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The Vile Attack on Salman Rushdie Reminds Us of the Value of a Free Society — But is Our Outrage More About the Criminal Than the Crime?

…in part because they opposed his brutal regime—that murderously restricted free speech as well. When a writer is accused of blasphemy, it’s easy for us to be outraged. But when a writer is punished by a government we support, perhaps because that support advances our national security interests, we have rather less to say. Only recently, The New York Times extensively reported on the abuse, torture, solitary confinement, and even executions that a…

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Is It OK To Use a Cellphone in Church? Pew Surveys the New Etiquette

…out how people use their cellphones, they’re entering vague territory, because there’s no agreed-upon definition of “use.” I’d wager hard cash that if you asked the exact same question about churches after priming people to think of Bible apps, those opinions would be very different. “Oh, that kind of ‘use’! That’s generally okay.” From Etiquette to Ethics This brings us to our second insight, which is that it’s very hard to measure etiquette thro…

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Anti-Gay Violence Rages in Gambia; Conservative ‘Complementarity’ Confab; Coming Out in Iraq Can Be Death Sentence; Global LGBT Recap

…l persons without discrimination, to repeal all provisions of the Criminal Code that criminalize relations between consenting adults and to put in place an immediate moratorium on arrests on the basis of such laws,” the High Commissioner said. Amnesty International also sounded the alarm on Gambia this week, highlighting the detention and torture of eight people it says were arrested earlier this month: “These arrests took place amid an intensifyi…

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Is Islamic Homophobia a Western Import?

…ting on the essentially homophobic nature of Islam, it goes too far in the opposite direction by blaming the contemporary homophobic posture among Muslims almost completely on imperial violence. In either scheme, Muslims lack real agency. We mustn’t confuse religious rationalizations of homophobia with its deeper causes, which for the most part still elude us. We commentators on all sides of this debate might be better off admitting when we’re doi…

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UPDATED: Oklahoma Personhood Bill Not Dead…

…d-down and unflinching personhood bill yet: the bill would amend the legal code to treat fetuses as persons at all stages of biological development. So what happened? Well, there was opposition, of course. People got nervous about the things that generally make a lot of people nervous about giving legal rights to fertilized eggs. What about in vitro fertilization? What about ectopic pregnancies? What about the liability of medical providers? The b…

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Will Religion Solve the Obesity Crisis?

…s Roundling’s study shows, religious thoughts seem to help with short-term code switching because they offer a concrete set of alternative values. Similarly, when Warren says that caring for his body is a “stewardship issue,” he might be actively molding his worldview so that chocolate cake is no longer a pleasure, but a temptation to be resisted. Healthy living, of course, amounts to more than quick decisions: it involves cultivating new routines…

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Do Not Attack the Writer

…ed the code of conduct for comments on National Catholic Reporter. His post is a primer on violating NCR’s own rules for respectful conversation. Maybe someone at NCR can give him a much-needed tutorial. NCR Comment code: Be respectful. Do not attack the writer. Take on the idea, not the messenger. Use appropriate language. Avoid vulgarities and slurs. Keep to the point. Deliberate digressions don’t aid the discussion….

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Pope Francis Says Teaching Gender Is Nasty; Far-Right Religious Groups Helping Mexico’s Anti-Equality Movement; Colombia’s Peace Deal Killed by Anti-LGBT Campaign?; Global LGBT Recap

…of their rights, “disguised as a defense of the traditional family.” “They used this cause in the campaign to say that the peace accords were against the family and in favor of the LGBT population,” López said. “Because the accords recognize that the situation for women and LGBT people (during the conflict) has been different, and so reparations for women and LGBT victims should have a unique focus.” Some representatives of the right have echoed L…

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Televangelist Watchdog May Be Forced to Close Its Doors

…as Trinity has argued repeatedly, the problem results from gaps in the tax code, and lax enforcement of rules within it: because televangelism ministries, granted tax-exempt status as “churches,” do not have to file tax returns, their financial activities remain hidden. What’s more, although IRS rules prohibit excessive compensation of non-profit executives, and theoretically authorize the agency to fine non-profits whose executives receive such c…

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Catholic Church Campaigns Against Gay US Ambassador; Global LGBT Recap

…omy by identifying enemies. Tunisia: Human Rights Watch Report on Police Abuse of Men Accused of Being Gay Human Rights Watch released a report detailing the abuses in detention and prison of men prosecuted for homosexuality. “Tunisia’s law criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct among adults is discriminatory and invited abuse by the police of gay men and men perceived to be homosexual,” says the report. Balkans: Activists Use Data, Desire to J…

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