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Religion Dispatches - Religion Dispatches Religion Dispatches
  • Israel’s War on Gaza
    • Flagship Biblical Studies Group Faces Bitter Divide Over Statements on Israel/Palestine
      Flagship Biblical Studies Group Faces Bitter Divide Over Statements on Israel/Palestine
    • Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
      Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
    • ‘Spooky Action’ of Quantum Physics Offers an Alternative Frame for War in the Middle East and the 2024 Election
      ‘Spooky Action’ of Quantum Physics Offers an Alternative Frame for War in the Middle East and the 2024 Election
  • Racial Justice
    • Flagship Biblical Studies Group Faces Bitter Divide Over Statements on Israel/Palestine
      Flagship Biblical Studies Group Faces Bitter Divide Over Statements on Israel/Palestine
    • Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
      Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
    • With ‘Vermin’ Remark Trump Crosses Fully into Nazi Territory
      With ‘Vermin’ Remark Trump Crosses Fully into Nazi Territory
  • Politics/Law
    • How Can the Former President’s Opponents Repudiate His Fascist Rhetoric Without Giving Him the Publicity He Craves?
      How Can the Former President’s Opponents Repudiate His Fascist Rhetoric Without Giving Him the Publicity He Craves?
    • Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
      Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
    • With ‘Vermin’ Remark Trump Crosses Fully into Nazi Territory
      With ‘Vermin’ Remark Trump Crosses Fully into Nazi Territory
  • Sex/Gender/Justice
    • Mike Johnson’s Porn-Monitoring isn’t Just ‘Creepy’ — it’s a Window to the Fascist Desire Driving the White Evangelical Will to Power
      Mike Johnson’s Porn-Monitoring isn’t Just ‘Creepy’ — it’s a Window to the Fascist Desire Driving the White Evangelical Will to Power
    • Constitutional Attorney Changes into Drag During Talk on Cancelation of West Texas A&M Drag Show
      Constitutional Attorney Changes into Drag During Talk on Cancelation of West Texas A&M Drag Show
    • Mike Johnson isn’t Just Your Average Christian Right Avatar — He’s Influenced by Fringe Movements Unfamiliar to Most Political Analysts
      Mike Johnson isn’t Just Your Average Christian Right Avatar — He’s Influenced by Fringe Movements Unfamiliar to Most Political Analysts
  • Christian Nationalism
    • Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
      Netanyahu’s Genocidal Religious Rhetoric isn’t Just an Appeal to the Israeli Right — He Has Another Constituency in Mind
    • With ‘Vermin’ Remark Trump Crosses Fully into Nazi Territory
      With ‘Vermin’ Remark Trump Crosses Fully into Nazi Territory
    • Mike Johnson’s Porn-Monitoring isn’t Just ‘Creepy’ — it’s a Window to the Fascist Desire Driving the White Evangelical Will to Power
      Mike Johnson’s Porn-Monitoring isn’t Just ‘Creepy’ — it’s a Window to the Fascist Desire Driving the White Evangelical Will to Power

Joseph Laycock

Joseph Laycock is an assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University. In addition to Speak of the Devil (Oxford University Press, 2020), his books include The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle for Catholic Tradition (Oxford University Press, 2014) and Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says About Religion, Play, and Imagined Worlds (University of California Press, 2015).

History/Theology, Politics/Law, Religious LibertyDecember 19, 2018

Will Infamous ‘Candy Cane Memo’ Resurrect Flailing ‘War on Christmas’?

By Joseph Laycock

A principal recently made headlines by banning candy canes. At a time when separation of church and state is facing so many legal challenges, it’s absolutely critical to understand the establishment clause.

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Culture, OMFGNovember 5, 2018

Should Satanic Temple Have Threatened Netflix Over Baphomet Statue in ‘Sabrina’ Series?

By Joseph Laycock

“Would they be as understanding of a fictional show that used a real mosque as the HQ of a terrorist cell? A fictional Blood Libel tale implicating real world Jews?”

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Politics/Law, Religious LibertyAugust 20, 2018

Satanist Religious Freedom Rally Successful Despite Neo-Nazis and Christian Heckler

By Joseph Laycock

When the police chief asked whether a requested garbage can would be used for blood, he was informed that it was for Satanists to pick up any litter after the rally.

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Christian Nationalism, OMFG, Religious LibertyAugust 14, 2018

Neo-Nazis Call on ‘White Christians’ to Oppose Satanic Temple Rally

By Joseph Laycock

The convergence of conservative Christian and White Supremacist groups suggests this is really a struggle over who is a “real” American and who is not.

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Culture, Politics/Law, Religious LibertyAugust 13, 2018

Satanic Temple Organizing a Rally for Religious Liberty

By Joseph Laycock

The trouble started in 2015 when Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert sponsored a bill to erect a Ten Commandments monument at the capitol.

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(A)theologies, Archive, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, Religious LibertyMarch 20, 2017

Satanists Take Aim at School Spanking

By Joseph Laycock

There’s a connection between hitting children and cultural identity. Growing up in Austin, Texas, I…

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(A)theologies, Archive, Science & Technology, The CubitAugust 23, 2016

CERN: Where Particle Physics Collides with Human Sacrifice (Apparently)

By Joseph Laycock

Almost no one was fooled last week when footage surfaced of what appeared to be…

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(A)theologies, Archive, Culture, The CubitJune 16, 2016

Satanists Infiltrate a Ritual Abuse Conference in Oakland: Your Guide to What Happened and Why

By Joseph Laycock

In April, a group of Satanists infiltrated a conference for people who believe they’re the…

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(A)theologies, Archive, Joseph Laycock, RD Blog, Science & Technology, The CubitApril 6, 2016

Satanic Temple Protests Pseudoscientific Therapies for Satanic Abuse and Witchcraft

By Joseph Laycock

If you happened to walk past San Francisco’s Parc 55 hotel this past weekend, you…

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(A)theologies, Archive, Books, Joseph Laycock, StoriesNovember 3, 2015

Why Have So Many Fallen for the Rune Stone Hoax?

By Joseph Laycock

Did a group of Christian Vikings from Sweden and Norway travel by river to Douglas…

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Religion Dispatches

Religion Dispatches

Religion Dispatches is your independent, non-profit, award-winning source for the best writing on critical and timely issues at the intersection of religion, politics, and culture.

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