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Religious Leaders On Anti-Muslim Frenzy: “Silence Is Not An Option”

By Sarah Posner

…the National Religious Campaign Against Torture called it “a blight on America’s spirit and soul.” Several, including Cizik and Dr. Roy Medley, General Secretary of the American Baptist Churches, noted how their own traditions thrived from the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution, a freedom they said people in their own faith traditions now seek to trample for Muslims. David Saperstein, executive director of the Religious Action Cente…

Catholic ‘Soul-Searching’ as Ireland Votes on Marriage; Churches, American Activists Join Kenyan Anti-Gay Group’s ‘Family’ Confab; Indian Mom Seeks Spouse For Gay Son; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…rights, to visit Uganda this summer after trips to the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. Watch a set of video interviews on Growing UP LGBT in East Africa, posted at KitschMix. Ireland: Catholic ‘soul-searching’ on marriage referendum As we discussed in some detail last week, Irish voters go to the polls today, May 22, in what could be the first national referendum approving marriage equality. Prime Minister Enda Kenny made a televised pitch fo…

Raelians’ “Clitoraid” Met With Suspicion in Burkina Faso

By Joseph Laycock

…me interested in female circumcision while on a speaking tour in Western Africa. (Raelians have been making missionary trips to Africa since 1982.) Three years after French urologist Pierre Foldés invented a procedure in 2004 to repair the damage of female circumcision Clitoraid was founded for the purpose of making the procedure available to women throughout Africa. Boisselier, formerly of Clonaid, became the organization’s president. While Dr. F…

What Does Darwin Mean to You?

By Arri Eisen

…one good copy of the gene). And so it is. I am a direct descendant of Pentecostal pastors and natural selection! So, how does Darwin affect what I believe? I believe that my African ancestors unknowingly adapted to fight the good fight one more day. I believe that if it weren’t for my faith, I wouldn’t be able to fight the good fight on a daily basis. I believe the two concepts are so intertwined in my life that I can’t ignore either part. God for…

Catholic Sex Teaching is No Laughing Matter

By Marian Ronan

…ns on the upsurge. At the same time that anti-gay violence is growing in Africa, the number of African Christians, including Roman Catholics, continues to increase. Catholics now comprise twenty percent of the population of the entire continent, or 185 million people. It would, of course, be unfair to blame increasing anti-gay violence in Africa entirely, or even primarily, on the Roman Catholic Church, given the pivotal roles played in this cris…

Religion vs. Science: America’s Perilous Fight

By Edward J. Larson

…for science is that, if forced to choose between God or evolution, most Americans will choose God. The reasons are so obvious that they can be stated through rhetorical questions. For most people, which belief is more rooted in their culture and traditions: religion or science? Which do they celebrate: Darwin’s birthday or Christmas? Which are they more likely to think they’ve seen: some sort of miracle or the evolution of a new species? Which off…

United By Hate for Proposition 8

By Jonathan L. Walton

…t enough minority voters will view this amendment for what it is, state-sanctioned discrimination and a bible-based prohibition against exogamy, which is reminiscent of previous state bans on interracial marriage that defined America’s not too distant past. This is why I pray that a solid number of black and brown voters embrace Jesus’ ethic of reciprocity on Tuesday. In other words, the Golden Rule: “Do unto others, as you would have them to do u…

The Rage Behind Outrage

By Becky Garrison

…eel that they can suffer some serious consequences if they speak out. In a number of cases, someone would start an interaction with me and then go, “Look. I can’t even speak with you.” They didn’t even want to go off the record. Have you received any backlash from some of the subjects profiled in the film? So far, there hasn’t been any backlash. These are very savvy politicians and they got to where they are by ignoring this issue. I would be surp…

Gaza Play Sparks Mixed Reaction Among Jews

By Benjamin Weiner

…she has addressed the charges of anti-Semitism in an email to a Jewish-American director.) The most interesting reaction, to my mind, is represented by those Jews who have chosen to court controversy by appropriating the appropriation, participating in staged readings of Churchill’s play in Jewish settings. The Jewish Community Center in DC held one such event last week. Playwright Tony Kushner, a champion of “Seven Jewish Children,” will moderat…

Along Came a Spider: What the Pope Doesn’t See

By Anthea Butler

…ts” to commence on July 19 of this year, the day devoted to prayer for the sanctification of priests, anything but sanctification is happening. May I suggest the hierarchy of the Catholic Church start anew by taking a page from the Episcopal diocese in Philadelphia? The diocese has deposed Bishop Bennington from office, and rejected a request for a new trial regarding his concealment of his brother John Bennington’s abuse of an underage girl 35 ye…