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Sarah Palin and the Politics of Victimization

By Randall Balmer

…t you’ve been treated unfairly or that your tribe (Republicans, “patriotic Americans,” the white citizens of Arizona, underappreciated veterans, the religious right) is somehow under attack, you’ve attained a certain status. So when Palin writes about “doing battle with the New York Times,” it resonates with many Americans who also see (or want to see) themselves engaged in an underdog, David versus Goliath battle against some adversary, however a…

Note for Today

By Amina Wadud

…e locally one needs to know about before going. In Indonesia this would be cheap so not a big deal, but who knows in Makkah and Madinah; and what about cleaning my underwear? But some of these are made from such lovely cotton, the pre-wash would just be more work for me, and not at all necessary. Then I wondered what the heck I would do with all this white when I return. Only the pant outfits will be possibly integrated into everyday wear; and hon…

Romney Goes to Bat Against Reid in Nevada

By Joanna Brooks

…loyment, and bankruptcy in the nation. Over the last two decades, more than 1.4 million people moved to Nevada in search of cheap housing and boom-time fueled hospitality, tourism, and construction jobs, more than doubling the state’s population. Now, those speculation-and-spending fueled good times are gone. That volatility does not treat mild-mannered Mormon politicians well: be they Reids, or Romneys. Just last week, Jan Shipps, a longtime scho…

Can a Greek Monastery Be Ground Zero of Global Financial Meltdown?

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…y different era of Reagan and Thatcher. Greece was deemed a bad risk in the 1980s and thus money was lent in Greece at nearly 10 percentage points higher than it was in northern Europe. Virtually no Greeks had credit cards in the 1980s; precious few had access to the kind of credit that made businesses big and profitable. And so, in the late 1990s, Greece cast its lot on the European Union, and turned itself into a pretzel to hit those 3% benchmar…

Religion Profs Critique PBS’ God Documentary, Call it Simplistic

By Matthew Avery Sutton

…tween the academy and the public has dramatically grown. At the same time, Americans’ faith in (and their tax dollars contributed toward) American higher education has dramatically shrunk. Scholars are simply not doing a good enough job of making their research accessible and relevant to the public. Meanwhile, we have successfully mastered the art of boring people. PBS (especially its American Experience series) has stepped into the academy-public…

When Being “Christian” Means Supporting Trump: An Argument For Hiding Your Faith

By Jonathan Malesic

…t in my 2009 book, Secret Faith in the Public Square. In it, I argued that American Christians were selling out their religious identity for cheap political gain, and that they could help ensure their religious integrity if they took that identity off the market altogether by concealing it in public life. This approach would take seriously Jesus’ advice to pray in secret and to give alms without letting “your left hand know what your right hand is…

Hajj Journal: Tawaf: How I Fell in Love…

By Amina Wadud

…rive in Makkah as close to the new moon as possible for the Zhul-Hijjah, or 12th lunar month. This is approximately one week before the hajj begins on the 8th day. When you first see the Ka’abah, you are supposed to say certain du’a (including asking for ANYTHING you want), and then make two rakaats. Most people are so overwhelmed at the sight of it, they simply dissolve into tears. For Muslims, this is the psychological center. The heart of our d…

Crowdsourced Catholicism: New iPhone App Lets Users Forgive Sins

By Vincent Gonzalez

…ew of the entire system as I documented it on the 28th. At that point, only 12 of the 26 available countries had any users, and the 69 Saints in those countries had only shared 24 of their confessions. Even Mikhail1981, the Holy Father of the Church, had only three confessions visible and had not yet offered his first official edict. For better and worse, as of my survey, it seemed the trolls had not yet discovered Penance. Still uncomplicated by…

Four Reasons Why Egypt’s Revolution Is Islamic

By Zaid Hassan

…parliamentary elections, winning 88 out of 444 seats (having only contested 150 constituencies). As one commentator noted, the Brotherhood took “extremely seriously” its decision to “…trade in its history as a social movement for a new identity as a serious political player.” (italics in original). The Brotherhood, however, cannot be labeled as a “radical” Islamist party. Indeed, Islamic political rhetoric does not feature prominently in its cur…

Possible Heir to Dalai Lama Cleared of Corruption Charges

By Tsering Namgyal

…is that the controversy has raised the profile of Karmapa, albeit to an unwelcome level. It has also formally instantiated him into the politics of India, China and Tibet, something, which the Karmapas in the past have avoided. His predecessor the 16th Karmapa, who passed away in 1981, preferred to remain that way. However, given the prospective role—which actually now looks more and more like an obligation—that this Karmapa could play going forwa…