When a group of about 15 students and West Philadelphia residents gathered on the second floor of the Penn Bookstore on Wednesday, they expected to hear a lecture on the need to protect religious interests.
Little did they know that Marci Hamilton, a constitutional-law expert and lifelong Republican, would be presenting a much different story.
Hamilton, who graduated magna cum laude from the Penn Law School and worked as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, believes firmly that legislators have been "senseless and thoughtless" in dealing with religious groups during the past few decades.
As she presented her new book God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law, she made it clear that the carte blanche awarded to religious groups in this country is downright dangerous.
"In the U.S., we have a Pollyanna attitude toward religion," Hamilton said. "We have to be a lot more realistic about how religious groups operate in the public sphere."
Hamilton said that the ability of religious groups to evade certain laws under the umbrella of church autonomy has seriously undermined the public good, especially in relation to children's welfare.
"There are times when religious groups hurt people," Hamilton said.
Unlike public officials and private citizens, members of the clergy are not required to report instances of abuse, Hamilton said. Parents can evade medical neglect laws if they can prove that their reasons for not administering proper medical care are spiritual. Furthermore, legislation involving church privacy allows clergy members involved in child-abuse scandals to withhold vital documents, she added.
Hamilton holds serious reservations about Congress' attempts to award religious groups special privileges.
"Religious groups should be subject to the same laws as everybody else ... unless they can prove that they're not harming anyone," Hamilton said.
In response to the controversy over evolution and intelligent design in schools, Hamilton believes that the debate has been skewed by those who "want to insert a religious viewpoint into the theory of evolution."
On the issue of gay marriage, Hamilton said that the debate has been misguided in that it "started and stopped at a religious point, and we can't get past it," adding that the nation should focus more on the secular issues involved.
Throughout her presentation, Hamilton stressed the importance of separating religious beliefs from decisions in the public sector and the need for change in Congress.
"I'm hoping God vs. the Gavel will change the balance a little bit toward good policy," she said.
The overall reaction to the presentation was positive, although some students qualified their enthusiasm.
"She had a number of good points on policy issues," College sophomore Anne-Garland Berry said, but "her position toward religion was a little too hostile."
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