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Rubio’s Awkward Balancing Act Between Evangelicals and Catholics

…n Iowa, where, as Sarah Posner notes here in RD, evangelicals seem divided between the hard-core Christian nationalism of Ted Cruz and Rubio’s kinder, gentler approach that focuses on his “personal relationship with Jesus.” Writing in RNS, Jonathan Merritt says that while the ad is a “mishmash of religious beliefs and Bible verses,” he finds it “surprisingly cogent.” But the ad strikes me as an awkward—if wishful—amalgamation of evangelical, and E…

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The Myth of the ‘Lone Wolf’ Shooter Blinds Us to the Reality of White Supremacy

…rity for those seeking to protect the innocent against the exploitation of freedom of speech. Unlike the free speech orator holding forth on their soap box in Times Square, those networked on social media enjoy a robust social existence, despite never even “meeting’ on FaceTime. They just don’t launch a random lone opinion or two, they publish and distribute information worldwide at the touch of a key. They exchange, interact and communicate with…

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Palin Bus Tour Like Gideon’s Fleece

…of evangelists like Oral Roberts and other small time gospel preachers who used the summer to set up their tents across America, traveling in buses and spreading the “good news.” Palin’s bus tour takes that strategy up a notch: it is the “Where’s Waldo” evangelical-political tour bus, touting the “good news” of Palin and her commitment to the “Fundamental Restoration of America.” The reward for those with the stamina to chase her down: a photo opp…

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Paul Ryan’s Bible, Jim Wallis’, Or None of the Above?

…ad come to the conclusion that this [social gospel] was going nowhere, because of the Great Depression, which in his mind was clearly a punishment from God, for disobedience. The greatest form of disobedience was labor organizations.” Sharlet continued: JS: If you try and regulate economics, well then you’re interfering with God’s free will. This is of course an idea that’s very attractive to the wealthy elites he [Vereide] starts ministering to….

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Prosperity Gospel Prayers Aren’t Sufficient to Save Hurricane Victims

…angelicals like Laurie and Prosperity Gospel adherents recognize synergism between free will and divine providence in determining human actions (they wouldn’t be able to chide the poor for being lazy if not!), but they differ in their emphases. Whereas Laurie stresses “the power of the one we are praying to,” White-Cain stresses the power of the one who is praying. This is a subtle theological distinction that enables Prosperity Gospel preachers t…

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A Better Form of Atheism: Rescuing the Christian Tradition from Religion

…re? I’m not sure of the relationship to queer theory. I try to distinguish between enjoyment as a straightforward concept and enjoyment as a legal term, meaning that you have the use of something without owning it. So obviously enjoyment and desire are not incompatible with possessiveness. From what I understand, queer theorists try to point towards an enjoyability, cut loose from the jealousy and possessiveness that structure a traditional hetero…

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Romania’s “Witch Tax”: Magic Meets Bureaucracy

…ommunism, witchcraft was officially banned. However, in the 1960s Elena Ceausescu (the wife of dictator Nicolae Ceausesecu) is said to have retained a witch known as Mama Omida or “Mother Caterpillar.” Mama Omida died in 1967 but is remembered as one of the most famous and powerful witches of Romania. Her daughter, Rodica Gheorge, is now among the most popular and wealthy witches in the country. She also has a blog featuring testimonials for her c…

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Pope Francis Dithering About Women, Skittish About Cops

…ts own, that thousands of children and vulnerable adults have suffered because church leaders refuse to give up power. Alas, the hierarchy rejects change, manically swatting it away at every turn while Catholics exit in droves. Even so timid a move as ordaining women deacons—that is, sacramentalizing and acknowledging that the bulk of the church’s ministry is now done by women—is too much for these men. Asked about the work of the commission he se…

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We Can’t Have Religious Freedom Without Reproductive Freedom

…under the First Amendment. We think it’s time for us all to seek religious freedom for reproductive freedom, and to recognize that persistent efforts to interfere in reproductive decisions is “an infringement of a natural right” in the sense the Virginia Statute warned. Of course, women didn’t share in this natural right at the time—but the right to believe differently than the rich and the powerful as codified in the Statute and the First Amendme…

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The Problem with the Notion of “Closely-Held Corporations” in Hobby Lobby

…rotection for human beings. A corporation is simply a form of organization used by human beings to achieve desired ends. . . . protecting the free-exercise rights of corporations like Hobby Lobby . . . protects the religious liberty of the humans who own and control those companies. Given that, it makes sense only to recognize religious rights for a for-profit entity when the entity’s owners are unanimous in their beliefs and their desired action….

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