Religion Dispatches
…not clear whether he’s referring to the public or the press or both) don’t talk more about the religious left, a “disparity [that] implies that a seriously faithful person is most likely to land on just one end of the political spectrum.” Again, I’m not sure who the “we” is here; part of the reason the press, at least, talks so much about the religious right is because 1) the movement has a remarkably good media and public relations machine; 2) it…
Read More
…r their own beliefs. Since then, they’ve invited my church to potlucks. We talk. We listen. And we strive to grow in our relationship. I still remember listening to one of the parents talk about how her daughter was afraid of school. Other kids were saying, “Now that Trump is president, you’d better watch out because we’re coming after you.” This is the kind of stuff we’re going to be hearing about more and more. There’s just so much fear in their…
Read More
…two years of campaigning for the office of president, Obama really did not talk about race until he had to—which ironically was connected to his religious affiliation with Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Although he openly talked about his mixed racial heritage and how that shaped his religious, political, and cultural perspectives, he took race out of the spotlight (though we all know that race played a tremendous part of his campaign, right?). But wai…
Read More
…w live an hour apart. Caleb and Thomas—not their real names—only agreed to talk to me if I kept them anonymous. Caleb, now a professor at a Christian college, didn’t think the administration would react favorably if they found out he created a game that mentioned “angel rape.” Thomas, a software engineer, hasn’t told his conservative in-laws and doesn’t plan to, a strategy he describes as “self-preservation.” Both men remain involved in churches t…
Read More
…e idea of homosexuality into the Indian home,” he has remained reticent to talk about his own sexuality. Writes Taseer: It is impossible not to see Mr. Johar against the background of the society in which he lives. India right now is in the grip of a strange schizophrenia when it comes to gay freedom. The gay dating apps are teeming with activity. Everyone is having sex. Even in small towns, men are furiously soliciting other men. But the legal re…
Read More
…’ve had witness testimonies for a long time. Is it really suddenly okay to talk about UAPs? Closer examination of this question reveals that it is only okay to talk about certain sightings—those ensconced within a military framework, and new algorithms will make it easier for internet search providers to vet civilian generated UAP reports. The consolidation of knowledge of UAPs to military witness testimonies, and the use of internet algorithms to…
Read More…, it is possible to map out and thematize the way Americans talk when they talk about spirituality and religion. And it certainly is not “everything.” In her recent book, Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life (Oxford, 2014), Ammerman lays out exactly this kind of map. It turns out when Americans talk about “spirituality” they refer to religious traditions, to morality and living a virtuous life. At times they link the…
Read More…n-area congregations. But, as Ann Romney explained, “Mitt does not like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point.” (Tagg Romney made a similar point earlier in the day about how Mormons are taught not to brag about acts of interpersonal service. This is an important way the campaign is seeking to humanize Romney during the convention: by presenting his reticence to talk religion not a…
Read More…can be solved with hard work and intellect. Above all, the Buddhist Geeks talks I watched were deeply practical, with little emphasis on escaping the cycle of suffering and rebirth, and much more emphasis on using Buddhism to relax the mind and channel entrepreneurial energies. 2) Buddhist geekiness comes in a few distinct forms. This observation comes by way of Ann Gleig, a scholar of Buddhist geekiness brought in by the Buddhist Geeks Conferenc…
Read More
…r suspicion. In Insurgent, the bad guys are easy to spot because only they talk about the good of society as a whole. “You may find it hard to believe, but I am serving the greater good,” Jeanine tells an imprisoned Tris midway through the film. The heroes, by contrast, talk about themselves. They diverge. Forced to live on the margins, they form a ragtag outfit bent on saving society. Roth is a devout Christian, and Tris, the divergent, plays the…
Read More