Religion Dispatches
…way from the hard work of repentance, who tickle our ears with promises of cheap grace, and offer a vision of the cross of Jesus that has nothing to say to the crosses, and lynching trees, of history. But, if we do, we will be settling for the gospel of Caesar, not the good news of Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is time to put down the chalk, stop drawing pyrotechnical conspiracy theories that play into our worst fears and listen, instead, for the diffi…
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…be, from urban Britain to colonized Africa; Central America to the western Caribbean. When I came to the States in the 1990s—to Memphis, no less—I was surprised that the Americans I encountered understood little about the life and legacy of these other heroes, like Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere, and even South Africa’s Steve Biko. Having taught African religions in the States for more than twenty years now, I can say that it’s w…
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…be replacing a colonial power, the French. Many in Afghanistan see the US military as a curious repetition of yet another military intruder, in this case the Soviets. Though the US policy might intend to help fight terrorism in the region, the very presence of US forces helps to create the climate of hostility in which anti-American terrorism can thrive. 2. Demilitarize. As President Obama has said, there is no military solution in the region. Bu…
Read More…S. military do not negatively impact unit cohesion, morale, good order, or military readiness. Several other military-commissioned and GAO studies have concluded that open service does not undermine military readiness, troop morale or national security. In addition 24 countries, including Israel, allow openly gay service members without any adverse affect upon military cohesion or readiness. As for natural disasters, Levin may want to study up on…
Read More…tro in the 1960s sent more than 25,000 gay men and others deemed unfit for military service to labor camps known as Military Units to Aid Production or the Spanish acronym UMAP. Cuba repealed its sodomy law in 1979, but trans people continued to face persecution. Hernández spent two years in prison in the 1980s for what the Associated Press described as “dangerousness” because of her gender identity. The Cuban government forcibly quarantined peopl…
Read More…religion, or their sexual orientation, at the door when they serve in the military. There is also an assumption of Christian supremacy. Within the military there is a mixture of religions from Muslim, to Christian, to Hindu, to Wicca. There are even atheists in the military. Chaplains take care of all of them. These opponents of the repeal of DADT make it sound like there are only Christian chaplains in the military—and conservative Christian cha…
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…church, they’re marinating, so to speak, in the the various teachings of a number of people. I’ve covered many an event where I’ve been waiting in line to get in, and the inevitable conversation with the people around you goes something like this: they ask first where you go to church, and second which teachers you admire, and then you get into a long conversation about the relative virtues of all of them. A really good example of how all these te…
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…nfairness. We have put in our part—we went to the airport, we paid for our ticket, we spent our time, we stood in line—and then the flight was cancelled. So there’s a discrepancy between the inputs and the outputs, there’s a sense of injustice and unfairness—that’s why compensation is so important. That’s also why dissatisfied customers at restaurants want to get their dish for free, or get a free glass of wine, or a free dessert, because that bal…
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…civilian generated UAP reports. The consolidation of knowledge of UAPs to military witness testimonies, and the use of internet algorithms to monitor non-military testimonies represents a new development in this new religiosity of the UAP, what Carl Jung has termed “a new mythology.” For scholars and students of religion, this provides a rich opportunity to examine the formation of new systems of belief and practice coalescing around powerful cos…
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…ape and sexual exploitation of Indian women. During the Vietnam War the US military referred to indigenous-controlled territory as “Indian Country.” Fire bases and military operations were named after Indian leaders or significant events in the longest war in human history, the war against the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Most famously, the military has long encouraged paratrooper trainees to call out his name when they jump out o…
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