Religion Dispatches
…ent? DOBSON: In those circumstances, usually between about 2 and 10, where a child knows what you want, and not because he’s made a mistake or he spilled his milk, or he’s, you know, lost something. That’s childish irresponsibility. But when that child looks you in the eye and says, “I know what you want and I’m not going to give it to you. I don’t think you’re tough enough to make me.” COLMES: But are you then teaching a child, this is the way yo…
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…With each twist and turn over the long hot summer in the planning for the papal visit, Philadelphia’s citizens have become restless, and their ire has been focused on Mayor Nutter and the Secret Service. In a hastily put together meeting last week, Donna Crilley Farrell, the executive director of the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) announced that the papal events were going to be ticketed—after having already promoted the Papal visit as “free and…
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…ecific groups. Women-only, black-only and LGBT-only spaces are a relevant parallel. Such spaces take into account the issues related to certain social identities (the personal) and advocate for a reshaping of the public square to accommodate it (the political). This requires some sacrifice of others. At the very least it means restricting their freedom by not allowing them to enter a certain facility while it is being used by a particular identity…
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…gal conservatism in the United States. After flying for decades under the radar, the Federalist Society’s role in the selection of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to fill Supreme Court openings during the presidency of Donald Trump elevated its profile, putting it squarely on the media’s map. What’s less well known—by pretty much everyone who isn’t part of the legal conservative movement—is that the Society is also hip-deep in…
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…accept Christian responsibility for the Holocaust, blaming it instead on pagans and atheists. Given that Cardinal Walter Kasper, on the eve of the Pope’s visit, called Britain a third-world country full of atheists, one wonders if the Vatican is displacing Nazism or anticipating a new outbreak in the country that gave the world political liberalism. Each pope since Nostra Aetate, passed by the Second Vatican Council, has piously reiterated that c…
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For decades, the American Right has claimed children’s rights are anathema. They undermine the family, they threaten parents, they could destroy the United States and cause the downfall of Western Civilization. Probably the most succinct summary of rightwing sentiments about children’s rights comes from the late Chris Klicka, an attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association who said in 2000 that, “If children have rights, they could refu…
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…up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” This same Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:24 that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Similarly, the early Christian community is described in Acts 4:34-35 like this: “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of…
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…individuals and families spiraling into debt is now being celebrated once again. While last year was the year of reserve and frugality, we are now back where we belong: in the season of spending. While not reviving the post-September 11 rhetoric of shopping as an act of nationalism, we are once again being encouraged to spend—and told that spending is good for us. While disagreeing with this particular logic, I do agree that shopping is an ethica…
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…e Chronicles of Narnia brought a big profit for Walt Disney and Walden Media—around $750 million globally. After a few films, the franchise stalled, though. Rising production costs, declining ticket sales and increasingly mixed reviews led to conflict between the various production companies. There’s currently a legal moratorium preventing a fourth installment. Other major studio efforts haven’t cracked the code for commercial success either: Darr…
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…ry Zulock. Cathell, whose “fact-checking” includes titles such as “Is Kwanzaa a Fake Holiday?” (her answer: yes), describes the Zulocks as an “affluent LGBTQ-activist couple” who are alleged to have committed a number of crimes connected to the sexual abuse of their adopted children. Overnight, the tragic story of the Zulock children’s alleged abuse became proof to far-right activists that children aren’t safe with queer people. (This outrage is a…
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