Religion Dispatches
…rporeal life has always been one key focus of religious attention. But the new religion of body improvement shifts the aims of asceticism; the body is no longer a means to spiritual illumination but an end in itself. “The new idea offered by the contemporary culture of cosmetic surgery,” writes Mead, “is that it is the vessel itself that we must value, rather than the soul or spirit that it contains.” Modern body perfectionists seek to transcend t…
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…rs until, as I read it, public pressure was simply too great. Kudos to the New York Times and other media outlets that will not let this case fade away. I doubt sincerely that the clergy fellows will cut him loose for prosecution in other locations. They have already hedged their bets by saying that it is not clear that the new 2013 Vatican guidelines can be applied retroactively in this case. Problems of double jeopardy remain of course. In short…
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…The Burst: the outline surrounding the star is meant to reflect a nova—or new star—which represents a new beginning for all. While it’s become popular to fly the Pan-African flag (Red, Black, and Green) or even a hybrid of the Pan-African flag and U.S. flag (an U.S. flag in the colors red, black and green) on Juneteenth, neither speaks to the holiday itself. These flags, mainly available online, are simple commercial ventures that devalue rather…
Read More…learn from history, since all the big spending associated with Roosevelt’s New Deal “did nothing” for the economy. Unemployment, he suggests, was still at 15% in 1940. No, what got us out of “the doldrums” (his word) was the War. This one is a puzzler. First, what would unemployment rates have been without the New Deal and Roosevelt’s elaborate system of public works projects? Second, we’ve already got two wars on our hands, and they aren’t helpin…
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…ic school system. Meanwhile, earlier this year, conservative activist Alex Newman told the NAR-aligned Truth & Liberty Coalition that public schools are teaching a “wicked religion from the pit of hell.” Newman, whose nonprofit recently held its annual fundraiser at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, told a crowd at the NAR-influenced Turning Point USA‘s Educators Summit that “Satan wants your kids” and that children in public schools are under spiritual…
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…he first sliver of a crescent moon is sighted, it marks the beginning of a new month (or a new year). Some Muslims have adopted calculation in advance, choosing to figure out the months well in advance. Makes it easier to plan. Others, myself included, like to wait up all night to hear word. If anyone across the Americas has in fact spotted that first crescent, then we enter Ramadan. The last day of Ramadan ends with the next crescent moon, markin…
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…efeat legislators who vote for the bill. Dennis Poust, a lobbyist with the New York Catholic Conference, says the Archdiocese of New York has no formal relationship with the NOM. (In Maine, the initiative campaign that resulted in repeal of marriage equality legislation was led by the Church and funded primarily by NOM and Catholic organizations.) Despite being led by Catholics, Poust said, NOM operates largely independently of the Church. “We’ve…
Read More…ld be put to the voters, not the legislature. But polls show nearly 60% of New Yorkers support the new law. “We should have an open and deliberative process,” the Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, told The Associated Press. “If truly the legislation can stand on its own merits then it should be able to withstand being deliberated publicly.” (Liberty Counsel represents McGuire’s group in the lawsuit…
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…ong with Prophets Stacey Campbell, and Kris Vallotton, to name a few.* The new statement opens with an explanation for its genesis: “In light of the controversy surrounding the terms “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) and “Christian Nationalism,” we are issuing this statement of clarification.” While there certainly is controversy around these terms, the statement adds more confusion than clarification. And, in early media coverage the statement’s…
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…ics Too often, major Apostles and Prophets of the NAR are misidentified in news stories and magazine articles as pastors or evangelists. While they may be those things as well, the failure to more precisely recognize the nature of their leadership and their church offices is a hefty understatement, and promotes critical misunderstandings of their roles. It’s like referring to Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan as a Catholic priest. He is certai…
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