Religion Dispatches
…boredom? I wonder. Needless to say, to the extent that longevity research promotes ways to alleviate the suffering caused by debilitating diseases such as Altzheimer and Parkinson, they are all very beneficial. However, I also believe that all programs about extension of human life cannot be divorced from the deeper reflection about the purpose of human life. Such reflection seems to be missing from the transhumanist literature. One could object…
Read More…P] be suspended pending further investigation” because the group had been “promoting homosexuality and lesbianism,” NTV, one of Uganda’s leading television stations, reported Tuesday. The report said, “The allegation against the Refugee Law Project is that it has been working with … [the coalition] which has been handling the petition … against the Anti-Homosexuality Act” which is due to be heard by the Constitutional Court later this month…. The…
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…that any Mormon who were to marry and cohabitate with a two living spouses today would be excommunicated. But polygamy has not been eliminated from Mormon life. (I’ve discussed this topic at length here.) The fact is that current Church policy does allow for a living man to be “sealed” (married for eternity) to more than one woman at a time. For example, a widower or divorced man who has elected to terminate his civil marriage but not his LDS temp…
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…y unchanged since the height of Promise Keeper popularity. Fast forward to today and Promise Keepers are inhabiting a new landscape dominated by social media, hyper-partisanship, and balkanized media outlets that keep Americans of every background in cocoons of confirmation bias. Whereas in the ‘90s Promise Keepers were at the forefront of articulating what would become a 21st century American Christian masculinity, they’re now just one of many as…
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…did not cause sufficient injury to nonbelievers, and that the President is free to make general nonbinding appeals to the public.) There are many reasons to oppose the National Day of Prayer, and there have been many reasonable attempts to strike 36 U.S.C. § 119 from law. But this year the American Humanist Association is promoting an opposition effort that is fundamentally misguided. Rather than call for its elimination, the AHA wants the annual…
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…sumer capitalism that he knew so well, packaging and trademark and massive promotional campaigns. How has Crowell shaped the modern religious landscape? The Moody Bible Institute pioneered a means of generating a reputation of being a purveyor of pure religion. Today these business techniques are everywhere. The biggest churches in America have no denominational affiliation, and they are filled with respectable, middle-class people. This would not…
Read More…more dangerous: A monied and sophisticated indifference to reality. Islam today, science tomorrow. (No, wait; make that misrepresenting Islam and science today.) We must keep in mind the effect this will have on our constitutional rights and freedoms. Those who want to target the rituals and practices of a misunderstood religious community can very easily expand their target to other populations. We’ve come too far as a country, in terms of t…
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…al residue” of this segregationist theology across the Christian landscape today, from the evangelical rejection of identity politics to the racial exclusivity of many white churches. And of course we can also see it in the ongoing battles over race in today’s Southern Baptist Convention. After June’s SBC meeting, some outlets identified Litton and his supporters as “moderates” in contrast to Stone’s “conservative” faction. The label was a misnome…
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…hat’s a projection, and it’s based on the analysis of trends that are seen today. My suspicion is that they are underestimating the importance of this new transparency. It takes twenty years to grow a Baptist, and twenty minutes to lose one. And I think that people may be in for some real surprises in those areas. After all, it’s only been a decade or two that this has been an issue for Muslim children. Are they going to let their children have ce…
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…sn’t mean the FFRF will actually get anywhere, should it decide to sue. In today’s courts, said Ledewitz, entanglement simply “doesn’t cut it any more.” Unless the government is actively requiring citizens to do something, courts today tend to be sympathetic toward public expressions of religion. “If he sues, he won’t have standing,” said Ledewitz. “Not on the constitutional claim.” In its statement, NASA explained that it had received the letter…
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