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No, CNN, Saudi Arabia and Iran Have Not Been Fighting For “1,000 Years”

By Haroon Moghul

…Sunni Ottoman Caliphate, not Iran. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran dates to and marks its independence on April 1, 1979. Iran is, of course, an ancient civilization, but up until the 1500s, Iran was a majority-Sunni country, until the Safavid dynasty, originating in the Caucasus, forcibly converted Iran to Twelver Shi’a Islam. How this paragraph passed muster is not beyond me, though. We’ve a tendency to prefer lazy stereotyping to rigorou…

Biggest, Best & Worst LGBT Religion Stories of 2016 and more in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…lahs bless sex reassignment” and the government subsidizes the surgery. It dates back to 1986 when, following a personal appeal from a trans woman, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a hand-written fatwa that “God willing, sex reassignment, if advised by a reliable doctor, is permissible.” More from the BuzzFeed story: Hundreds have undergone sex reassignment surgery in Iran since Molkara’s meeting with Khomeini. Almost 1,400 people applied for permission…

In This Week’s LGBT Recap: Are Gay Priests Overdue for a Stonewall Moment?

By Peter Montgomery

…ipated in World Congress of Families summits. Also listed as signers are a number of religious leaders, including Foley Beach, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America; Catholic Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Ojo, Nigeria; Lawrence Khongy, pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church in Singapore; and Josiah Trenham, an Orthodox priest who has spoken repeatedly at World Congress of Families gatherings. Vatican: Commentary on gay priest ban; tim…

Paul Crouch, Architect of Prosperity Gospel Televangelism, Dead at 79

By Sarah Posner

…ouch interviewed Rick Santorum last year; that’s a tradition, though, that dates back to the George H.W. Bush era, when Bush’s evangelical outreach guru Doug Wead brokered an interview for the Yankee Episcopalian to reach TBN’s audience. Wead, who developed an extensive list of influential evangelicals with whom he wanted 1988 Bush presidential primary campaign to connect, had first-hand knowledge of the Crouches’ world. Yet he recognized the pote…

Conservative French Catholics a ‘Rightwing Patriarchal Bunch’?; Indonesian Prez Decries Anti-LGBT Discrimination; Romanian Prez Warns Against ‘Religious Fanaticism’; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…to two years in prison, though the law is rarely enforced. The law, which dates back to the island’s colonial period, makes no mention of lesbians. Observers say foreign companies are unlikely to get a permit to get involved in the event in 2017. United Kingdom: Government will issue posthumous pardons for men convicted of sodomy The government announced on Thursday that it would back a proposal from the Liberal Democrats that would allow men who…

Inside InterVarsity’s Purge: Trauma and Termination at the Premier Evangelical Student Org

By Deborah Jian Lee

…calling for the organization to revoke the policy. Within InterVarsity, a number of LGBTQ and ally staff, including Vasquez, have formed “the Queer Collective,” which for months has been pressing executive leaders for unity amid theological differences. They have elevated stories of LGBTQ-affirming people in the organization and documented the mental health impact of LGBTQ exclusion. Despite their advocacy, InterVarsity announced its policy in a…

Hopping on the Meditation Brandwagon: “Heartfulness” Makes Landfall in Los Angeles

By Anita Little

…ganization’s site as “current living spiritual Master” of a tradition that dates, according to a brief history, to the late 19th century in India. Capitalizing on the moment “mindfulness” is having, “heartfulness” seems designed to fit easily onto the menu of Western spiritual aspiration. Moreover, a post from the Heartfulness Facebook page seems to base heartfulness’ worth in its potential value to capitalism, boasting statistics of increased pro…

What in the Name of the Crusades are Tennessee Evangelicals Doing in Kurdish Iraq?

By Bill Berkowitz

…can evangelicals into Northern Iraq. Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, a number of fundamentalist Christian organizations announced plans to participate in the future rebuilding effort. At the time, the Rev. Franklin Graham indicated that his organization, Samaritan’s Purse, would lead the way. Graham, the son of the Rev. Billy Graham, who shortly after September 11, got himself into a bit of a pickle by lashing out at all Muslims, famously call…

Fact-Checking Ben Carson’s Pyramid-ism Misses the Point

By Michael Schulson

…seven-year famine. Apart from not being true, this theory, which seemingly dates back to the sixth century, isn’t Seventh-Day Adventist doctrine, and it isn’t something that the majority of Biblical literalists believe in. But when CBS asked Carson last week if he believed that the pyramids were giant pantries, Carson said that, yes, he still did. (Please note: the word “pantry” here is my own interpretation, and does not necessarily reflect the w…

Why Can’t the Vatican Hear Women?

By Patricia Miller

…o Pope Francis asking him to personally intervene to remove the “unjust mandates” placed on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious by the Vatican. They say that the recent harsh criticism of the LCWR and Sister Elizabeth Johnson, “one of the most beloved and respected theologians in the world,” by Cardinal Gerhard Müller, “eclipsed any opportunity for public dialogue” and “communicates that faithful Catholic female leaders are disrespected a…