Religion Dispatches
…stay, that he did so against his obvious self-interest, in loyalty to the Code, might demonstrate, as Wallace puts it, that McCain is certifiably insane. But we also know… [F]or a proven fact, that he is capable of devotion to something other, more, than his own self-interest. So that when he says the line in speeches now you can feel like maybe it’s not just more candidate bullshit, that this guy it’s maybe the truth. Or maybe both the truth and…
Read More…gn an honor code,” Farris claimed. “[Homosexuals] could not sign our honor code,” Farris said, adding that he considers the actions of gay men and women “sinful.” “Part of the honor code is to be sexually pure,” he added. Baratko speaks to a couple of the bloggers, who say they were inspired by other blogs at conservative Christian colleges like Bob Jones University (BJUnity), and he asks about the challenges of coming to terms with one’s sexualit…
Read More…in the Maldives under Sharia law, and with the publication of a new Penal code in 2014, also under national law, and may be punishable by death penalty. The new Penal code transposes into national law provisions which were previously just in Sharia law and applicable to Muslim citizens. In any case these new provisions have not been put into legal practice so far and there is no record of trials for homosexual practices in the aftermath of the ne…
Read More…ntended she violated school policy and the American Counseling Association code of ethics. That code, by the way, is clear about what is expected from counselors: Counselors do not condone or engage in discrimination based on age, culture, disability, ethnicity, race, religion/spirituality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status/partnership, language preference, socioeconomic status, or any basis proscribed by law. Counselors…
Read More
…nced status quo. Coalitions are needed, but not the ahistorical kinds that promote erasure of particular struggles. Rev. Barber’s activism is grounded in a rich historical memory, as demonstrated in his new book The Third Reconstruction and the accompanying interview here on RD. His calls for “fusion friendships” are not based on simple idealisms and platitudes of unity and reconciliation but on overlooked precedents. Equally as important, he is q…
Read More
…stians of color cultivating spiritual communities. An adoptee from Bogotá, Colombia, named after the Spanish mystic St. Teresa of Avila and raised by a white Catholic family in New Jersey, Pasquale Mateus has always felt drawn to mystical spirituality. In her twenties, yoga and meditation became a lifeline as she healed from sexual trauma. But because these traditions didn’t speak her religious language, she turned to the Christian contemplative m…
Read More
…quare kilometers, and 9 countries share this great Biome (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, including French Guyana as an overseas territory).” [Section 1] Yet those countries taken together comprise one of the poorest regions on Earth and the ecosystem described is in meltdown. There are many reasons why the Catholic Church focused on the Amazon. Of global significance, the impact of losing the ecological rich…
Read More
…n of the episode and so you can read about it in the book. I was in Bogotá Colombia that summer and I rewrote that half of chapter literally dozens of times but in the end I couldn’t use it anyway. In addition, there were thousands of programs, organizations, personalities, controversies, debates, dialogues, responses and so forth that I just didn’t have room for. The main purpose of such a book is to help the reader to see the broad trends. Too m…
Read More
…ntry is open to unrestricted tourism again. Next, I’m heading to Medellin, Colombia on a food and travel journalism project. For the time being, I’m focusing on the release of The Little Book of Satanism: A Guide to Satanic History, Culture & Wisdom. I hope my short guidebook can help people understand the roots of religious Satanism, and put to rest the many misguided ideas about Satanists and their practices. As always, I’ll be sharing updates f…
Read More…amily planning—the less politically charged expression. Jeffery Sachs from Colombia University and Tim Wirth from the UN Foundation, for example, both see a link between the ability of women to decide on the number of children they want and the ability to ensure planetary survival. Recent studies have shown that providing contraception to the 220 million women who want it but don’t have access would reduce carbon emissions by 15%. No coercion, jus…
Read More