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The Many, Not the Few: An Anthem for Occupy

By Elizabeth Drescher

…ed in front of any group of people.” He continues, I knew the power in the words that I had written. And, in a world that was free of punishment for being yourself… I would have sung it at the top of my lungs. But I also didn’t want to do it out of disrespect. I did it because there was really no other option at that point. I had to do it. I had to forget about what could happen to me. I was guided by something bigger… I don’t know what it is… I c…

The Right Wing Bible and the Politics of Impotence

By Christopher B. Hays

…the Western world, I’ve watched the coverage of the uprisings in the Arab world with a mixture of awe and trepidation. Despite lingering questions about Egypt’s leadership, our hearts go out to common people around the world who assert that self-governance is a basic human right—particularly when they do so in a peaceful manner. The people have discovered the ability to see beyond the horizons of their present reality, and have taken a stand. By…

Everything You Think You Know About the Dark Ages is Wrong

By Nancy Marie Brown

…le. We are not supposed to consult the manuscripts together. Why? It’s the rules. The rules are very strict. I have an idea.” He got up. “I’ll try something.” He intercepted a different clerk, a young woman who had just come from a back room. She studied me, then curtly nodded. He hurried back and swept up the manuscript. “This way. I asked for special permission to talk.” We went into the back room, where a trio who looked like professor and stu…

Why I Boycotted a Conference at Brigham Young University

By Mark Juergensmeyer

…r Mormon students at BYU supporting my position, some of them telling heartbreaking stories about how their careers were ruined by being expelled for their beliefs just months before graduation. But I also received this one email defending the university’s position on expelling Mormon students who lose their faith. Of course a church or a temple can limit membership and set its own standards of belief—within its own walls. But we bristle when thos…

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Blames Gays For ISIS; ‘Christian Nationalist’ Sworn In As Guatemala’s President; Vatican Resists Civil Unions in Italy; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ange Gender In a decision released last week, an appeals court judge in Beiruit ruled that a transgender man can legally change his gender. Iran: Activists Say Govt Evades Questions About LGBT Human Rights The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child questioned the Iranian government about the human rights of LGBTI children and about coercive practices children are subjected to in order to “cure” their “illness.” LGBT advocacy organization 6rang re…

To Pray or Not to Pray

By Sarah Posner

…d ask that all Americans turn to an evangelical version of Christianity for solutions, our governors should instead focus on finding real-world solutions to real-world problems.” Um, amen….

A Pair of Ex-Gay Leaders Make About Face

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…esser degree the softening of Alan Chambers of Exodus International), the truth is, very little is likely to change unless they put their weight behind the existing movements for equality. Smid, who showed up on Hardball recently, admits that homosexuality ”cannot be repented of! People are, or they are not, homosexual… One cannot repent of something that is unchangeable.” Although Chambers’ change of heart isn’t quite as compelling as Smid’s he w…

The “Shrinking Influence” of Social Conservatives at the United Nations

By Sarah Posner

…like Franks — who supports trumped-up “investigations” of American Muslims — makes common cause with Muslims to stifle the rights of LGBT people worldwide, it must means he’s running out of allies here at home….

Obama Missing Islam Opportunity with Religious Freedom Ambassador

By Anthea Butler

…er wrote about here for RD. I wrote on Cook previously, citing her lack of international policy experience. Now more than ever, this post needs someone who has a handle on Islam, foreign policy, and other religious traditions. The people’s uprising in Egypt is a prime example why this ambassadorship needs someone who is more knowledgeable about religious traditions, diplomacy, and foreign policy experience. President Obama’s insistence on Cook may…

American Prosperity Gospel Makes South Sudan “Ripe for Exploitation”

By Anthea Butler

…ome similar to Brazil, where cultural religious traditions such as Candomble are demonized, and Pentecostalism is lauded as the progressive religion not connected to a difficult history? I predict all of the above. The fears of the Sudan Ecumenical Forum that South Sudan is “ripe for exploitation by unscrupulous preachers” are well founded. The die has been cast, and the relationship that was started in order to stop genocide will be a relationshi…