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How the Politics of the 1890s Explain the GOP’s Health Care Woes

By Patricia Miller

…of a period of Republican ascendency and activist government. Sound familiar? As As Mark Schmitt notes in Vox: Long before Donald Trump came along, the Republican Party ran four election campaigns — 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 — on the promise to rid the country of the hated and oppressive Affordable Care Act … In three of those four elections, they captured another arm of government, all on the promise of ACA repeal: the House in 2010, the Senate…

A Debate Rages in India Over Conversion, Secularism, and “Spiritual Violence”

By Murali Balaji

…ut English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.” Thanks in large part to church-funded publications and university scholarship, Christianity also became part of the rhetoric of liberation among low caste populations and regional language groups such as Tamils. This idea of Christianity “liberating” the uncivilized masses gained a following in the United States through the publication of the now comically racist Mother India by Kathe…

Can the Catholic Church Survive Trump?

By Patricia Miller

…the advancement of Catholic teaching in the medium and long run because of the simple but profound fact that no American political party ever is such a vehicle or ever will be. But the association with Trump leaves a particularly dark stain on the church and may be the final straw in an alliance that Byrnes cautions could relegate the church to the sidelines in the public debate, as the party it hitched its star to “inevitably crumbles and falls….

Are You There God? It’s Us, Googling

By Michael Schulson

…he anxieties of pregnant women (“can pregnant women eat shrimp?” is a popular search query in the US) or the ratio of heart-related to penis-related searches (67:100 for those keeping score). This Sunday, Stephens-Davidowitz turned his attention to God. Some of the patterns he documents are predictable, such as the steep reduction in “Google searches for churches,” yet more evidence of the increasing number of “nones,” or that “searches related to…

Indonesian Court Rejects Religious Conservatives’ Bid To Criminalize Gay Sex; More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…in effect asking the court to formulate a new criminal code because they feared parliament would took take too long to enact changes wanted by the Family Love Alliance. But, in a sign of the challenges that continue to face LGBT people, Associated Press reported on December 15 that a court “has sentenced 10 men arrested in a raid at a gay club and sauna to between two and three years in prison, an activist and a relative of one of the men said.” B…

First U.S. Visit of the Virgin Mary Confirmed in Wisconsin

By Lewis Wallace

…of Green Bay. Casting a shadow almost long enough to reach Champion, the nearby Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for bankruptcy in early 2011 after spending over $29 million addressing abuse claims over two decades. Meanwhile, the caretakers at the Shrine of our Lady of Good Help are trying to fundraise for basic amenities—a bathroom here, a wheelchair ramp there, and a new parking lot—before the site starts drawing pilgrims in droves. Currently, th…

Not a ‘Weenie-A** Lodge’: James Ray Trial Begins

By Johnny P. Flynn

…and Liz Neuman in an October 2009 “Spiritual Warrior Retreat” near Sedona, Arizona. Participants in the retreat paid more than ten thousand dollars each to fast, sweat, listen to lectures and watch films under Ray’s guidance. In the days leading up to the sweat lodge, more than fifty people were set out in remote locations to fast for thirty-six hours with no food or water. Then, on the afternoon of October 8, 2009, Ray gathered all the people at…

Yet Another Survey Shows ‘Nones’ Growth at Record Levels

By Elizabeth Drescher

…he second, sponsored in part through a Hackworth Grant from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, will explore the ethical practices of Nones. These two projects are part of a larger book project, Choosing Our Religion: The Spiritual Lives of America’s Nones, which will be released by Oxford University Press in 2014….

Sovereign Grace Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Just Got More Complicated

By T.F. Charlton

…ild sexual abuse. In short, SGM’s and CLC’s legal and organization turmoil are far from over. Despite this, evangelical leaders and organizations with close ties to former president C.J. Mahaney have broken the striking silence they had maintained prior to the dismissal of the suit, seizing on Judge Burrell’s ruling as an opportunity to come to Mahaney’s defense. Leaders from “Together for the Gospel” (T4G) a ministry for evangelical pastors co-f…

The Brutality of Life for Syrian LGBTs; Saving the Anglican Church by Dissolving It; Backlash to Hindu Gay Wedding Ceremony in Indonesia; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…artner Josema Rodriguez. Maroto is a senior official of the governing Popular Party, or PP, which Rajoy leads. Not only has Rajoy said he plans to attend; a PP colleague has disclosed he’s an official witness of the marriage. “Will he, won’t he go?” has taken up acres of Spanish media coverage and spawned a new hashtag on Twitter: #laBodaDeMaroto (the marriage of Maroto). While it’s unlikely to dominate the election campaign, the event has led to…