Religion Dispatches
…financial experts is to stress that Jesus talked a lot about money—not because money makes a nice metaphor for spiritual rewards, but because, according to Hyman, “the carpenter from Nazareth was a shrewd businessman.” Throughout the hour-long video I kept wondering what the angle was; it finally came, of course, towards the end of the seemingly endless 60 minutes. Hyman is selling subscriptions to his monthly “Ultimate Wealth Report”—one year, al…
Read More…powers of autonomy. A draft bylaw sent to AFP on Saturday outlaws anal sex between men and “the rubbing of body parts between women for stimulation”, and for the first time applies Islamic laws and punishments to non-Muslims. The bylaw also punishes adultery with 100 lashes of the cane. The bylaw reinforces previous sharia legislation that bans alcohol consumption, gambling, fraternising between unmarried men and women, and physical displays of af…
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…has argued that “Muslims attack Christians in as many ways as they can because of their hatred for our beliefs.” He added that there is “no such thing as freedom of speech when there are blatant attacks against an entire religious community.” Ironically, in an earlier interview, Gobrail spoke out and supported the European cartoonists who drew caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed wearing a bomb as a turban. He said at the time that freedom of expres…
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…an rights are an administration priority. Brazil: Evangelicals launch ‘sin-free’ – ie gay-free – version of Facebook Pink News reports, “Brazilian Evangelicals have launched their own ‘sin-free’ version of Facebook, which is founded on love and acceptance – unless you’re gay.” FaceGloria reportedly attracted more than 100,000 users in its first month. South Korea: Gay couple sues government for marriage recognition In South Korea, where we reporte…
Read More…Islamist factions. Morals police reportedly arrested men at a Cairo bathhouse on Sunday and accused them of “perversions.” A reporter for a pro-regime TV channel that instigated the raid gloated over the arrest and posted photographs of the men on Facebook. At the Guardian, Brian Whitaker examines the ways Egyptian governments have made political use out of anti-gay persecution, “even though homosexuality is not actually illegal in Egypt.” He rec…
Read More…rystalina and Jason Evert, founders of the Chastity Project, an effort “focused solely on promoting purity.” The letter also included non-Catholic signers such as megachurch pastor Rick Warren, a Protestant Christian and head of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and Alan J. Hawkins, a Mormon Professor of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Their involvement — as well as the release of the letter itself — exposes a growing sense of…
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…onsibility for ourselves rather than consign our fate to our genes or God. Free will works better than any other single criterion for gauging the vitality of a life, or a society. Choices, freely made, are what make life meaningful. When people doubt free will, they are more likely to behave badly. After reading a passage from a book that challenged the validity of free will, students were more likely to cheat on a mathematics exam. Others were le…
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…and put Donald Trump in the White House. But the race is also uniquely focused on gay rights, because Wilders has framed his crusade against Islam in part as a defense of national values in the country proud to have adopted the world’s first marriage equality law and has remained a leader on LGBT rights in the years since. And several more moderate politicians have echoed the message that Muslim immigrants threaten gay people… Wilders’ professed…
Read More…n a statement. China: Alibaba marketing campaign promotes same-sex couples China’s social media behemoth Alibaba launched a marketing campaign that will send ten same-sex couples to the US and other countries where same-sex couples can be legally married. Japan: Tokyo district will recognize same-sex partnerships In Japan, where the constitution defines marriage as “a union based on the mutual consent of parties from both sexes,” the Shibuya distr…
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…Negainomiya Shrine in Osaka, believes same-sex nuptials belong in Shinto — Japan’s indigenous faith. Some Shinto priests have declined to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies because they are wary of changing the words of prayers that have been said for hundreds of years. Momoyama is undeterred. “Though there is a general form for prayer,” he said, “I believe priests can adapt it for same-sex couples.” Colombia: Marriage Equality Ruling Reportedly…
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