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I’m Too Sexy for My Church: Will a Thriving Singles Scene Renew American Catholicism?

By Megan Sweas

…hat congregation also needs to be cautious not to be closed on itself.” It used to be assumed that young Catholics come back to the church when they get married or have children. That can’t be assumed anymore, especially as more Catholics marry non-Catholics or don’t marry at all. But on the flipside, says Jarzembowski, if young adult ministry is all about meeting Mr. or Mrs. Right, the church runs the risk of losing couples as soon as they pair o…

What’s Behind a Conservative Mormon’s Call For “Religious Freedom” Advocates to “Stand Down” on LGBT Rights

By Sunnivie Brydum

…rstand why a religion would engage in lawsuits over the cake baker [who refused to serve a same-sex wedding],” Mero offers. That’s a matter of individual conscience, he says, parroting an oft-used defense for religious-based refusals of service. He frames the issue as one of competing values, suggesting that any resolution would require compromise on both sides, ideally through community conversation rather than litigation. “There has to be adults…

Condemnation, Condolences in Wake of Orlando Massacre and More

By Peter Montgomery

…groups regarded Istanbul’s gay pride event as immoral. “Religion is always used as an excuse to start riots on freedom,” he said. “The LGBT community in Turkey is a little divided about whether people should march or not,” said Mr Akpinar. “It’s not only about this latest threat of ultra-nationalists who might attack people, but if you look at the recent history of Turkey, we’ve had so many bombings and attacks. “So people are afraid it might be a…

“Freedom” vs. “Liberty”: Why Religious Conservatives Have Begun to Favor One Over the Other

By Stephanie Russell-Kraft

…y the land of freedom, its politics marked by turf battles over the proper use of the word—from the Freedom Riders to Operation Iraqi Freedom (although, as many pointed out after several uses of “Operation Iraqi Liberation” by Ari Fleischer, that would have made for an unfortunate acronym). But now, after a century-long hiatus, liberty is back. And the Republican platform isn’t the only place the word is popping up. As Geoffrey Nunberg astutely ob…

A Real-Life Truman Show?

By Lauri Lebo

…hrough the gate leading to the water, one must punch in a combination pass code. The town’s elegantly manicured gardens belie its state’s housing market collapse. But just outside of town, realtors advertise “Free Foreclosure Lists!” Sitting along a commons of lush grass, an attractive young couple casually dressed in designer sunglasses, khakis, and expensive sandals led a group of fair-haired children in prayer. The young blond woman urged the c…

The Facts About ‘Sharia’ May Surprise You

By Sumbul Ali-Karamali

…because shariah requires the defense of synagogues. It’s in all our interests to stop mindlessly buying into the notion of shariah as draconian and violent, a view supported by Muslim terrorists and Islamophobes alike; a view capitalized upon by repressive Muslim governments and used as an excuse for war by Western ones. No legal system could have survived a thousand years without being flexible and adaptable. Understanding at least the basics of…

There’s Nothing Wrong with ‘Prayer’; But There’s Every Reason to be Skeptical of Pence’s Coronavirus Prayer Circle

By Chrissy Stroop

…is shit.” In other words, people aren’t mocking Pence’s prayer circle because they’re praying, they’re mocking it because it reflects a history of substituting prayer for action in situations that require material actions that the prayer-givers are powerful enough to take. Alas, we cannot know what’s in Jonathan Merritt’s heart. We can be pretty sure, however, that something similar is taking place in the heart of Brian Zahnd, Christian author an…

‘Religious Freedom’ for Atheists

By Austin Dacey

…world, I think we should be more tolerant. Nobody hurts anyone simply because he has different ideas.” And yet Aan is facing up to 11 years in prison for blasphemy and inciting religious hatred because he voiced his skepticism about Islam on Facebook. In the West, the paradigms of blasphemy are fair-haired Danish cartoonists drawing the Prophet and Richard Dawkins badmouthing Yahweh. The public debate is about how to balance freedom of speech wit…

The Dark Horse ‘Stop the Steal’ Scenario: NAR Leaders Sought ‘Trojan Horse’ in Election Offices Filled with ‘Christian Patriots’

By Frederick Clarkson

…al election officials to oversee the vote-counting process. He shared a QR code for Fight the Fraud, an online training project.” Nelson continues: Lance Wallnau interrupted, “And then when they kick everyone else out, you’re a spy in the camp!” Wallnau surveyed the crowd. “God can’t make this any easier,” he said. “Stand up and I’m going to induct you. I’m serious!” Wave upon wave of the Michiganders stood, by the hundreds, pledging to apply for…

Excerpt: The Christian Roots of Zionism

By Shalom Goldman

…ways, some more sophisticated than others. While some advocates of Zionism used it to imply that Palestine was empty of people, that suggestion was contradicted by the reports of many Western visitors. The phrase was most pointedly used to claim that the Arabs of Palestine had no distinct Palestinian identity. They were ‘‘Arabs,’’ not a cohesive national group. That Palestine was not ‘‘empty’’ (in either the demographic or political sense) soon be…