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Pope’s US Visit Provokes Intense Attention; New Vatican Book on Man-Woman Complementarity & New Int’l Report on Christian Role Models for LGBT Equality; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…at “the action of the Church would send a very damaging message to its gay members and make the Presbyterian Church in Ireland an even colder place for them.” Europe: Advocates try to identify, assist LGBT refugees The Washington Blade’s Michael Lavers reports on efforts by LGBT advocates in Europe to identify and assist LGBT refugees from Syria, Iraq and other countries. European advocates with whom the Blade has spoken in recent weeks said it is…

Can Mormon Glenn Beck Unite the Christian Right?

By Kathryn Joyce

…A war of all religions against none.” Ultimately, the WCF doesn’t draw the numbers of other global alliances like the World Social Forum. In 2007, for example, the WCF drew only 3,000 or so attendees; but among them were top members of the far-right government of Poland, a country that the WCF considers at the vanguard of the ecumenical culture war for its vicious repression of gay and reproductive rights. What the WCF does continue to do very suc…

Obama to Cave on Bush Tax Cuts: Letter to the Washingtonians, Chapter 1

By Daniel Schultz

…war. It was wrong, and I said so from my pulpit. I paid the price: enraged members of the congregation were certain that I had dishonored the troops, that President Bush was the hand appointed by God to lead the nation to safety, that no Christian could oppose this war to protect our civilization. Days after the first troops poured across the border into Iraq, my son was born, though I did not know him at the time. His mother, poor, ill, and strug…

Bad News for LGBT Anglicans, Mormons, Adventists, Norwegians, Russians, Georgians, Egyptians, Kuwaitis, Saudis…

By Peter Montgomery

…Church’s understanding of scriptural teaching to admit into or maintain in membership persons practicing sexual behaviors incompatible with biblical teachings. Neither is it acceptable for Adventist pastors or churches to provide wedding services or facilities for same-sex couples.” The document is presented as guidelines rather than policy because decisions about membership are made at the local congregational level. The General Conference may n…

Refusing Religion, Claiming the Future: A Roundtable Discussion on “The Nones Are Alright”

By Peter Laarman

…ing everything out—adaptation is adjustment to challenges and demands from members (and potential members). And I would say that even mainline Protestants, despite the fact that they seem like they’ve never changed, have done just that. They became a separate entity from what came to be known as “fundamentalists” in the early 20th century by adapting their theology to current ways of thinking about science. This has continued over the years with c…

Vatican Instruction on Cremation Rankles Many, But Give it a Second Look

By Karen E. Park

…which includes both living and dead people. Since they are still important members of the community in order to “get together” with our dead friends and relatives, we need a place to meet them. For this reason, according to the Church, the person’s body should not be dissolved in the ocean or scattered in a National Park. On the Day of the Dead, or All Soul’s Day, Catholic Christians in Mexico and many other cultures visit their dead, picnic in ce…

Why David Brooks Doesn’t Get the Outrage Over AIG

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…ist facing the bewildering array of current economic problems stick to the numbers or engage in psychological analysis? We could do worse than break down the current cast of characters based on that question and that approach. Greenspan was a number cruncher, Brooks observed, and unfortunately for him, human psychology caught up with him in the “housing bubble.” The current debate over Timothy Geithner is being conducted in similar terms. No one d…

“Paleo” is More Than a Fad Diet: Boyd Eaton’s Plan to Return to Eden

By Michael Schulson

…llion living an okay life? Well, that’s the greatest good for the greatest number—the argument that you’re making. If you want a livable lifestyle for the greatest number, then living at a minimal level with 12 billion people would be better. If you want people living the very best possible lifestyle, then 100 million people would be better. If you stop thinking about only human beings, but thinking about all the rest of the living organisms on ea…

Pence’s Religious Freedom Policy Made ‘LGBQ’ Hoosiers Sick—Literally

By Sunnivie Brydum

…bisexual or “unsure” of their sexual orientation. Researchers compared the number of “unhealthy days” reported by residents of each state, using the CDC definition of “the total number of days in the past 30 that people reported that their physical and mental heath were not good,” according to the press release announcing the study’s findings. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System does include a question that allows participants to identi…

Six Overlooked Gems from the Future of World Religions Report

By Timothy King

…3.2 million new adherents and “folk religions” (these tend to be small in number and tied to a particular people group or tribe) are likely to see gains of 2.6 million during the same time period. Such numbers are miniscule compared to the projected 61.5 million expected to switch into the “unaffiliated” category by 2050, nevertheless the 197% projected growth rate should turn more than a few heads. Something is causing people to be attracted to…