Luma Simms

Months ago, I watched as some Christians took to the internet opposing R. R. Reno’s position in “A Time to Rend,” in which he calls for a separation of sacramental marriage from civil marriage. Much of the criticism made accusations of disengagement with, and abandonment of, the culture. One Protestant even went so far as to say, “church weddings detached from the civil sphere are worthless.”

Leo XIII’s encyclical, Arcanum, lays out a solid argument for why the Church is the guardian of marriage, and what happens when that authority of hers is usurped. In light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Obergefell, we need a reminder of Pope Leo XIII’s reasoning. We also need to seriously consider Reno’s suggestion; Untethering sacramental marriage from civil marriage may be one of our best options, we should take it now before it is taken out of our hands.

Read the rest of my article at Crisis Magazine.

The Supreme Court is soon to decide a case that could potentially impose same-sex marriage as a nationwide civil “right.” During one exchange in oral arguments in the case, Obama administration Solicitor General Donald Verrilli was asked by Justice Alito whether a religious school could lose its nonprofit status if it held that marriage is between one man and one woman. Here is the solicitor general’s response: “It’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is it is going to be an issue.”

Read the rest of my article at The Federalist

I was born in Baghdad, but all my ancestors before me, including my parents, where born in Mosul and neighboring cities in Northern Iraq. Even now when I speak Arabic it is still with a Moslouy dialect. For many years, no matter where I was living or what I was doing, the answer to “Where are you from?” was one of identity: “Ana Maslouy.” I am a Mosulian. And I am, all the way down, in spite of my thoroughly Americanized personality—such is the deep and dual identity of immigrants.

You can read the rest of the article at Crisis Magazine

The broader thesis of this book may seem unoriginal on its face: The mainline Protestant churches have collapsed, leaving a void where once there had been a moral voice to temper democracy and capitalism. However, this important observation—a jewel, in fact—is contained among many others in this treasure chest of a book.

Read the essay here at The Federalist

We communicate not only in word but also in dress and deed. In our time, this is especially the case. We have undergone what Neil Postman calls the “vast and trembling shift from the magic of writing to the magic of electronics,” and have transitioned from a “word-centered to an image-centered” culture.

The wearing of a mantilla is a visual expression of distinction between men and women.

Read the rest of my article at First Things.