By Mark Waters I am an avid supporter of the First Amendment including the separation of church and state. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” A state sponsored church would be an example of “an establishment of religion” as would the implementation of theocratic governmental policies. These examples also constitute
Read moreBy Dr. Mark Waters I’m concerned about the new IRS ruling that allows houses of worship to endorse political candidates. Endorsing candidates from the pulpit is packed with dangerous risks. A hidden risk that could have unintended consequences is that, unlike secular 501(c)(3) nonprofits, churches and affiliated organizations are not required to file IRS form 990. This publicly available form
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Dr. Mark Waters’ opinions in this article are his own. He is not speaking on behalf of his employer, McMurry University. By Mark Waters I am quite fond of McMurry’s Mission Statement, “Shaped by Christian principles, McMurry University challenges students to examine our complex world from multiple perspectives in preparation for lives of leadership, service, and professional success.” This statement
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By Mark Waters I’m Episcopalian, not Roman Catholic, so I can only imagine how I might feel if I were Catholic and was corrected publicly by the Pope. This happened last week to a well-known politician. The politician, who is Catholic, was scrambling for a “Christian” way to downplay the needs of immigrants and others around the world who are
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By Mark Waters The opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics had nothing to do with Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The part of the ceremony under scrutiny depicted Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and joy, in contrast to the decapitation of Marie Antoinette. Thomas Jolly, the design artist of the Dionysian tableau, has clearly stated that it was not
Read moreBy Mark Waters In a June 17, 2024 Washington Post opinion piece, Shadi Hamid provided a helpful perspective on changes in evangelicalism resulting from its current entanglement with politics. My further claim is that this phenomenon signals a possible change in the concept of religion itself. Hamid noted a Cooperative Election Study disclosing that 14 percent of Muslims, 12 percent
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By Dr. Mark Waters In 1931, Belgian cosmologist Georges Lemaître (1894-1966) published two papers, “The Expanding Universe” and “The Beginning of the World from the Point of View of Quantum Theory.” These short papers resulted in Lemaître’s legacy as the “father of big bang cosmology.” Lemaître, however, did not use the term “Big Bang.” This wording was coined by astronomer Fred
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Editor’s Note: Mark Waters was one of seven Abilenians who attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago Aug. 14-18. His report on the experience follows. Several Abilenians, including Waters, presented papers or were members of a panel By MARK WATERS The Parliament of the World’s Religions met August 14-18 in Chicago. Our theme was “A Call to Conscience:
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By MARK WATERS “Shaped by Christian principles, McMurry University challenges students to examine our complex world from multiple perspectives in preparation for lives of leadership, service, and professional success.” This recently revised mission statement is the cornerstone of McMurry’s decision to develop a minor in interfaith studies. I will unpack the intent of the mission statement below to show the
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Spirit Of Abilene 