Religion Dispatches
…scrutiny he’ll get for his marriage. Like politicians, having a devoted spouse is an important asset, especially for such a prominent minister with a worldwide following. Irreconcilable differences for many Christians is not reason enough for a divorce and, more often than not, is code for “serious sin.” Pentecostals have a history of being strict about reasons to divorce, adultery being scripturally the only reason to do so. For those who divorce…
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…efend” Starting in 1979, Defense Department appropriations bills have been used to restrict or prohibit the use of federal funds—meaning all military health coverage—for abortion services at overseas military hospitals. Although President Clinton reversed the ban shortly after taking office, anti-abortion forces in Congress made the ban permanent in 1995, preventing future presidents from altering the rules by executive order. What began as a fund…
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…d pray for God’s intervention, “Lord, help us fill these shelves.” And because of that, he says the people are trying to be like Bedford Falls. Did he and I watch the same movie? Because I don’t recall the government being the villain in the movie. No, as a matter of fact, it seemed pretty clear that the villain was Mr. Potter, a greedy and corrupt banker who referred to the working class as “a discontented lazy rabble.” (Wow. Sound familiar to an…
Read More…ed into the “founding principles,” “Judeo-Christian” foundation, and other code, but they did more. They wept; they told stories about soldiers and family members; they evoked imagery of mountains climbed and enemies vanquished. Mitt Romney, though? Not so much. Speaking directly after Pence, who since the inaugural Values Voters Summit in 2006, has always invoked the language of the religious right base, Romney was at a disadvantage. He was borin…
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…grabs—or in favor of LGBTQ rights, racial equality or other progressive causes around the world—has become a main far-right talking point according to expert Ben Lorber, my colleague at Political Research Associates.* Many far-right pundits have attributed blame to these same forces for, among other things, inciting the Arab Spring in 2011 and orchestrating the supposed theft of the 2020 election from Trump. CHPP laments how internal strife is ma…
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…misspoken and did not realize until it was pointed out to her that she had used the word ‘Islamic’ by mistake.” Of course. Because secularists and Muslims and environmentalists are equally the sworn enemies of anyone with a “Christian worldview” and therefore America. An understandable mistake to mix them up in a torrent of dog-whistles: Theological secularism. Global warmists. Radical Islamic. If you’ve had a “Christian worldview” education, you’…
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…ys that he and other board members weren’t trying to ignore slavery as a cause of the Civil War. “There were multiple causes,” he said. Davis’ address, which reads eerily like a Tea Party manifesto, never mentions slavery, but the board makes no mention of teaching its own state’s Ordinance of Secession, which states: (Texas) was received as a commonwealth holding, maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery—the servitude of…
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…two men to 450 lashes for using Twitter to meet in 2014. Even such private use is considered “promoting the vice and practice of homosexuality”. According to the new anti-terrorism law, Saudi Arabia considers any criticism of Islam and even atheism as forms of terrorism against the State. There conditions will make the discussion at the UNESCO forum extremely limited. Catholic Church: Some Vatican officials embrace new LGBT-friendly book; conserva…
Read More…ad on a number of fronts. His Washington Times continues to be the daily house-organ/must-read for conservatives; he has spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting right-wing organizations and causes; he controls the US sushi industry; he does business with North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il: and as Moon watchdog John Gorenfeld has reported, Moon officially considers himself Emperor of the Universe, claiming the imagined endorsements of dead US presi…
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…eocracy” and that the bills don’t “mimic or enact any particular religious code.” However, the inclusion of “The Ten Commandments Display Act” isn’t very convincing on that score. They further insist that the model bills promote “religious tolerance” and that they “do not force any religion on anyone,” yet the “National Motto Display Act” calls for the posting of the Christian religious slogan “In God We Trust” in public schools and buildings. And…
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