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Must James Foley and Steven Sotloff Be Martyrs to Not Have Died in Vain?

…understanding the political significance of these executions, though RNS’ use of the word “martyr” in the title still imbues their deaths with an ideological significance and intentionality that has the potential to elevate the message of ISIS by posturing over and against it. The propaganda of ISIS is heavy with references to martyrdom. For their opponents to use such language is, arguably, to capitulate to their terms. The reality is that the b…

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In Praise of Failure: Is Defining Religion Such a Good Idea?

…a bit and think about language, since we are at least talking about how we use, or should use, words. Fully to appreciate what I am saying, know that here in Riverside County, California, I am writing close in time and space to the shootings in San Bernardino. I have been driven to distraction and anger by the way the word “terrorism” is kicked about. For example: mass shootings by a white Christian, “crazy, unexplainable,” but, mass shootings by…

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Touched by a Michael Landon: America’s Jewish Angel

…ers of difference separating him from “a car full of gentiles,” he knew to use Yiddish. In life, as in Little House, American Jews of Landon’s generation knew they were defined at least in part by language. It was natural, then, that when Landon finally told a Jewish story in his chosen medium, Yiddish would be used as a boundary, a marker of particular identity. Yet the meaning of any boundary depends on which side you’re on. Landon seems to have…

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Ohio Catholic School Teachers Required to Sign Morality Clause

…f wedlock, public support of or homosexual lifestyle, public support of or use of abortion, public support of or use of a surrogate mother, public support of or use of in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination, public membership in organizations whose mission and message are incompatible with Catholic doctrine or morals, and/or flagrant deceit or dishonesty.” The new contract is “doubled in size and is strikingly different from previous Ar…

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Gay, Christian, Pagan, Artist: How Matt Morris Defies the Borders of Spiritual Identity

…on you? Sometimes that’s more difficult to see in a Christian context because of the way that Christians think about God as Creator. There is this reaction to animism, to thinking of the world itself being God. Everyone wants to draw a distinction because God created the world, God is not the world. They start to worry that people might start to have a misunderstanding of God if they think too highly of God’s creation. Those are lines that are dr…

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“God” is Just Another Word: A Report From a Panel on the Role of Religious Speech in Government

…that a government permitted to use God-language in general terms will next use God to promote political positions, such as the hypothetical government slogan, “God opposes abortion.” Both Clarkson and Walczak suggested that the proposal would be insulting to religious believers. Believers understand “God” to be God, and would certainly object to any suggestion that “God” really means something else. The exchanges among the panelists were earnest b…

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Reconsidering “Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin”: An Interview with Ethicist Eric Reitan

…. Yes, there’s real value to this “love the sinner” notion, but we need to use it carefully if we’re going to avoid turning it into a slogan we use to protect ourselves from criticism that we have fallen short with respect to love. That reminds me of Walter Wink, who said that our fight is against powers and principalities. Same with King, who didn’t see the people acting in what he considered evil ways as bad people, but people caught up in the c…

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Right Wing Christians and Radical Feminists Form an Odd (Transphobic) Couple

…provision, even against blatant offenders like North Carolina’s infamous House Bill 2. But that didn’t thwart an outsized reaction led by Texas and nearly two dozen other Republican-run states, which collectively sued the federal government for daring to use its education agency to advise schools nationwide on emerging best practices. A district judge ruled in favor of those states and blocked the guidance in August. Given the arrival of a command…

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How Does an Atheist Come to Believe in God?: An Interview with Jacob Needleman

…ey have this capacity. They think listening is simply waiting for you to pause so I can come in. Speaking of listening, you use stories from your teaching experience to such great effect. It sounds as if teaching for you has been a laboratory… Absolutely. That is exactly the word I would use. And you teach courses in religion, spirituality, so you encounter every kind of opinion. I was so interested in that encounter you describe with the dogmatic…

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‘Culting’: From Waco to Fundamentalist Mormons

…n and mucous membranes and thereby compromises the respiratory system) and use tanks to dismantle the building, because of her concerns for the children, she was told that Koresh was abusing the children. (This allegation of abuse during the siege was retracted by federal agents after the fire.) Although CS gas is intended for use outdoors, Reno was assured that it would not injure the children. She approved the plan to assault the Branch Davidian…

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