Symposia: The Journal of the Department for the Study of Religion University of Toronto
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New Directions in the Study of American Religious Freedom
No full textA review of four current books in the study of American Religious Freedom: _African American Religions, 1500-2000: Colonialism, Democracy, and Freedom_, by Sylvester A. Johnson, _Beyond Religious Freedom: The New Global Politics of Religion_, by Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, _Exporting Freedom: Religious Liberty and American Power_, by Anna Su, and _The Production of American Religious Freedom_, by Finbarr Curtis
The U.S. Government Needs to Stop Selling Weapons to Saudi Arabia
No full textSince 2012, there have been massive weapon sales to the kingdom. But what are these weapons being used for? Saudi Arabia has been using these planes and weapons to bomb Yemen, a country that the American government has zero issues with. In fact, the American government claims that they support the Yemeni government and people. The government also claims that they are providing humanitarian assistance in Yemen. According to the U.S. Department of State, the United States of America have provided nearly thirty-nine million dollars to help Yemen since 2011. This is absolutely absurd. How could the U.S. government keep selling weapons and bomber planes to a country that is bombing and devastating a country, which Americans claim they are helping? The government’s humanitarian aid and support in Yemen will continue to be useless if they do not stop selling weapons to the Saudis
The Religious Right and the Battle Over Sex Education in the United States
No full text Sexuality has a way of inciting polarized debates and dividing public opinion. The Religious Right has been successful in influencing elections and legislation, which has helped them obtain the funding necessary to regulating sex education curricula in the United States. Sex education programs in the United States have been profoundly influenced by certain conservative Christian ideologies that are in support of a heteronormative agenda. Through observing how the Religious Right became involved with sexuality politics and how certain conservative Christians sought to control sex education in the United States, it becomes possible to identify the conservative Christian influence on sex education curricula. This project claims that religion has been utilized as a political tool by certain Christian groups for the purpose of combating supposed sexual immorality in the United States. This conservative Christian ideology has had an immense influence on its sex education curricula resulting in the promotion of a particular kind of heteronormativity that has affected the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community. Determining the future of sex education in the United States is no easy task, however, through educating American citizens about alternate versions of sex education curricula it is possible to combat the Religious Rights religious and heteronormative ideologies.
