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Soldier Hot Line Draws Calls Over DADT Repeal

By Lauri Lebo

…icipating in war, they’re opposed to who they’re participating with,” Ms. McNeil said. In other words, there is no recognized religious objection to serving with LGBT members. Just as white soldiers had to learn to get along with black soldiers following military desegregation, heterosexuals are going to have to learn to get along with gay men and women in the military, who, they shouldn’t need to be reminded, are already serving alongside them….

Mel Gibson’s ‘To-Do’ List

By Becky Garrison

…Polish tinfoil hat so can wear it to Restoring Honor Rally 7. Find E.T. 8. Phone home Sarah Palin 1. Conference call with Smokey the Bear to map out guerrilla grizzly action plan 2. Primp for photo shoot with Today’s Christian Woman 3. Order camouflage Bible 4. Call Pat Robertson for spiritual guidance 5. Put hubbie on short leash 6. See if can find any prayer warriors willing to go all biblical on Levi 7. Send Rush a belated wedding gift Mel Gibs…

Eid on 9/11 Anniversary?

By Haroon Moghul

…, and of course the subways had been shut down—“and that, if I walked home with them, maybe people would think twice before trying anything.” (He wore a yarmulke). Responding Together If I give a sermon for Eid ul-Fitr, I’ll tell that story. For the younger congregants to whom that day might be distant memory, it’s important they hear how, even on that terrible day, mere minutes after the Towers were struck, New Yorkers stepped up. We did so witho…

Shukr: Gratitude

By Amina Wadud

…t involves knowing the truth: about Allah’s existence, but instead of following that truth with worship and service, as is proper for the created servant/agent, the Kafir will deny this truth, cover it over as it were. He or she will then refrain from humility. So the opposite of kufr is shukr, gratitude. Everywhere in the Qur’an we are given reminders (dhikr) and signs (ayat). The Qur’an clearly asserts that these signs and reminders are for our…

Playing God in the Wild Kingdom

By Lauri Lebo

…ayaks and swam away. “Go vegetarian!” Jeff yelled at the snake, who had already slithered away into the grass. Which leads me to my philosophical debate with my spouse. While I understand Jeff’s desire to end the frog’s suffering, my position is that one shouldn’t interfere with the cruelties of the wild—no matter how brutal—and that having the power to play God doesn’t mean we should. Jeff’s response is that most people would have done what he di…

Forgiveness

By Amina Wadud

…ard her speak and then subsequently read the book, I had a long discussion with a Jewish participant. We were not comfortable with our perception that the Christian paradigm of forgiveness did not seem to require any expiation. We were doubtful that forgiveness and reconciliation could occur just on the part of some benevolence from the one(s) offended. We were not sure that you could just “overcome them with our capacity to forgive.” So I listene…

Gay Marriage Bill Totalitarian Says Head Bishop

By Peter Montgomery

…anization for Marriage (NOM) urgently called on its supporters to get more phone calls into Senate offices. NOM is urging Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to use his power to keep marriage from coming to the floor for a vote. Meanwhile, Archbishop Timothy Dolan is getting increasingly shrill in his efforts to stop the shift toward equality. This week, on his official blog, he wrote: “Last time I consulted an atlas, it is clear we are living in N…

Pro- and Anti-Muslim Sentiment in Gainesville

By Julie Ingersoll

…meal on September 27. Pastor Johnson says he hopes the recent controversy will “have a silver lining with more and more people seeking to better understand each other.” But full-blown understanding might be too much to ask, as people have been steeped in escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric over the past few months. A local Jacksonville public radio station program featuring interfaith leaders elicited a range of perspectives from callers. Some said t…

Presbyterians, Change Hearts & Minds, Begin Ordaining Gays

By MaryAnn McKibben Dana

…m past failures. After a 1997 attempt to replace “fidelity” and “chastity” with language about living with “integrity,” advocates spent a few years pursuing a strategy of deleting the exclusive language altogether, without replacing it. Ultimately, however, “it seemed more faithful to stand for something,” says the Rev. Michael Kirby, a pastor in Chicago, so organizers returned to an approach of offering replacement wording instead of simple delet…

“Fast for Families” Immigration Reform Effort Enters 20th Day

By Joanna Brooks

…ence), and other national faith leaders. With some original fasters now growing too weak to continue to fast in public, organizers are calling for supporters of immigration reform nationwide to fast in solidarity. As evangelical Latino leader Gabriel Salguero explained, fasting is an “ancient discipline” that “seeks to move the conscience of a nation while openly confessing our dependence on God.” Fasting is also a significant faith practice for…