburg, Maryland, deserves to stay.
Duration:00:25:16
RFRA, We Love You
9/13/2021
Host Katie Geary and Becket Executive Director Montse Alvarado launch Season 2 of Stream of Conscience with an episode on our favorite four-letter word: RFRA. In 1993, Congress passed RFRA, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, with overwhelming, bipartisan support, and President Bill Clinton signed it into being. So, why is RFRA controversial today?
Duration:00:31:47
Conviction and Confinement
1/17/2019
When religious liberty experts notice a prisoner’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, his case to grow a beard gains support and sheds light on the prison-prisoner relationship.
Duration:00:19:00
Synods and Statutes
11/1/2018
A small-town lawyer gives his church pro bono legal advice after a dispute between the church school and an employee—and ends up with a case headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Duration:00:17:53
Beliefs and Bureaucrats
9/20/2018
Sikhs have lived in the United States for hundreds of years, but do we really understand their beliefs? When a federal employee loses her job for practicing her faith, bad policy and ignorance are both at fault. This episode features Kawal Tagore, Scott Newar and Becket's Daniel Blomberg. Learn more about the case here: http://www.becketlaw.org/case/tagore-v-department-homeland-security/
Duration:00:25:55
Religion and Recovery
9/20/2018
When a federally funded fair housing group sues a Christian homeless shelter and rehabilitation center, the people who turn their lives around—thanks to the mission—are at risk. This episode features Rev. Bill Roscoe, Flora Langley and Becket's Luke Goodrich. Learn more about the case here: http://www.becketlaw.org/case/intermountain-fair-housing-council-v-boise-rescue-mission-ministries/
Duration:00:20:53
Morality and Mandates
7/2/2018
An order of Catholic nuns is stunned to discover that they don’t qualify for a religious exemption from a controversial healthcare mandate. When their pleas fall on deaf ears, they take on the federal government — all the way to the Supreme Court. This podcast features Sister Constance Veit and Becket President Mark Rienzi. Learn more about the case here: https://www.becketlaw.org/case/littlesisters/
Duration:00:27:41
Orders and Obedience
5/23/2018
After a dedicated army chaplain is forced to choose between preaching Church teachings and following military orders, a young lawyer puts his brand new law firm to task. Features Father Vincent Rigdon, Eric Treene and Becket's Founder Kevin "Seamus" Hasson
Duration:00:20:02
Slopes and Statues
5/20/2018
Do religious images belong only in private? A war memorial at a Whitefish, Montana ski resort answers the question. Features Ray Leopold, Gene Thomas and Becket's Eric Baxter
Duration:00:24:21
Codes and Communities
4/19/2018
Are they Amish American, American Amish, or something else entirely? When the U.S. legal system clashes with Amish communities, it takes getting to know this diverse group of people to find resolutions. Features Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner and Becket's Lori Windham Learn more about the case here: http://www.becketlaw.org/case/yoder-v-morristown/
Duration:00:28:53
Rights and Recitations
4/19/2018
A 17-year-old goes to court to prove that the Pledge of Allegiance is about more than patriotism—it’s about the very foundation of our rights. Features Samantha Jones and Becket's Eric Rassbach Learn more about the case here: http://www.becketlaw.org/case/pledge-allegiance-cases/
Duration:00:18:52