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UNESCO on Religion, Culture and SOGI in Asia; Orthodox Family Sues to Stop Cremation of Israeli Trans Woman; Struggles of Iraqi Queer Activists; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

Asia: UNESCO on religion, culture and anti-LGBT bullying and violence UNESCO released a report on school bullying, violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the Asia-Pacific region. From the report’s section on religious and cultural context, with citations removed: In many cultures in the region the concepts of social order, family honour, and sexual purity provide a longstanding foundation for what is consid…

New Poll Reveals a Paradox in Evangelical Support for Donald Trump

By Daniel Schultz

It’s not every day a legitimate paradox turns up in national polling. But the Pew Research Center’s recent survey on the influence of religion on American public life seems to have uncovered one. According to Pew, nearly three-quarters of White evangelicals think it’s important to have a presidential candidate with strong religious beliefs—indeed, a similar proportion want a candidate who shares their beliefs. Yet just 6% of those same voters thi…

The Benedict Opt-Out: Why Christian Self-Isolation Won’t Work

By Kaya Oakes

…itionalism on the other side that thinks things went too far after Vatican II and we need more Latin chant and Catholic identity, and everything in between! It’s an interesting mix – and it’s ever been thus in terms of diversity of opinion.” Dreher, who is in his late forties, may also have a different idea of what religious withdrawal would look like, and why people would choose it, than a younger person would. Emily,* a graduate student in theol…

Sharing Many of the Same Flaws as its Subject ‘The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill’ Podcast Puts Blame Anywhere But Where It Belongs

By Jessica Johnson

…sharing certain detailssuch as Driscoll’s posts under the William Wallace II pseudonym complaining that the nation had become “pussified,” which could have been supplied in the podcast notes if Cosper (understandably) were reluctant to read them aloud—the vitriolic impact of Driscoll’s misogynistic, homophobic, violent, combative posture in language is lost and drowned out by other content, such as the much lauded soundtrack. The only risks taken…

Closed-Door Conference in Poland Shows How US Conservative Christian Networks Export ‘Conversion Therapy’

By Antonia Gross and Rina Nikolaeva

…or of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family, Stanton’s positions on LGBTIQ rights come as no surprise; what is remarkable on this night is the open aggression with which he speaks—and the audience he speaks to. Around 200 people from more than 30 countries gathered in a hotel at the outskirts of Warsaw, applauded at the conclusion of Stanton’s lecture. Among them were Polish psychologists, Slovakian politicians, German doctors, Br…

New Poll Finds “Growing Appetite” for Mixing Religion and Politics

By Sarah Posner

…ch Center finds an increasing number of Americans in favor of injecting religion into electoral politics, a growing perception that the Obama administration is “unfriendly” to religion, and discontent among white evangelicals with how the Republican Party represents their interests. Heading into the mid-term elections, and looking ahead to the 2016 presidential campaign, these results should prove unsettling for advocates of untangling religion fr…

Are Muslims Nuts?

By Haroon Moghul

The last time I visited Pakistan was in 2007, soon after I’d started my Ph.D. My topic was Muhammad Iqbal, the philosopher and poet who gave intellectual heft to the Pakistan movement. Not surprisingly, my family was intrigued by my choice of topic. They were however less amused by my choice of residence: I lived at the edge of Columbia campus, near Harlem, an arrangement that elicited respectful horror. “Isn’t New York so dangerous?” they asked….

The Religious Mourning of ‘Saint’ Kobe Bryant Continues

By Terry Shoemaker

…lly in a helicopter crash on the 26th of January. This is, in fact, the official version of a spontaneous response that took place just days after Bryant’s untimely death, when thousands of fans gathered at the Staples Center to pay homage to the 18-time all-star. Flowers, photos, and candles were transported immediately by fans wearing Kobe’s jersey to create a memorialized space and share in the tragedy. Around the league, NBA games held moments…

From Pastor to Harvard’s ‘Godless Church’ Planter

By Becky Garrison

…and doubt in light of the fact that she does not appear to have attended divinity school. –eds After coming out as an atheist at the 2012 American Atheists convention Teresa MacBain, a former Methodist minister, became a professional atheist, subsequently serving as the Public Relations Director for American Atheists and Executive Director for the Humanists of Florida. Recently, however, she moved to the Cambridge area to become Director of the H…

Conversion Story #643 (not a real number)

By Amina Wadud

…not. I used to tell the same basic steps—although I hardly think my own individual door lights up any bulbs of excitement. Maybe because no lightbulbs went off for me either. I was a seeker. I was raised in a loving Christian environment and to this day, may they rest in peace, I was closer to my dad, the minister, than I was to my mom. In fact, I was fascinated with the light of faith in my father’s life. Yes, everything he did private and public…