Religion Dispatches
…g in the shops, or jammed in the tight lines to get food at the local restaurants. Nobody says to women to stay behind, keep out, or keep away. There is so much bodily contact a person could be mistaken for being at one with all humankind, and not a measurement of one’s gender….
Read More
…oad of people, so these are the steps: Once I was in touch with our Jeddah contact person, I was taken to the cafeteria area to join our “group”. Then I was given a meal with half a pound of rice and half a chicken. (try to keep count how many times food offerings will be made this evening, okay?). From that point forward, my brain or my wits were no longer on demand. So I let somebody else took care of everything, in their own way, but hey, it’s…
Read More
…eality, however, this is the option chosen by the overwhelming majority of American Muslims who are concerned about American Muslim civil rights and the plight of Muslims in such places as Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories. Given his five options, the teenager Mohamud chose, not surprisingly, to become “operational.” But all he knew about what it meant to become operational was based on what he had seen on the news, particularly t…
Read More…ected officials to work on solutions to substantive problems that face all Americans.” “Calling upon all Americans to embrace Perry’s personal belief system is an insult to the millions of upstanding citizens who practice religions other than evangelical Christianity, as well as the millions of secular Americans who contribute to society without pushing their views on others,” SCA executive director Sean Faircloth said in the statement. “Rather th…
Read More…ered that I was still in ihram, and I resisted my temptation to kill it on contact! To understand Muzdhalifah, think back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), when there were NO electrical lights, NO paved roads, NO phones. There was no way for anyone to know that a caravan had arrived until it was pretty near to its destination. Then a missionary was sent to alert the people of the town that that caravan had nearly arrived and was camped in…
Read More
…for Investigative Journalism reported, Matt Schroeder of the Federation of American Scientists, which itself has fought government secrecy, has concerns about WiliLeaks. As Schulz notes, “It’s no small matter that Schroeder and the non-partisan group he works for are criticizing Wikileaks. Manhattan Project scientists who designed the first atomic bombs founded FAS more than half-a-century ago.” With regard to WikiLeaks, Schroeder “argues the reco…
Read More
…’ video as “one of the leading proponents of the Second Amendment right of Americans to arm and defend themselves without government encroachment on that right.” The video maintains that “there will always be guns” (but is amended by a subtitle which reads, “Of course there WILL be a world without weapons of any time [sic] when Jesus rules and reigns. But in THIS world – guns will always be in ‘someone’s’ hands.”) “Can we really trust our governme…
Read More…heir homosexuality due to religious and societal condemnation to come into contact with people like former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt. Americans United notes that “Klingenschmitt claims he was drummed out of the Navy because he wanted to pray in the name of Jesus. In fact, he got tossed out for being insubordinate” as he violated military regulations forbidding servicemembers from wearing their uniforms to partisan events. His discharge f…
Read More
…, thereby becoming the most public of hermits and the most prolific writer American Catholicism has ever produced. But Merton was always unsettled, restless; never, one cannot help feeling, really content. He was toying with the idea of leaving Gethsemani, and possibly leaving the monastic life altogether, not long after having been caught in a love affair with a 25-year-old local nurse, Margie Smith. The character of that young woman is clear fro…
Read More…holic bishops in the state have also stepped up pressure on their flock to contact delegates in opposition to the measure. It seems the pressure has given some delegates reason enough to push the pause button and not make Maryland the sixth state to recognize marriage equality for its gay and lesbian citizens. It could be seen as a defeat, or a cowardly display by supporters—but Equality Maryland sees the move as an opportunity to do more educatio…
Read More