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Devil’s Bookmark: Doubting God’s Existence, but Angry Nevertheless

By Bernard Schweizer

…ts’ eyes regularly light up and a ripple of understanding goes through the class when I pour a drop or two of biographical info into the test tube filled with literary matter. That’s when reactions often start to happen. And how could it be otherwise? “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” is strongly, if inversely, related to Leo Tolstoy’s own life and beliefs. Although Ivan Ilyich’s values (chasing after possessions, craving social reputation, seeking caree…

Why the World Needs Religious Studies

By Nathan Schneider

…t was with dogmas. As an aspiring journalist who hadn’t taken a journalism class since sixth grade, I had to think harder, and more precisely, about what a bachelor’s and master’s in religious studies had actually taught me. Fortunately, I concluded it was a lot. Let me try to sketch out some examples I’ve come up with. Most actually fall under the umbrella of “critical thinking,” though I promise to be more specific than that. Some of them are th…

By the Numbers: New Poll Says Capitalism and Christianity Are Incompatible

By The Editors

…of Republicans and 75% of Democrats (along with strong majorities of all religious groups except white evangelical Protestants, who are evenly split) agree that it’s fair for wealthier Americans to pay more taxes than the middle class or those less well off, why is neither party willing to shift the tax burden to the wealthy? …

Texas Board of Education to Review Intelligent Design-Promoting Materials for Science Classes

By Lauri Lebo

…us that they had no intention of trying to sneak creationism into science class. In 2009, when the board approved its revamped science curriculum standards that critics feared would pave the way for the adoption of creationist supplemental material, its members took umbrage at such accusations. As former Board President Don McLeroy said at the time, “Creationism and intelligent design don’t belong in our science classes. Anything taught in scienc…

Is Terry Jones the Death Rattle of the White Male Protestant?

By Gary Laderman

…osexual, conservative Christians (WMHCC from here on out) are losing their numbers in American society and could, if some projections hold true, diminish to a small minority in the next 20 years; part of a larger trend that one influential study has labeled the “vanishing Protestant majority.” In a recent analysis by the Public Religion Research Institute based on post-2010 election surveys, the number of white Protestants in America is projected…

Scopes Redux DOA Pending Expert Input

By Lauri Lebo

…g.” Scientists say the wording is a ploy to sneak creationism into science class. Once again, the bill’s language is based on sample legislation proposed by the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. The bill is not yet officially dead, however. According to the Sentinel, “the Senate Education Committee wound up adjourning Wednesday night with some other bills left hanging, raising the possibility of another meeting where Watson could revive the measu…

The Princess Bride: Royal Weddings for Everyone

By Katy E. Shrout

…a.k.a. “Here comes the bride”)—not only for English royals, but for middle-class folks, too. After Victoria’s wedding, etiquette books began to refer to the “white wedding” as a kind of ritual marked by formality, the symbolic color white, a certain measure of expense, and an emphasis given to the bride herself. In 1841, some observers wondered why egalitarian Americans, who ought to know better than to admire the foolish trappings of monarchy, we…

Day of (Anti-Bullying) Silence Shows “Pro-Family” Activists to be Anti-Gay Bullies

By Julie Ingersoll

…to protect them from being “sexually indoctrinated” in schools where their classmates will remain silent. Moreover, SaveCalifornia’s response seems decidedly like bullying. Since the school funding is based on attendance, they advocated keeping students out of the classroom for the explicit purpose costing the school money to “prevent the Day of Silence” and/or “punish” school administrators that “allow” students to remain silent. Calling the even…

The Jersey Shores of Tripoli: MTV and Arab Revolution

By Haroon Moghul

…Lithuanian, but these differences seemed perfunctory. They were just white Americans, to me and to themselves. Their subcultures were formed by class, music, sports, and other local criteria, and rarely by either faith or ethnicity. Here’s a secret, white people: For us brown people, you were long part of a magical, all-powerful civilization, and we had no idea how in the hell you did it (these days, it seems, you’re desperately wondering the same…

Will Huntsman’s Mormon Mojo Work on the National Stage?

By Joanna Brooks

…of Republican 2012 presidential contenders. His campaign team had chosen a classic location very much in the key of Ronald Reagan: Liberty State Park, New Jersey, where the candidate set up his podium against the backdrop of the Hudson and the Statue. (Even though you’d never know it from television close shots that entirely screened out Lady Liberty.) The crowd was small—about 100 supporters. The skies were grey. The mood was low key. And the can…