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Episcopal Church Assault Data Reveals the Dark Side of Inclusive Christianity

…a random sample size and therefore isn’t statistically representative. The number of individuals reporting victimization in Episcopal spaces is alarming nonetheless. However, I would argue the data is more likely to under- than to overestimate the scope of the abuse that occurs. To see why, the survey results must be interpreted in light of the Episcopal Church’s larger culture of inaction around sexual violence. See no evil, hear no evil… LGBTQ+…

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Power Up: Turn Off the Cell Phone

…plugged-in lifestyle doesn’t really get at the heart of the issue. I think the Amish, of all people, have it right. It’s not so much about what you as an individual are doing or not doing, as the effect technology has on the community: Why not make life easier and just put [a phone] in the house? “What would that lead to?” another Amish man asked me. “We don’t want to be the kind of people who will interrupt a conversation at home to answer a tel…

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Sacred Texting: When Religious Writ Gets Wired

…rn to imams online, call imams live on television shows, and even access imams via cell phones to receive new fatwas (religious rulings) for questions they may have. The recent proliferation of people claiming to have credentials to issue fatwas has created confusion and frustration among some Muslims (IOL Technology). Who should decide, if anyone, what authoritative texts should be accessible, and to whom—when anyone with an internet hookup and a…

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“Saints Are Only Human”: Leaving the Church, But Heeding this Pope’s Lessons

…slogans about immigration reform. On line I heard that parishes with large numbers of undocumented immigrants had received many tickets. No outside food or water, statues, gifts or selfie sticks were permitted. Despite 10,000 folding chairs, most of us would have no choice but to stand. Once in my appointed place behind the last row of seats, I found myself in a community of fellow pilgrims, lottery winners from local parishes, nearby colleges, an…

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We Went Through Amoris Laetitia Section by Section So You Wouldn’t Have To

…es it clear that same-sex unions are excluded from this “ideal,” when he slams the doors shut on LGBT Catholics over and over. There is a failure to realize that only the exclusive and indissoluble union between a man and a woman has a plenary role to play in society as a stable commitment that bears fruit in new life. We need to acknowledge the great variety of family situations that can offer a certain stability, but de facto or same-sex unions,…

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Put Your Money Where Your Mind Is: A For-Profit Meditation Studio Opens in New York

…age. His 2012 book, The Buddha Walks into a Bar, has sold widely. Over the phone, I asked Rinzler why he and Burrows had chosen to establish the studio as a for-profit company. “We really wanted to make sure we had all the resources we need for supporting people who are trying meditation for the first time,” Rinzler explained. Because they’re a business, there’s more professionalism. The teachers they’ve hired show up on time, and, as Rinzler put…

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Iftar: Breaking Fast

First, let me say I composed this entry starting from SFO airport en route to Philadelphia. This means I can no longer control formats and things like marking foreign words with italics. I think some people know that in my past life I was an academic. So things like format and italics make a difference. But I can’t get what I want with the Ipad, as far as word processing goes. That may be a blessing in disguise. I mean, I can always blame things…

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Hajj Journal: The Journey Begins and Ends

…eople. As I mentioned, my original itinerary allowed me to fly direct from SFO to Paris. This new itinerary had me stop in another U.S. city first. Think about this—after all the excitement to get started with this once-in-a-lifetime journey, to stop again in the U.S. is the worst kind of interim re-routing. I mean, am I on my way? Are we there yet? But the Charles de Gaulle airport, which is the transit spot to Jeddah—now that is really something…

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Silver Bells and Atheist Billboards

…rediting body, likes to see PhDs on the faculty roster. Most doctoral programs require critical thinking capabilities, and critical thinking frequently calls the foundations of faith into question. A vicious cycle whirls more violently than Charybdis here. Over there is the Scylla of unprofessionalism (professors without enough letters following their names). The seminaries’ crew on this journey appears to be Dawkins and his atheistic Argonauts. D…

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Can Expelled Teach Us a Thing or Two?

…ans would be attracted to, appreciate and consider careers in science (the number is decreasing annually). I bet we’d have more productive conversation among students and leaders of science and religion around the many profound issues in our nation that engage both: abortion, medical care, stem cells, homosexuality, and genomic research. The battle rhetoric would fade and, more than likely, movies like Expelled wouldn’t be made in the first place….

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