Religion Dispatches
…% increased by 256%; the poorest households saw an increase of 11%; middle class homes, 21%, much of which was due to the arrival of two-job families. And yet, Fischer bemoans the fact that the government is willing to spend a little more to help those who are suffering, while not making one peep about how giving more money to those who need it the least will blow a hole in the deficit. The prophet Amos says don’t think that God doesn’t notice thi…
Read More…pefuls Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Santorum — these groups and individuals are standing together as demonizers of homosexuality and, in some cases, supporters of criminalizing it. The American Family Association, which received the hate group designation, and its representatives have publicly supported outlawing homosexuality. Last month Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, which also was labeled a “hate group,” squirm…
Read More…sts no more than 10 riyal. But this is a moneymaking time for many working-class people in Makkah and Madinah, most of whom are not Saudis themselves. So shops, taxis, buses, hotel staff, and restaurant staff all have a lot at stake in the event of the hajj for their profits. I guess the choices are: find a reduced option, pay as much as you can personally, ignore the cost altogether, or walk. The 50 Riyal bus dropped us off at the opposite end of…
Read More…love, peace, or kindness. Those are just my top five. I could have included other events like the protest of Elizabeth Edwards’ funeral by Westboro Baptist Church, or the cynical holding of the middle class and the jobless hostage so the wealthiest one percent can keep their insanely low tax rates, but I think I’ve made my point. Feel free to add to this list in the comments….
Read More…assault on a student. The litany of Freshwater’s religious activity in the classroom goes back more than a decade and includes him displaying posters of the Ten Commandments and bible versus and teaching students in science class that evolution is a lie. After the parents of Zachary Dennis complained to the district about the burn on their son’s arm way back in December 2007, the district began an investigation, in which Freshwater’s religious pro…
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…“clients” who pay for private consultations. In the United States, such individuals are typically called “psychics.” In Romania they are called vrajitoares, or witches. They are almost exclusively female and many of them are of Roma or “gypsy” heritage. In 2006, it was estimated that there are some 4,000 witches in Romania. Travel guides advise tourists that witchcraft is a normal part of Romanian culture and that in rural areas it is still commo…
Read More…at nothing—nothing—to roll back worker rights and worker security. So it is simply wrong to view the current Wisconsin putsch with the eyes of “on the one hand… and on the other hand.” It’s not that kind of situation. It is simple class violence, waged (as always) by the powerful against the vulnerable. It’s nice, I guess, that Scott Walker loves Jesus. He’s clearly not acquainted with the Jesus who lifts up the lowly and pulls down the powerful…
Read More…be their fears in terms of the erosion of the middle class and the growing divide between rich or poor. But the feeling of worry and insecurity reaches across partisan divides. And it’s something no one—not even our faith leaders—seem to be addressing. Progressive religious leaders miss an opportunity when they don’t engage that sense of worry and responsibility—call it a sacred obligation to do right by our children. As a parent, I know I may no…
Read More…o delegates’ job security—can still convince lawmakers to continue to treat some of their fellow citizens as second class….
Read More…whores,” he includes in his final plans his intentions to “rent” two “high class models” before his attack. As for women he suspects would oppose his views of Islam in Europe, he explores several possible explanations before seemingly settling on the view that women have a deep-seated desire to be dominated: Why is this (that women do not oppose Muslim immigration), considering that there is hardly a single Muslim majority area in the world where…
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