Search for "what is the best way to find cheap airline tickets phone number 1-800-299-7264"

Because the Bible Has a Liberal Bias

By Daniel Schultz

…settle what it is that we think we know. Because as it turns out, the only way we know, the only way we can know, is through the dangerous process of taking a position and defending it as best we can. The conservatives don’t like gambling, but what else is faith without risk? For that matter, what else is reading? Nothing but arrogance, liberal conservative or unbelieving. Coming to scripture with a sense that one might wrong, though, that’s the m…

Country Music Minus the Culture Wars: A Lesson from a Legend

By Paul Harvey

…y” offered by “No Depression” hipsters and revivalists) may be finding its way into a broader country mainstream. When the emotional resonances of personal struggles and religious visions take precedence over the broader messages of God and country, then we are back in the realm of what pop-country can do best. The gentle spiritual quests portrayed in these songs stands in marked contrast to the vitriol of our political culture. Most likely, Ricky…

Hearts and (Versus?) Minds: Bachmann’s Ultrasound Bill

By Sarah Morice-Brubaker

…ng to Bachmann, the goal here is to make sure that the woman has “the very best information with which to make that decision.” (Good thing she’s still about leaving the decision up to the woman, because otherwise she might be disheartened by evidence suggesting that viewing an ultrasound makes little difference in the outcome of that decision.) Yes, that’s the line on ultrasound bills. They give women some sort of necessary information. But why do…

Environmentalists Are Lousy Metaphysicians

By Curtis White

…wn enemy, the world of quantitative reason, of risk assessment, data, the “best science,” and technological fixes? That it has mostly abandoned in embarrassment the spiritual vision of Muir? What we’ve been left with are numbers. The problem of climate change will be solved if we can reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 ppm. 350 ppm: that’s the holy grail of environmentalism. As a consequence of this approach, environmentalism can te…

Can a Progressive Atheist Defeat the Democrats’ “Family” Man in NC?

By Sarah Jaffe

…s as though the conservative evangelical “Blue Dog” Democrat may be on his way out. If he opts to run for reelection in 2012 Shuler will face a primary challenge for his seat in North Carolina’s 11th District from a self-proclaimed progressive Democrat who is probably best known for being an atheist city councilman in a state that still requires government officials to believe in “Almighty God.” And if Shuler can fend off a primary challenge, he m…

How Donald Trump Has Exposed Rifts in the Religious Right

By Sarah Posner

…brave, or just generally the best. For Trump, America risks not being the best anymore not because of the decline of religion (typically the heart of Christian nation ideology), but because of the rise of immigration. Even before Trump-mania took hold, religious conservatives like Moore and Reynolds were already rejecting the decades-old playbook of candidates genuflecting to the Christian nation ideology to win over evangelicals. As Moore wrote…

A Pale Glimpse of Moon

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…ns of others to leave through one of the few working tunnels, making their way to the countryside and the imagined salvation awaiting them in western Pennsylvania. The only light they see on this epic odyssey is created by fire—the fires of rioters and looters in the city, then later, the massive conflagration of an entire forest, up in flames. It was a strange story, in some ways. I wondered how the detailed and delicate descriptions of how these…

Democrats Have Seized the Narrative Frame From the GOP, But Can They Find a Better Story to Tell About an Inclusive, Pluralist US?

By Chrissy Stroop

…embodied by a sheriff who once worked with right-wing wackos on their (at best) morally dubious anti-trafficking missions? Once again, Democrats cede moral ground by uncritically adopting GOP framing instead of trying to shift the conversation to something that represents the party’s inclusive and progressive vision. That brings us to religion. While the Democrats are currently winning on messaging in several areas once dominated by the GOP, they…

T-Shirts and Minarets: The Rending of the Social Contract

By Hussein Rashid

…annot impose their beliefs on us. We may come to a mutual agreement on the best course of action that align with religious belief, but that is different than imposing a religious edict. Two current incidents show the perilous relationship between religion and politics and responsibilities in civil society: The first case is based in the US and involves the ACLU. Several students in a Florida school district wore shirts that said “Islam is of the D…

Muslim Brotherhood: Protect Churches; Mufti Exempts Egyptians from Friday Prayer

By H.A. Hellyer

…reports that at least on Thursday night, the protestors were fairly few in number in comparison to before. No one really knows what will happen tomorrow. There is all sorts of speculation going on at the moment—to the point where people are suggesting that actually, the army might attempt a coup. Where they have evidence for this is anyone’s best guess—but it reveals the amount of confusion the people have about the situation. And it’s only increa…