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Modern Vampires: Your Neighbors and Spouses

By Joseph Laycock

…d had announced that he was a vampire, and the mother wanted to know what this meant. This book is not intended as an apology for the vampire community, but I think it may help non-vampires to put the phenomenon in perspective. One of the challenges of a democratic society is the accommodation of diverse identity groups. Are you hoping to just inform readers? Give them pleasure? Piss them off? The “basic facts” about the vampire community are read…

Welcome to the Shari’ah Conspiracy Theory Industry

By Sarah Posner

…claim of Islam’s incompatibility with democracy has nothing to do with anything historical, or anything in legal texts.” The cottage industry, she says, points to some aspects of Wahhabism, such as requirements on dress codes, and portray that as representative of Islamic thought. “The problem is, I don’t think that they understand that Islamic law means different things to different people in different places. None of these Wahhabi interpretation…

UPDATED: Religion Has Been Framed; Covering the Aga Khan’s Visit

By Hussein Rashid

…re Isma’ili, followers of the Aga Khan. Looking at that spread, one would think Shi’ah dominate America’s Muslim population, or at least its intellectual landscape. All of these pieces are blog pieces, not one news report among them. The Sunni community is well aware of the works of the Aga Khan and has a great deal of respect for them. Shahed Amanullah, founder of altmuslim, said in an interview, “There are a lot of non-Isma’ili Muslims around th…

New Reports Reveal Global Persecution of Nonbelievers

By Austin Dacey

…September 13 by the police after an enraged mob stormed his house, beating him and threatening his mother, a Coptic Christian. Saber was rumored to be circulating the Innocence of Muslims film trailer on his Facebook page. In a video blog, he spoke of the importance of exercising critical reasoning about religious matters. While in custody, Saber was slashed in the throat by razor-wielding prisoners after a guard told them of his “crime” and he w…

Americans Say Religion is “Losing Influence”

By Diane Winston

…big tent approach to coverage of American ir/a/religion. But do the Gallup numbers point to new ways we might be thinking about business as usual? Two findings are striking. First: Gallup reported that although Americans felt religion’s influence was declining, many—75 percent—agreed that more religion would be positive for the country. Not surprisingly, churchgoers were most gung-ho about religion’s beneficial impact. But “over half of those who…

Sacred&Profane: The Living Dead

By Gary Laderman

…g commentary that profanes the sacrality of children’s fun and games, you think? Historians are not usually the life of the party, but history does shed light in the darkness, and the history of Halloween, as most readers here know, is primarily about collapsing the boundaries between the living and the dead. Most accounts begin with Samhain, a pagan holiday that marked the beginning of winter but also celebrated the migration of the dead to the n…

The Real Goal of Pro-Life Movement Support for Scott Brown: Kill Health Care Reform

By Sarah Posner

…re reform), he supports Roe v. Wade. From his campaign web site: Abortion While this decision should ultimately be made by the woman in consultation with her doctor, I believe we need to reduce the number of abortions in America. I believe government has the responsibility to regulate in this area and I support parental consent and notification requirements and I oppose partial birth abortion. I also believe there are people of good will on both s…

The 17th Century Roots of Roy Moore’s Refusal to Concede the Election

By Karen E. Park

…that, if you will. Moore is “waiting on God” to deliver the Senate seat to him despite his clear loss because he does not believe in the democratic process. He hates democracy as much as the Puritan John Winthrop, first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony did. Winthrop knew that the Puritans were the new Israel, chosen by God for a special “errand.” His famous “City upon a Hill” language, itself taken from the Gospel of Matthew 5:14, and late…

Travolta Airlifts Scientology, Supplies, to Haiti

By Becky Garrison

…loped by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Despite intense criticism of this detox program from the medical facility, this program remains in operation. New York City was by no means the only disaster site targeted for clearing by the Church of Scientology. Whenever one finds a disaster that makes the international news (like the tsunami in Indonesia), one can find volunteer ministers decked out in yellow shirts interfering with relief workers,…

Sacred&Profane: Wilco Worship and the “Churn” in American Religion

By Gary Laderman

…ion, faith, as a domesticated catchword for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus of every stripe and strand, is out the window. When faith, affiliation and tradition no longer apply, the possibility for religious life is not dead but remains vital and viable. Without a religion to tie you down, one can still be religious and access something sacred in some form or other. Signs of religious life without religion are everywhere, though ca…