Religion Dispatches
…t $3.84 million. • Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, head of the bishop’s Committee on Religious Liberty—the epicenter of the church’s opposition to same-sex marriage and the contraception mandate—and the man supposedly behind the investigation of the LCWR, lives in a 11,5000-square foot historic mansion that dates back to the first Catholic bishop of the United States. • And last but certainly not least, Newark Archbishop John Myers, who has com…
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…cludes, “…it’s clear that the baptismal practice depicted isn’t all that uncommon.” And that’s true. Millions of infants have been baptised this way over centuries (including me, by the way). What’s uncommon is for an infant to die, as was the case last week. So what happened? Well, the Romanian, Greek, and Russian press all make note of the fact that the priest baptized the infant face up while holding his hand over the infant’s face and mouth (s…
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…ays identify proudly with the radical camp. I don’t think there can be any compromise with white supremacy or entrenched corporate power. But I do still wonder whether my side is really as radical as it claims to be. I worry about performative wokeness and virtue signaling and the kind of celebrity activism that these days is often fueled by Hollywood and hedge fund money (in some ways reenacting the much-derided radical chic of the 1960s). It’s p…
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…1941, for example, the Court said picketing is “the workingman’s means of communication.” Much of the Court’s attention to picketing has been about the complex relationship between picketing as a form of patrolling that limits entrance to, say, businesses (or, wait, funerals?) versus picketing understood as a form of communication. And herein lies, perhaps, part of the ethical dilemma associated with Fred Phelps. An ethical dilemma of both global…
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…sagree, at least in part. Zeitlin’s characterization of Louisiana is not uncommon, not for a newcomer and not for a native. It’s a variation on the whole laissez les bon temps rouler routine, with every country Cajun and Creole queen living every day like it’s Mardi Gras. It’s also part of the national and international fascination with Louisiana’s disaster streak. Had 1,836 people (1,577 in Louisiana) not died during Hurricane Katrina and had the…
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…r. He implores all of us to see the connections among our struggles and to come together to build a powerful movement. He summons us to resist the divide-and-conquer strategy of the Pharoahs of our day, uniting to transform society for the benefit of all. Rev. Barber consistently emphasizes the sacredness of all life. He maintains that if we care about one death at the hands of a cop, then we have to care just as much about 2,800 deaths occurring…
Read More…ent and poverty for LGBT people. Turkey and Syria: Report on Mr. Gay Syria Competition The Daily Mail’s Isabel Hunter reports on a Mr. Gay Syria competition held in Istanbul, Turkey, as a show of defiance against Islamic State militants who have waged an execution campaign against gay men in Syria. The competition’s winner says his boyfriend was beheaded by ISIS. The article is accompanied by photos by Bradley Secker. Japan: Diplomats Join Pride C…
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…see. In addition to opposing marriage equality the church also believes in Complementarianism, a version of Christian Patriarchy that advocates for the submission of women and children to men and believes only men should be in positions of leadership in faith communities. The Calvary Chapel network consists of almost 1,800 non-denominational evangelical churches around the world. It was founded by pastor Chuck Smith in 1965 in Costa Mesa, Californ…
Read More…nt going to actually directly literally kill her? No? Oh, so it might just completely wreck her life and re-traumatize her in ways I can never really understand since I’m not her? Yeah, that’s fine. I’m okay with that possibility. Make sure she does what I think she should do. Make sure it’s not her decision.” I doubt most supporters of personhood measures would actually say that. I’d like to think most of them don’t think that. But that just show…
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…and stop protesting. I won’t miss the well-meaning white people who try to commiserate, but won’t have a substantive conversation, or commit to fighting for justice and equality for brown and black people. I won’t miss the large majority of the Asian American community that remains silent. And I sure as hell won’t miss the fake Christianity of conservative white evangelicals. Yes, I am bitter. I am tired. I am broken. This battle is for those who…
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