Religion Dispatches
…d ban on assault weapons and laws protecting interstate and, by extension, online ammunition sales. Perhaps Chris Hedges is right: “We have created and live in a world where violence has become the primary form of communication.” Which leaves us where with regard to a national conversation on violence? Dead in the water? The Armor of God? Oh, if only there were a place where people could gather on a regular basis to talk about causes, effects, and…
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…acticing Buddhists, not to mention for his millions of spiritually-curious online followers? But his atheistic-toned words should not come as a surprise. Back in June, he tweeted that he is “increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.” Slowly, HHDL’s social media team has been tweaking the guru’s image to better align with our more secular views. Westerners are d…
Read More…essed to find evidence of the existence a California real estate developer online. What’s more, if whoever made the film actually spent $5 million on it, the expenditure hardly shows in the content, acting, or production values. Amateurish doesn’t even begin to describe the 13-minute trailer on YouTube. The film was promoted by anti-Muslim zealot Terry Jones. The WSJ reported yesterday: The film’s 52-year-old writer, director and producer, Sam Bac…
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…nstallment in the series, but can also be found in an article he published online and in radio interviews. In consideration of Burning Man’s origins, Matthews critiques the “creation myth” of the event. Matthews views the popular portrayal, provided by founder Larry Harvey, as suspect and he provides an alternative understanding that relies on the testimony of Michael “Flash” Hopkins, a friend of Harvey’s who claims to have been a key collaborator…
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…anation for this failure, supported by the data noted above, is that many (online) atheists don’t believe they have a strong moral obligation towards relatively anonymous or distant others, or don’t feel the pull of such an obligation even if they believe they have it (or think they believe they have it). Stangroom also noted another recent study that asked whether respondents would be willing to give a small donation to an overseas aid agency: Th…
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…a and Plan B, which are covered by the HHS rule, are abortifacients. In an online discussion titled “Ending Abortion,” Bereit interviewed Jim Sedlak, his former colleague and the current executive director of STOPP, calling him “the most credible expert I have ever heard on the topic of Planned Parenthood.” STOPP’s petition web page to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood charges, among other things, that Planned Parenthood’s “top goal for th…
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…ional Protestants, of all those who defend the true Christian values.” The online debate as to whether the Pussy Riot trial was a triumph or a disaster for the Russian state will likely continue for some time. In the UN however, the influence of a traditional values-promoting Russia has met its limits. The week before the Pussy Riot members were convicted of blasphemy by the Russian judiciary the Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council e…
Read More…rity with the larger community, organizing candlelight vigils and creating online groups to spread the word about the Wisconsin attack. My most fervent hope is that just as the internet might be transforming the very notion of trauma by speaking the unspeakable in real time, it can also start addressing the very deep-rooted prejudices that create such horrific episodes as the Wisconsin gurdwara attack and 1984 in the first place. A minority commun…
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…Lifeway also includes a publishing group, two conference centers, and two online shopping websites. Eric Metaxas is the author of the bestselling biography Bonhoeffer: Pastor Martyr, Prophet, Spy, published by Thomas Nelson. He told me that he thinks the retailer’s decision was “a misunderstanding of God’s idea of holiness.” Metaxas says that when Hollywood makes a film that portrays evangelical Christians in a positive light, Christians should e…
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…equests for an interview, I did reach out to Steven Ertelt, founder of the online publication Life News, “The Pro-Life News Source.” He wrote an article immediately after Planned Parenthood’s press release came out about a possible Live Action sting. Ertelt had spoken to Rose’s people and they issued a statement that they don’t comment on “ongoing investigations.” Ertelt is a longtime anti-abortion activist serving in leadership positions at state…
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