Religion Dispatches
…we find an investment advisor named Sean Hyman pushing “The Biblical Money Code,” which claims that advice “woven” into Scripture has helped him go from earning $15,000 to giving away up to $50,000 a year. Unlike Hovind, Hyman is giving away his system for free. All you have to do is sit through an hour-long video, during which Hyman explains how “to unlock vast amounts of wealth safely and ethically.” Fancy explanations are provided, but it’s act…
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…ene, as the Egyptian authorities did in 2007 when they banned The Da Vinci Code. The Coptic community—which accounts for roughly 10 percent of the nation’s 80 million citizens—had raised alarm and demanded that both the book and movie be banned. Now, three years on, Zeidan’s bestselling novel is is prompting angry demands from that same community. In early May a group of Coptic lawyers demanded that the government imprison the author for five year…
Read More…ther setback in the struggle for gay rights on the continent. Chad’s penal code is more than half a century old and does not explicitly mention homosexuality. But section 361 of a draft new code states the punishment for anyone who has sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex is 15 to 20 years in jail and a fine of 50,000-500,000 Central African francs (£60-£600), according to a document seen by Agence France-Presse. The cabinet claims that…
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…ke away that free will, except for those who have the capacity to hack the code and reprogram the car. We normally think of robots as almost pure code, yet the scene last week when Graystone orders the Zoebot to rip off her arm raises some interesting stakes in this. It seems to me that people may be treating the Cylons differently depending on what mix of code and law they believe governs their behavior. And of course, those of you who study reli…
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…uncil and FRC Action, who voiced his worries to the Federalist a week ago. Today, McClusky sounded angry: I have been very concerned about coming up here and talking today, because it’s not really been a great week for the pro-life movement right now. First, the RNC platform. I’m sorry. It is the worst platform. McClusky derided Republicans for not openly stating their desire to ban IVF, with a rather revealing analogy: They get asked tough questi…
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…the exact nature of new or evolving conspiracy theories that may emerge in 2024, it’s likely that the pervasive conspiracy theories of 2023 will continue to influence the political landscape, particularly in the context of the 2024 election. In any event, belief in conspiracy theories, often rooted in fear, perceptions of injustice, distrust in societal institutions, and feelings of disenfranchisement, is unlikely to fade away. Issues like immigr…
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…Trump committed serious federal crimes (69% vs. 66%); and Disagree that the 2024 election of Trump to the White House poses a threat to American democracy and way of life (72% vs. 67%). Stated most conservatively and plainly: church attendance levels make no difference in support for Trump among White evangelical Protestants today. The data also indicates that Trump’s nostalgic appeal to protecting the ideal of a White Christian America resonates…
Read More…ay, in addition to struggling with an addiction to pornography. This short promo video offers an overview of their stories. By promoting these voices as representative of the entire experience within the LGBT community, even though they do not currently identify as such, the Adventist church elevates stories that portray all LGBT people as damaged, sex addicts, drug and alcohol abusers, unfaithful in relationships, and utterly lost if they do not…
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…convincing was this product launch, complete with Facebook ad campaign and promotional website including a promo video that went viral, that a number of customers were disappointed and angry to find out that it was a fake. Part of the confusion seems to have been that the launch occurred on March 28, not the customary April 1. But just as important was consumer demand. Enough people were convinced by the slick product rollout that they actually wa…
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…e of social and community values in pictures.” For the next 38 years, that code shaped Hollywood’s output. The Production Code insisted that movies were primarily “to be regarded as entertainment” that would “improve the race.” As such, movies should avoid explicit images that would be upsetting or play to “the lower and base element.” Those images included graphic violence, “excessive passion,” “white-slavery,” “scenes of actual child birth,” and…
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