Religion Dispatches
…. I liked God in America and will use portions of it in class for years to come. [Full disclosure: I was interviewed a few times by the show’s producers—once in person and several times by phone—and gave them some advice on what kinds of material I would like to see included.] But I do want to ask what this series would look like if we also understand American religious history to be about coercion and authority? Most of God in America is about th…
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…fight. If someone had pressed into his fingers at that pivotal moment the phone number for The Trevor Project, he might reach out and hear a voice of reassurance, a voice that gave him hope for life by, in part, repudiating the so-called biblical teaching that who he is amounts to an offense against God. If he’d had a sense of belonging to a community that embraced him for who he is, maybe his hope wouldn’t be so fully shattered. But while other…
Read More…ear in agreement with what we are doing. I may ask for your church’s name, phone number, and Web site to verify your stand. What I see as the sin at the heart of Grizzard and Jones’ actions—as well as at the heart of anyone who seeks to violently control the free will or belief of others—is lust. These men lust for control; and in their lust they objectify others, people they call “heretics” or “sinners.” Lust, in and of itself, is not a bad thing…
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…t Asia. Somebody has to love the heat and humidity, right? So when Ramadan comes, I have this awful experience: all my consumptions, all that I take for nourishment of mind, body and soul, must be done in the dark. That’s hard for me. Like many seasonal affective folks I also go to bed early and get up early, usually. This too is tipped on its head with Ramadan. By the time I settle in after my mosque visit, it’s way past 11 and then I’m up by 4….
Read More…ss; some profess no particular belief). This like interfaith marriages has come to a new level of maturity and exclusivity is counterproductive and redundant. This made me think about other matters of inheritance in Islam. It comes up sometimes as simple mathematical affirmations of male superiority. (The other one is the witness, but I’ll have to get to that another time.) When I present ideas about gender equality in Islam, I’ve been asked, “But…
Read More…pastor,” whether he goes forward with his plan to burn Qur’ans or not. The community-building efforts of the Gainesville Muslim Community continue through the month, and will culminate in a community fast and shared 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 h…
Read More…tarawih regularly at the mosque closest to my home but nothing resembling companionship ever resulted. I prayed tarawih at the community around my shaykh (whom I have known for 8 or 9 years), with most of them American converts about my age and level of education, and the worship was sweeter. Go figure. Family matters. I did take a few days off from the intensified worship just to be with my family who lives farther away from me. Still, we fasted…
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…ides, all of these platforms invite engagement outside of the face-to-face community. They extend the community into the day-to-day lives of believers, so they’re important for ongoing connection, but they’re not necessarily going to invite people in. (Indeed, I’m aware of a number of churches whose social networking site pages are closed to outsiders. Hmmm?) A modestly tech-savvy minister will eventually come to the conclusion that engagement wit…
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…han chemical care) live longer and are happier. Which is an astonishing outcome, given the commitments we’ve made in the other direction. Dan: How many patients who don’t receive that kind of care, but receive the aggressive interactions. Ellul is very much concerned with those kinds of technological questions—I don’t think he survived to see the online boom—but he might have some real questions about the kind of gizmos that I’m carrying around wi…
Read More…with 4 or 5 women. People are allowed to pray in their houses, you know. I come out to the mosque only because I am here for the company of my spiritual practice and the option to pray there brings me joy and comfort. I reflect back to the height of the weekend when guests and locals overflowed in the mosque, even spilling out to a tent set in the yard out front. Perhaps what I am feeling is a loss from all this company celebrating this time with…
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