Search for "cheap airline ticket one way phone number 1-800-299-7264"

The SBC Sexual Abuse Scandal is a ‘Success’ Story of the Theological Vision and Social Structure of the ‘Conservative Resurgence’

By Diana Butler Bass

…controlling women. And there’s nothing mythological about that. It is the way patriarchy always works. * * * Southern Baptists may like the myth about saving their church from liberalism. But there’s something Baptists don’t like: creeds. Oddly enough, a “creed” plays a central role in this story of the Fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since their beginnings in the 17th century, Baptists have emphasized freedom of consc…

Hajj Journal:
This Cultural Hajj

By Amina Wadud

…t Muhammad (saw), when there were NO electrical lights, NO paved roads, NO phones. There was no way for anyone to know that a caravan had arrived until it was pretty near to its destination. Then a missionary was sent to alert the people of the town that that caravan had nearly arrived and was camped in the outskirts the night before their arrival. This allows for the townspeople to get ready to receive them. There is NOTHING sacred about Muzdhali…

LGBT Human Rights in UN Sustainable Development Negotiation; Swiss Bishop Says Speaking of ‘Family Diversity’ is ‘Attack on the Creator’; Canadian Food Bank’s Anti-Gay Dogma; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…so great and accepting despite what others say. I know God created me this way and He loves me just the way I am. I found the balance between religion and my sexuality, and I am still a proud Muslim and yet I’m gay. I may not be a practising Muslim, but I inherit all the beautiful things that my religion taught me and the most important thing that sadly many radicals seem to overlook is love and through love is what I will live. Spain: Bishop refu…

Take the Van Gogh Challenge: Doctor Who Part VII

By Gabriel Mckee

…e Doctor and… what? Time? The universe? Fate? Chaos? God? The Doctor has always been a rebel—he always pushes the “protest” button. Most of the time that rebelliousness works out for the best, and he becomes (as I described him earlier this season) an anarchist messiah. But when his attempts at salvation fail, the innocent can suffer. There was one thing about this episode that made me a bit uncomfortable. “Vincent and the Doctor” fictionalizes th…

The Risks of Remaining Neutral on Egypt

By Haroon Moghul

…bly. But in supporting the government or remaining equivocal, we point the way away from Turkey—which, in the long run, is the best possible example for a religiously Muslim society to turn to—and we may even potentially empower Iran. Really. If the people of the Arab world feel that America is not behind them—or worse, is actively trying to hinder their democratization—it’s all too easy to imagine them falling for more radical narratives: a large…

Marriage Equality Coming To Taiwan In Spite of Religious Objectors?; Anti-Gay Ruling Sought By Indonesian Islamists Threatens Women & Poor Couples; LDS Church Launches New ‘Mormon and Gay’ Site; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…reinforces the correct way to deal with the things we disagree on. “I’ve always questioned the way some people deal with differences, especially regarding sexual orientation. What could justify a person spending their energy to verbally or physically attack someone who prefers different things? Maybe this person is not so confident about their own choices,” Renato Cavalher, creator of the film, wonders. “Obviously, we can disagree with other peopl…

“Love Them As Yourself”: God’s Words or IKEA Instructions?

By Marcia Pally

…ts a law whose force is of a universal nature, because it derives from the way the world itself was made.” While the ritual aspects of the Mosaic code aimed at guiding the Israelites, the theological, ontological, and ethical principles, continued into the Second Testament, aim at guiding all. The human task is to grapple with those principles—to discern how they promote our flourishing—and to further them secondarily, as co-creators. Why is such…

Will the Religious Side with Workers?

By Peter Laarman

…rm’s-Length Relationship? Explaining why most of American religion walked away from labor during recent decades is a complex matter. For space reasons, I offer some reasons by way of oversimplified bullet points: An unpleasant aftertaste: As noted above, today’s labor movement is tremendously diverse, both ethnically and racially. Women and people of color run some of the biggest unions. But many religious leaders of a certain age are more likely…

Innocent Until Proven Muslim — A Q&A with Dr. Maha Hilal

By Habiba Farh

…ouldn’t recognize if the umbrella [term] wasn’t there; otherwise, the many ways the War on Terror has been—and continues to be—enacted are treated as discrete and unrelated acts and policies. In many ways, it’s normalized violence. As we think about abolishing the War on Terror, I wanted to come up with a taxonomy of its violence because it’s so embedded now. This requires understanding the deeply rooted tentacles of normalized surveillance, indef…

The Morning After

By Amina Wadud

…ywhere. I could make note of the time (or hear the adhan) and then make my way to the prayer place. They always have a wash station for ablutions. They always have prayer scarves for women, some women only wear one when they pray. Even when I was just visiting friends or in private homes if I said I want to make salah, they would show me to a place to wash and offer the rug and the scarf. No one else needed to stop to pray. No one was prevented fr…