Search for "high sky cheap airline tickets phone number 1-800-299-7264"

Ask a Muslim: What of Neanderthals and Aliens?

By Haroon Moghul

…ed aliens, we should totally be ready. At least theologically. Lucy in the sky with diamonds In the Islamic conception, Adam’s the first Prophet chosen to preach to humanity, but he and his wife Eve are also the first in a new species, chosen to be God’s Caliphs—like “representatives”—on Earth. But if we believe that, how do we deal with Neanderthals—was Adam their ancestor, too? Do Adam and Eve fit somewhere differently on the family tree? Or are…

Political Consequences of a Judging God: A Yom Kippur Reflection

By Jay Michaelson

…ffective; I didn’t think there was actually a Book of Life up there in the sky, but I appreciated the metaphor, and felt myself judged, impelled to repent of various sins and shortcomings. Later, though, the image became problematic even as metaphor. As I came to accept my sexuality, I saw that much of what we ascribe to noble motives of repentance was really guilt warmed over. Not only did the wicked thrive—the old problem of theodicy, reflected…

Rites, Rituals, and the King

By Amina Wadud

…turn to love me”, “Grant me a successful hajj.” etc. Worship responds to a higher level in fact, the highest level of formality. Even in its repetition there is a special kind of efficacy as well. All this is important in achieving the connectivity between us and the Sacred. All this is intended in its performance. You have to THINK when you perform it. The Prophet once said, “as-salah imadud-din, salah is the column upon which the din (of Islam)…

Dying in Dirty Places: How to Honor the Dead in the Era of Ecocide

By Ryann Croken

…ved ones to rest in proper, dignified fashion. Even the most pagan-phobic, sky-god-reviling atheist out there would think it unnatural to toss his or her dead mother’s cadaver into a dumpster. The fact is, curious as it may seem, human beings have always treated the dead with a greater degree of respect than the living. And so, again, I wonder, and I hope: if we are too greedy, careless, and confused to preserve the environment for future generati…

No, the Democratic Party Is (Still) Not the Party of God

By Daniel José Camacho

…aditional dogma, and strive for an inclusive church while subscribing to a number of economic, foreign policy, health, and education-related political agendas. She also reduces the terms “left,” “progressive,” “activist” to essentially mean the mainstream politics of the Democratic Party. The article suggests that the “Christian left” or “religious left” is basically anything not Republican. “Liberal Christians often pay lip service to many politi…

What is Community?

By Amina Wadud

…tunning beauty of the Shenandoah, with stars so bright against a deep dark sky, that those of us used to city lights cannot walk under the canopy of trees without constantly commenting on the sparkling display; but also in the company of the faithful with the fullest intent to celebrate those special occasions of devotion. This is the have-cake-and-eat-it-too place. In fact, my worship will increase for a few reasons. First, because this is a comm…

Rising to Heaven in a Secular Rapture: Trump’s Golden Promises

By Eric C. Miller

…think they needed government because the churches often did offer a great number of services. They were tithed, members gave ten percent of their income to sustaining the church, and whatever problem they had, they could take it to the church. It was very central to their lives. At the same time, they sensed that they were Christians in an America that was becoming increasingly non-Christian, so I often heard them say things like, “You can’t say…

Rebooting the Universe: Doctor Who part X, Season Finale

By Gabriel Mckee

…ambiguity about him. From the original pilot episode, he had an unusually high degree of arrogance and irritability for a TV hero. But then again, heroes without limitations or flaws can become uninteresting. A truly all-powerful god or hero might be expected to simply make evil disappear, instantaneously, with no need for struggle. That doesn’t make for an interesting story. Limiting a hero’s (or a villain’s) power in time travel scenarios can b…

Introducing a New Advice Column, “Ask the Dust”

By The Editors

…ion in real life. From the serious to the sacrilegious, no question is too high or too low for Ask the Dust. For example: I’m the only non-Catholic teacher at St. Ignatius. Should I just convert and get it over with? Ask the Dust. My spouse is an atheist. May I baptize him while he’s asleep? Ask the Dust. My daughter’s Bat Mitzvah is in December and she wants to do a Christmas theme. Is that OK? Ask the Dust. Send questions now to dust@religiondis…

Raelians Push White House for Alien Embassy to Save Humanity

By Joseph Laycock

…in June 1947 when Kenneth Arnold reported seeing disk-like objects in the sky while flying past Mount Rainier in Washington State. Almost immediately, UFO enthusiasts connected the sightings to the advent of nuclear weapons and millennial expectations. One month after the Arnold sighting, the Buchanan Brothers sang: And though the war may be through there’s unrest and trouble brewin’ And those flying saucers may be just a sign That if peace doesn…