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Eddie Long Case Should Mark the End of Black Church Homophobia

By Anthea Butler

…ies of black church leaders in sexual scandals, including Jeremiah Wright, websites that track sexual abuse, and blogs concerning “policing” black church sexuality suggest that the don’t ask don’t tell policy about sexuality in any form in the black church is alive and well. The Homophobia and sexophobia of black church leaders can be found in their literature, preaching, and revivalism. Intrepid preachers and evangelists use sexuality in titles o…

Beck Fuels End-Times Hysteria Over Egypt

By Anthea Butler

…rophecy Today, and Calvary Prophecy Report are just a few of the blogs and websites referring to the events in Egypt as a sign of the end or — more ominously — the beginning of a new war. Conspiracy monger Glenn Beck has of course jumped with both feet into the fray, repeatedly referring in the last week to one of his favorite obscure books, “The Coming Insurrection.” Beck, without having to say anything religious, recites every end-time theme; fi…

Citizen Speech in an Age of Data: Or, Why I’m Transcribing My Tweets Into Cuneiform

By Andrew Aghapour

…importance of citizen speech? I was skeptical until this weekend, when two websites made very different public offerings. One, facing the past, will transcribe your tweets onto clay tablets. The other is the Guggenheim’s first online exhibition—a marketplace for betting on humanity’s future. From Tweets to Tablets Dumb Cuneiform, which launched on November 6th, offers something simple: “You send us your most ephemeral and worthless communications,…

Like the Bible? You’ll Love a ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ T-shirt — How AI Marketing Shapes Identity

By Lauren Horn Griffin

…whole conversation underscores the complex relationships between vendors, websites, consumers, and advertising platforms like Google Ads (as was the case in this example). But this particular example highlights yet another layer to the conversation: those users reacted not only to the algorithmic profiling, but also to their perceptions of advertising, AI, and the online platforms involved. In this example, the pastor initially reacted to the (in…

Cyclops Baby of the Apocalypse? Another Day in ISIS Fundamentalism

By Joseph Laycock

…month, Vocativ reported on rumors circulating on Twitter and some Islamic websites that a baby born with a rare birth defect known as cyclopism is actually the Muslim anti-Christ. According to this speculation, the baby is the Masih ad-Dajjal, a one-eyed false prophet described in certain hadith (sayings attributed to the prophet) whose arrival signals a final battle that leads to Judgment Day. Some analysts believe the rumor is a recruitment tac…

It’s Theology, Not Baseball: Misunderstanding Iraq’s Sectarian Conflicts

By Amyn B. Sajoo

…most robust in places where the rule of law and democratic culture are at best fragile — from Somalia and Yemen to Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, Mali, and the Central African Republic. It is also true that transitions from authoritarian to looser forms of governance are fraught with high political risk, as in ex-Yugoslavia, Egypt, and Iraq. Moreover, most of these radical groups, including the “Islamic State,” have a record of cynical gangsteri…

Dark Sisters Opera Aims to Humanize Sister Wives

By Joanna Brooks

…ations because it’s a chamber opera. And with a chamber opera, it’s always best to have more women than men. So, I was thinking about dramatically intense situations with more women than men, and I thought about a polygamous home. And I had just finished an opera with a million children, and the [2005 raid on Warren Jeffs’ Texas Yearning for Zion ranch] had just happened. So we made a raid on a polygamous compound the the first act of the opera. W…

‘Slender Man’ Murder Attempt Wasn’t Media or Madness

By Joseph Laycock

…ngated limbs inspired numerous stories, games, and videos that appeared on websites like Creepypasta. In an NPR interview Knudsen explained that he feels more like the creature’s manager than its creator. Soon online forums speculated that Slender Man had not been created by Knudsen, but was a real entity described by ancient cultures around the world. A recent book by Rev. Robin Swope (aka “The Paranormal Pastor”) asserts that Slender Man is an a…

Buddha as Scientist, Entrepreneur & Self-Improvement Guru

By Michael Schulson

…ke a more mindful approach to technology, or the “contemplative design” of websites that don’t do everything in their power to distract readers by, say, gratuitously using hyperlinks. Still other Buddhist Geeks, says Gleig, want to apply Buddhist ideas to entrepreneurship and other geeky pursuits. In one talk, for example, venture capitalist Jerry Colonna tells a story about the legendary Buddhist figure Milarepa defeating a group of demons. “When…

Conservative Christianity’s “Come to Jesus” Moment in Wake of Elliot Rodger Shootings

By Devin Kuhn-Choi

…re entitled—and that entitlement is clearly evident in Rodger’s video. PUA websites include advice for how to trick women into sex, or how to “escalate” sex when a woman indicates she is not interested; basically, ways to break a woman down so she submits to sex, because it’s their role as sexually aggressive men to overpower her and her role as a woman to submit to it. Rodger’s response to what he perceived as insults to his masculinity and a den…