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Historian John Ragosta Discusses the Context and Inspiration for ‘Religious Freedom’ in the U.S.

By Frederick Clarkson

…priests”) were trying to control what we think or prescribe what was the “best” religion or which people were the “best” citizens based upon their religious beliefs. If people were to make informed political choices themselves, they had to be free to think for themselves, especially about religion. For Jefferson and his supporters, religious freedom for all was central to our democracy. What’s most striking to me about the Virginia Statute is the…

Now That ‘Serial’ is Over: 2014’s Best Podcasts about Religion

By Andrew Aghapour

…Grandmother and the Vine of the Dead,” which was Slate’s pick for the 25th best podcast episode of all time. After that check out “A Goddamn Missionary,” an empathetic vignette of a Bipolar Disorder sufferer and religious figure, and “Do Crows Mourn Their Dead?”, a mind-bending tale of creepy human masks and the “cacophonous aggregations” that crows create for their dead. Here Be Monsters is as close to shamanistic trance as a podcast can get. Cat…

The Best and the Brightest of the Catholic Bad Girls

By Frances Kissling

…ome of us think they are cowards. But enough about them. This is about the best and the brightest of the bad girls (BBBG) who had their heyday in the 1980s and ’90s when Catholic feminists were radical feminists. The acronym BBBG comes from a talk Mary Hunt and I gave at a Chicago Catholic Women meeting in the 1980s. It was a time when Catholic women, members of religious communities and the rest of us, were thinking about hot button issues. We we…

“Paleo” is More Than a Fad Diet: Boyd Eaton’s Plan to Return to Eden

By Michael Schulson

…ng, our lifestyle, hardly at all. I’d like to think that we’d maintain the best of the past, and merge it with the best of the present. More steak, but still antibiotics. I really think there is a module in our brains, a neurological assembly, that says steak is really good, or meat is really good for us. I mean, it is the best kind of thing to eat. We have mental constructs about what is an attractive woman or what is an attractive man, for matin…

Religious Freedom Historian John Ragosta on “Religious Freedom”

By Frederick Clarkson

…priests”) were trying to control what we think or prescribe what was the “best” religion or which people were the “best” citizens based upon their religious beliefs. If people were to make informed political choices themselves, they had to be free to think for themselves, especially about religion. For Jefferson and his supporters, religious freedom for all was central to our democracy. What’s most striking to me about the Virginia Statute is the…

Haiti and the Push for Theological Questions

By Paula M. Cooey

…of those who are not on the face of it evil), how can this possibly be the best of all worlds? And if this is the best of all worlds, what does this have to say about its creator? And if this is not the best of all possible worlds, and still God’s creation is good, what does this have to say about its creator? In other words, if God is benevolent or good, how can God be all powerful, given human suffering? If God is all powerful, how can God possi…

Father Does Not Know Best: How To Fix the Catholic Church

By Mary E. Hunt

…not make mistakes, b) everything the pope says is right, c) the pope knows best the mind of God. This is referred to as “creeping infallibility,” and it is a disease rampant in Catholicism. Not only is the pope assumed to speak for God and be right, but those down the ladder are grandfathered into the infallible realm. This accounts for a lot of the “Father knows best” thinking so dramatically portrayed in the movie Doubt. Pyramid v. Pinwheel Anal…

TV’s 9 Best Christmas (and 1 Festivus) Clips

By Michael J. Altman

…a look at the best, the funniest, and the cheesiest of those episodes. The best Christmas episode ever wasn’t even about Christmas. “The Strike” from Seinfeld brought the world the wonderful holiday of Festivus. The Office has always done a great job with Christmas episodes, this year included. But my favorite has always been “Moroccan Christmas.” My horn can pierce the sky. Bars are always better at Christmas time. Hanging up tinsel and spa…

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Humans

By Amina Wadud

…intentions, and take up ihram at some point before I arrive in Jeddah. The best times are supposed to be immediately after one of the five prayers. As it stands, in order to clear security, I leave my house for the airport in San Francisco before the time for fajr prayer is even started. This also disrupts my plans for how to get to the airport. I don’t want to leave my car there for 3 weeks. I had planned to take my bags on Saturday and leave the…

Mitt Romney’s Best-Known Mormon Critic Tells it All. One Last Time.

By Joanna Brooks

…bout,” and I told him that I had at least wanted to try, and I gave him my best wishes. But I realized that I could not work for him. I think these stories are consistent with what we’ve seen of Romney so far in the campaign: deeply pragmatic, by the book, to the point of being abrupt, dismissive of other points of view, and petulant when pushed or questioned. I felt too that people should understand that he was ambivalent about being pro-choice….