Religion Dispatches
…ogy to come to a reasonable conclusion on issues not found in the sacred texts. A.R. Chao, a former Imam in Texas and graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School, suggests that “xenotransplantation is acceptable if the patient’s life is in danger and all other medical options have been exhausted. [However, given the novelty of the technology, there has not been a clear ruling issued on it from Muslim jurists.]” But jurisprudential issues are not so si…
Read More…f responsibility shown by “the darks.” As well, there are people who have explicitly chosen not to live in The City. Expats from the city, some wealthy, some less so, settle in the country. Most of these folks carry that “responsibility” frame of reference, which they link to the downsides of living in a city: noise, crime, asshole neighbors. There are also many people who grew up in the country and have decided to remain, or return after a few ye…
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…rries about bathroom invaders, when arguably they were the ones trying to exert influence on a space that wasn’t exactly theirs. The language and behavior of other conservative activists is likewise instructive. Pastor Jeremy Flanagan describes Fayetteville’s increasingly liberal politics as a sort of invasion from within. He faults liberals for forcing too many rules upon businesses, even as he’s blaming them for not regulating bathrooms. “Sure,”…
Read More…tate of New York,” Cuomo said in a radio interview Friday. Cuomo defined “extreme conservatism” as being “anti-gay” by opposing same-sex marriage rights, opposed to abortion rights and favoring legalization of assault weapons. Cuomo officials later said the governor’s remarks were aimed at “extremist” conservative Republican candidates. This, of course, has set the hair aflame. Conservatives are pouting that they aren’t “welcome” in New York; Sean…
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…e world, the answer is [David Foster Wallace’s novel] Infinite Jest. But I bet you’re asking about books in my field. Among those, I wish I had written The Madonna of 115th Street (by Robert Orsi) or Rebecca’s Revival (by Jon Sensbach). Orsi’s book is classic because it focused on everyday religious experiences of Italian immigrants, a cluster of activities that many outsider observers considered to be “bad religion.” Orsi did, and still does, fin…
Read More…ing positions in LDS institutional life. They don’t make doctrine or policy. Very, very few women in Mormonism actually do. But they speak for an increasing number of everyday Mormons who know that gay people are our relatives. Family. Saints. Us. Are views on homosexuality evolving in Mormonism? You bet, and like so many changes in the history of religion, that change may be coming from the people in the back pew or at the bottom of the hierarchy…
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…ring the PAN’s Reign A fire to win defines the PRI ethos. The party held Mexico’s executive office for 71 years until losing the presidency in 2000. Many past PRI presidents viewed the Catholic Church as a political threat and pushed to marginalize it, whereas PAN presidents have openly embraced their Catholic identity—and of course, utilized it politically. When Church leaders wanted to crack down on abortion, they knew they could count on the PA…
Read More…e conservative Christian world there is a spectrum of views on how these texts are to be read. Evangelical feminists argue that the Bible actually teaches mutual submission between men and women. But Reconstructionists, some of whom have influenced Bachmann, have suggested that, given the biblical order for families, women probably shouldn’t be voting. I wrote about Reconstructionist biblical patriarchy here. While Christians traditionally hold th…
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…. William Warren wanted to dazzle his readers into supporting North Polar exploration with his 500-page book explaining why the Garden of Eden had once been there. Doubtful, I know. But I feel less impressed than entertained, bemused, and sometimes amazed by the scale of the reasoning that these characters put into these claims—and a little protective too. They had no idea their theories would be made to stand up generations later and testify. Amo…
Read More…Pages about whether his clinic used the discredited practice. If I were a betting person, I’d bet this doesn’t have much impact on his wife’s campaign. While LGBT rights advocates and allies are right to be outraged, I doubt it would bring any new opposition to Bachmann, who is already well-known for her anti-gay views and voting record. And her supporters would likely not only support the use of ex-gay therapy, but view her husband as beleaguere…
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