In 2012, Samuel Mullett, Sr and fifteen of his Amish followers in Bergholz, Ohio were charged
with Federal hate crimes, consisting of cutting off the beards and long hair of other Amish with
whom they had long had disputes about specific religious beliefs. The Amish testified to the
significance to their sense of self-worth from the uncut beards, which had been shorn against
their will. The attackers used sharp horse shears normally used for clipping horse manes. Amish
leaders had tried to resolve the disputes within the religion for many years through their own
forms of punishment.
What will be an ideal response?
1. The hate here consisted of disputes between different strands of the Amish religion.
Should religious sects such as the Amish have the religious freedom to impose their own
forms of punishment, even if some appear to an outsider to constitute prohibited hate
crimes?
2. The U.S. Attorney who brought the case against Mullett and his followers said that he
was trying to protect the religious freedom of the Amish in that community who
disagreed with Mullett. Some of the Amish said that outsiders could never understand
the realities of the Amish beliefs and their means for resolving disputes. Do you agree
with the U.S. Attorney that the general society has an obligation to ensure freedom of
religion in such a circumstance? Develop philosophical arguments in support of your
position.
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Peirce advocated pragmaticism
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
New Testament teaching is that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah, anointed by
A) the Holy Spirit B) Mary's perfume C) the word of God D) the waters of baptism
Theoretical definitions a. resemble precising definition in that they reduce vagueness. b. differ from technical definitions in that technical definitions do not carry acommitment to some theory
c. need not be explicit definitions. d. All of these choices.
The following argument from analogy should be considered weak. "Jim likes intellectual pursuits just like Jane. Jim doesn't like sports, so Jane probably won't like sports either."
Indicate whether the statement is true or false