Religion Dispatches
…be noted that in a kind of harmonic convergence of BS, the “Biblical Money Code” appears as a fake news article, or “advertorial,” on Newsmax, the semi-fake news website. Hyman in fact seems to work for the website, although his actual role is unclear—a recent bio says that he is part of its “Financial Brain Trust.” “A wise man looks well into a matter,” Proverbs, and Hyman, reminds us. While I wouldn’t make any claims to wisdom, I will say that I…
Read More
…n the Coptic community who felt it was an attack against the Coptic Orthodox Church based in Alexandria. But critics have argued that the book is a historical piece that means to deal with religion generally, using Christianity as a base for the narrative. Zeidan himself has said in previous interviews that the text is about how all religions can and have been “manipulated for worldly gains” and how, in the name of religious injustice, hatred, and…
Read More…e powers of autonomy. A draft bylaw sent to AFP on Saturday outlaws anal sex between men and “the rubbing of body parts between women for stimulation”, and for the first time applies Islamic laws and punishments to non-Muslims. The bylaw also punishes adultery with 100 lashes of the cane. The bylaw reinforces previous sharia legislation that bans alcohol consumption, gambling, fraternising between unmarried men and women, and physical displays of…
Read More
…Psychiatric Association joined the anti-LGBT chorus by proclaiming same-sex sexual orientation and transgender identities “mental illnesses” and recommending psychological “rehabilitation.” The Jakarta Post reported on Friday that government officials have not responded to requests from Human Rights Watch to discuss their findings. Australia: Christian lobby group shutting down; ex-gay movement promotes celibacy Salt Shakers, a Melbourne-based Ch…
Read More
…Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the line “There is something rotten in the state of Denmark” is uttered to signal the growing awareness that Denmark’s morality is in decline and crime is rotting the state from the inside. The Dover and Penn State controversies are still unfolding, but there is certainly something rotten in the state of America—something ominous lurking beneath all of the patriotic rhetoric about being God’s chosen nation and in the shadows…
Read More
…pean heritage is problematic not only for historical reasons but also for explicit and implicit connections between conceptions of the divine and racial whiteness. For those reasons it would be wise, if not morally just, if Christians of all backgrounds began the important work of removing and replacing depictions of Jesus as a white man with more historically accurate representations—or with no representations at all. King is by no means the firs…
Read More
…ligious ethics require belief in certain theological doctrines or sacred texts, limiting moral discourse to one religious tradition and excluding the majority of humanity. In an increasingly pluralistic and globalized society, religiously-based ethics cannot produce any sort of moral consensus, and instead only leads to a dangerous clash of inflexible, theologically-based “absolutes.” Secular ethics, on the other hand, are accessible to all indivi…
Read More…Nigeria in early 2014. They note that the law not only criminalizes same-sex sexual activity, but also the “public show of same sex amorous relationship directly or indirectly.” In this context when a man gives a lingering hug to his brother or a woman walks with her arms around the shoulders of her sister, they could end up in jail. Furthermore, this law, though it has been billed as an anti-gay marriage law, prohibits ‘civil unions’ as well as f…
Read More
…public same-sex marriage in Tabasco drew television coverage. Journalist Rex Wockner explains and tracks the shifting legal landscape. Russia: Calvin Klein Ad Investigated for Violating Law Against Gay ‘Propaganda’ An article by Hanna Jansen in the Journal of Economic and Social Geography by Hanna Hensen examines conflicts over LGBTI issues that arose during the 2013 Dutch-Russian “year of friendship.” A Calvin Klein ad is being investigated for v…
Read More
…ar law and politics affect everyone. The divisions within the modern world between religious and secular are not natural ones. They have a complex history. Only by going back and taking seriously some of the turns that history has taken will we understand why religion has become such a contentious topic today. Asad focuses on the “self-owning” individual of the liberal state and the many contradictions inherent in this invention. Tacking back and…
Read More