Religion Dispatches
…tion. The Institute’s Rachel Sabbath campaign to reduce maternal mortality worldwide is drawing a broad spectrum of support. But the road to consensus on other sexual justice issues, including reproductive rights, will be longer. While conservative clergy and politicians dig their heels in on birth control and abortion rights, it’s young women, and the poor, who suffer the most when they are denied safe, affordable methods to prevent unwanted preg…
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…cifically theological language of atonement, linking Owens to Christ’s own words about his crucifixion in John 15:13 “For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom—we will never forget him.” But when Carryn Owens stood for her applause, the story changed in a way neither Trump nor anyone else could have predic…
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…visual, tangible symbols and for us to celebrate with them during certain times of year. We need these rituals in our lives and these times to gather. So put up a Christmas tree or a Festivus pole or go to an atheist Sunday Assembly. They all hit on basic human needs. The Starbucks cups incident is a great example of that. At no other point in history, could we have made such a huge deal out of a such a simple thing. It’s totally dependent on the…
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…ut permissible in the case of saving the life of the mother. Others stand in opposition to any state or federal law that would interfere with the woman’s right to decide about the termination of the pregnancy. If the House health care bill is allowed to stand and becomes the basis for new legislation, religious Americans across the spectrum of faiths will be subjected to limitations that will contravene their faith’s most well-considered and cheri…
Read More…is telling the story of a crime which he claims has already occurred. The New York Times, Vox, MSNBC, and other outlets called the story “false,” “inaccurate,” and “misleading,” but Trump isn’t merely “lying” here (something he has done more than 10,000 times since taking office). Instead he’s creating a new and lurid narrative based on hatred. The language of truth and falsehood is misapplied in this case, since Trump’s statement about “beautifu…
Read More…priation of the Asian religion, soaking up the Buddhist sunshine. Even the New York Times article, reporting on the recent conflict, depicts a group of monks praying together, under the headline that uses “clash” and “crisis,” in contrast with a recent Newsweek cover, “Muslim Rage,” which opted for slightly more aggressive imagery to illustrate religious-inspired violence. It seems all too easy to blame the media, but truly, that’s how we got in…
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…r officers, the president signed an executive order that, according to the New York Times “suspended entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days, barred Syrian refugees indefinitely, and blocked entry into the United States for 90 days for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.” The response to the proposal has been swift; spontaneous protests in support of immigrants and M…
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…th the WRC. Nike apparently has a history of stifling the WRC. In 2000 The New York Times reported that Knight rescinded a proposed $30 million gift to the University of Oregon because it enlisted the WRC. Some may say equality means having the ability to vote, determine whom one marries, where one works, lives, etc. Wages and working conditions are determined by the market. Those workers can work elsewhere…that’s the beauty of capitalism… They ar…
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…oes on in the United States than vice versa. For example, prominent Indian newspapers reported not only Donald Trump’s well-publicized call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration, but also on his appalling call to dip bullets in pigs’ blood for use on Muslim terrorists, and his less widely-publicized vow to “protect Christianity.” While Trump’s assertion, in that latter speech, that Christianity was “under siege” around the world is supported b…
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…ultural critic, and longtime conservative spokesperson on cable television news (including co-hosting Crossfire, CNN’s groundbreaking shout-fest), he can always be counted on to stir the pot. Shooting from the Lip Sometimes his tone harkens back to those heady days in 1992 when he collected nearly 3 million primary votes and raised more than $14.5 million in campaign contributions. These days, however, he’s doing his share of pot-stirring on MSNBC…
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