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American Horror Story: Hotel and Monotheism’s Dirty Little Secrets

By W. Scott Poole

…rsity. The idea of one God creates irresolvable tensions, raises questions about the source of suffering in a world created by a Being both omnipotent and allegedly full of compassion. Monsters, Christianity’s Satan lurking in the shadows behind them all, have been one way that monotheistic thought has tried to bridge the gap between its claims and our reality. I’ve written critically in the past about Ryan Murphy’s lack of interest in exploring t…

Conservative Bishops Unhappy At Synod, But Ignore Walkout Call; Australian Religious Leaders Step Up Marriage Equality Opposition; Italy Debates Civil Unions; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…er as an actor on prime-time television, but there were persistent rumours about his private life. He took the bold step of becoming the first Nigerian to declare openly his sexuality on national TV. Almost immediately, the show axed Alimi’s character. Disowned by his family, he fled Africa in fear of his life in 2007. Alimi has written about how “like many gay men and lesbians in Africa, my choice was between economic freedom and mental imprisonm…

In Liberty U Speech, Sanders Breaks the Democratic “Faith Outreach” Mold

By Sarah Posner

…ch wasn’t about Sanders himself, and it wasn’t about how his audience felt about him. It wasn’t about Sanders wearing his faith on his sleeve, and it wasn’t about Sanders contesting his audience’s view of the Bible, his faith, or theirs. And it was not, contrary to Jack Jenkins’ analysis at ThinkProgress, a speech about a “progressive embrace of faith.” It was a lesson in how to do politics in a religious setting. Sanders didn’t go to Liberty to p…

Mister Rogers’ Radical Pacifist Neighborhood

By Sarah Morice-Brubaker

…liberation that he saw for other progressive issues, and so was concerned about being too far ahead on the issue. But let me stress that this is mere conjecture on my part. This is one of the issues that make me wish he were still around for us to talk with and learn from. If he were around today, I would ask him about gender identity as well. I remember his song that went something like “Boys are boys from the beginning / Girls are girls right f…

Is Yoga OK for Catholics or Not?: The Conversation Continues

By Kyle Garton-Gundling

…s that “spiritual pride…is as much a problem in theistic disciplines as in Buddhism.”) The dangers posited in the Letter are explicitly spiritual, and their material outcomes are not characterized as everyday occurrences or inevitable outcomes of yoga. Jain also contends that the Letter is yogaphobic for suggesting that modern postural yoga, with its non-metaphysical emphasis on health and self-control, might be a threat to Catholic soteriological…

Female Deacons: Pope Francis Walks It Back, Women Clergy Weigh In

By Kaya Oakes

…a member of Roman Catholic Women Priests, says that her initial enthusiasm about women deacons faded as “it has become evident that the Pope’s intent is to have a commission that looks at what the role of deacons has been historically,” and as it also became clear that Pope Francis is potentially thinking of women deacons not having the same role as male ones. While the ordination of women is an important step in ending sexism in the church it is…

Q Shaman’s New Age-Radical Right Blend Hints at the Blurring of Seemingly Disparate Categories

By Susannah Crockford

…lness, yoga, and spirituality communities who have become deeply concerned about the interpenetration of the two. When asked by the Arizona Republic about where he got his ideas, Jake Angeli mentioned “internet research” and Behold a Pale Horse by William Cooper. Cooper was another Arizona resident, killed by police, whose book went on to influence QAnon and the right-wing Patriot movement. YouTube research led Angeli to spiritual content and QAno…

Jesus Has Left the Building: Celebrating the Next Reformation

By Donna Schaper

…the right name for God yet. Not Islam. Not Christianity. Not Judaism. Not Buddhism. Not Lutheranism or the Episcopal Church. Its best quarrels are whether to use the word “interfaith” or “multifaith” or “multipath.” The next reformation reaches for the God of the cosmos, not just the globe. It is blessedly anti-punishmentalist and only punishes those who punish. It has a wild streak and an even more individualistic or renegade streak. It doesn’t…

LGBTQI ‘Equality Act’ Enjoys Broad Support; There’s Just One Problem

By Sunnivie Brydum

…who identify with New Age religions (86%), Judaism (80%), Hinduism (79%), Buddhism (75%) and the much-discussed “Nones,” (78%) who are religiously unaffiliated. Those results are likely unsurprising to anyone who’s been following the rise of the so-called religious left, but even as the religious ideologies surveyed move to the right, support for nondiscrimination protections stays above the 50% mark. Mormons support nondiscrimination protections…

Controversy Over Jay Shetty’s Authenticity Masks the Bigger Question: Why is the West Drawn to Such Figures Over and Over Again?

By Prea Persaud

…ality inherent in things, but simply a shared set of beliefs about the nature of things we value in the world.”⁠ Arguments both for authenticity and claims of authority can help us understand which ideas a culture values most. Uncovering the truth about Shetty’s life loses its power once we realize that he isn’t some unique figure. Instead, we might reorient our gaze and ask what his popularity reveals about us and the persistence of Orientalism t…