Religion Dispatches
…stake tensions for incompatibilities or inherent opposition. I know a fair number of African Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims who once voted Republican. They no longer do—not because they disagree with the Republican Party, but because they feel it has no room for them. It seems opposed to their presence in America. A good number in the Muslim-majority world feel the same way about the place of Islam in the world: there is no room for it. It isn’…
Read More…up 19 points since 2009. Among white Catholics, the percentage jumped from 17% in 2009 to 36% in 2014. But only 16% of Hispanic Catholics see the Obama administration as “unfriendly” to religion. In other words, the discontent is concentrated among white conservative religious voters. Seventy-two percent of white evangelicals identify with the Republican Party. In the poll, they expressed dissatisfaction with the way the party is representing the…
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…f Mars Hill climbed the Apple charts, clocking in at number three on August 12, 2021, behind number one, “True Crime,” and number two, “The Daily” by the New York Times, this ranking was celebrated by fans who made note of the podcast’s popularity nationwide with pride, repeatedly commenting with admiration on its production value and the quality of its long-form journalism. Reading these reviews, I had a bad case of deja vu. As one of my friends,…
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…n will help parents to keep their children faithful. Given the statistical number of Nones among Millennials and Gen X and the seemingly unpreventable increase in those numbers, these children, like Emily, or the children of many homeschooling parents, will eventually encounter peers who are not religiously affiliated. Given the way technology works, they will also inevitably find a way to expose themselves to popular culture. And the question rem…
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…year’s All-Star game, one team wore Kobe’s number 24, while the other wore number 2, Gianna’s uniform number. The MVP award, given this year to Los Angeles Clippers’ star forward Kawhi Leonard, was renamed permanently for Kobe Bryant. Pregame and half-time shows centered on Kobe, his family, and his impact on the sport of basketball and society. The collective grief and bereavement displayed by fans and players alike not only demonstrate the power…
Read More…ustices. Brazil: In victory for evangelical psychologist, Court reverses of 18-year-old ban on gay ‘cure’ therapy A court overturned an 18-year-old ban on “conversion” therapy meant to “cure gay people, sparking street protests. According to The Guardian, “Coming a week after a bank cancelled an exhibition of gat art after protests from rightwing and evangelical Christian groups, the ruling has raised fears that progressive policies could be overt…
Read More…rprises the bar’s owner. It’s a situation he says he couldn’t have imagined 10 years ago. He also notes with a bit of puzzlement the bar’s regular clientele of practicing haredi men, whom he is convinced are closeted homosexuals. “I bet they have a wife and 10 kids waiting at home,” he says. “But the fact that they come here—it’s interesting, that they feel comfortable here.” A short time later, a swarthy bearded man wearing a beanie and a long bl…
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…tware engineer from Singapore, Tan joined Google in 2000 as employee number 107. He later founded the company’s in-house meditation program and became one of corporate mindfulness’ most visible advocates. Though Tan left Google six months ago, his final official job title at the company still doubles as his nickname: Jolly Good Fellow. Over the course of two phone conversations, RD asked Tan—who was, in fact, quite jolly—if mindfulness is a wateri…
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…ts cease, and the friendships end (scriptures such as Matthew 5:30; Matthew 18:15-17; and 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 are usually cited as reasons for “radical” acts of amputation). But how are we defining what is radical? Are we only radical when it comes to sexual sin? Are we radical in our love for the poor? Throughout the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, God commands the people to take care of the neighbor. The neighbor is the prostitute, the wido…
Read More…of Scotland has fallen drastically from 35 percent down to 20. Catholicism, 15 percent and other Christian denominations, 11 percent, remained at a similar level. In addition, the percentage of those who say they are religious but non-Christian, remains at 2 percent. In May the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will consider whether married gay people should be allowed to become ministers or deacons. Canada: Gay Atheist Malaysian Student…
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