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Mormon Leader Affirms Doctrine on Marriage; and More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ow; freedom for the hunter is death for the hunted. When it comes to the struggle for life itself, or in the struggle of conscience and belief against coercive liberalism or angry atheism, all know that we are greatly indebted to Alliance Defending Freedom for providing the intellectual ballast, rapier like arguments, and a counter narrative to the impoverished concept of freedom that I have described. Mormon Church: Leader Affirms Doctrine on Mar…

Is ‘Beyond Doubt’ Correct About the Decline of Religion? Yes… Sort Of.

By Lucas McCracken

…s Christianity’s dominance domestically or religious hegemonies around the world, Beyond Doubt brings good news—a euangelion, if you will, for political secularists. Marshaling a preponderance of empirical evidence demonstrating declining religiosity around the world, the authors argue that as nations become more scientifically knowledgeable, technologically advanced, economically industrialized, and institutionally differentiated, people in those…

My God, David Brooks

By John Modern

…nitions of, the religious. Religion becomes an opportunity to express our true selves, our freedom, our choice. Spirituality, well-chosen, amounts to a state of world-transformative longing. The opposite of tradition, so called. But whereas Taylor ruminates on our remarkable situation of having a choice to be religious or not (unlike medieval folks for whom such a choice would be all but unfathomable), I feel it necessary to think twice about the…

A Rationalist’s Ghost Story

By Gary Jansen

…lboros beneath an old neon sign and kept me company as I waited for a tow truck. He told me stories about his family and his years as a mechanic. I swear this guy told me a story about replacing a carburetor that was riveting! Maybe it was his voice which sounded a bit like his vocal chords had been scratched with sandpaper or maybe it was just because he seemed to love everything—his wife, his kids, his bike, helping other people. I never asked t…

The Christian Roots of the New Age: The Aquarian Gospel

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…about how he came to this point, nor to his sense of mission. There are no stories from his childhood; he simply erupts onto the scene at the ripe spiritual age of 30 or so, then dies one month later. Matthew fills out the narrative a bit with a long family genealogy and the harrowing story of Herod’s attempt to murder this newborn messiah-to-be. Luke adds a few poignant tales from Jesus’ childhood, most notably the Christmas story with the shephe…

Rage or Courage?: YouTube Terrorism Take Two

By Bruce B. Lawrence

…mages move, but moving images move faster and wound more deeply. And it’s crucial to recognize that the Muslim world does not speak with one voice, or march to one tune. There are many, many Muslims who are prone not to rage but to courage, as the popular uprising against militias in Libya (and the gentleman in the cell phone store) attest. This perspective often goes unreported but can be sighted in various locales throughout the Mediterranean an…

God TV: Televangelism 2.0

By Sarah Posner

…en waiting for. Amazingly, the Alecs, who beam their broadcasts around the world from Jerusalem, are without apology using Israel’s 60th anniversary as a celebration of the power of belief in Jesus to perform miracles in your life. While 1,700 followers joined the Alecs in Jerusalem recently, the ones that couldn’t sent in their requests for prayer, read aloud by the Alecs in an “Up to Jerusalem” special edition of their program, “Behind the Scree…

“The Gift of Gay”: Father Matthew Kelty, Confessor to Thomas Merton, Dies at 96

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…c expression, in whatever form, much as he himself had done in the written word. Creativity, spiritual and otherwise, was to be the watchword at Gethsemani; and even a cursory walk through the Abbey’s gift shop today demonstrates how many of the monks have taken up Merton’s call to creativity in the written and visual arts. Father Matthew Kelty was no exception, though he came to his creativity slower than most. Like Merton, he left Gethsemani for…

Religious Affiliation, ‘Mankind’: India’s Anti-Corruption Activist Leads Second Freedom Struggle

By April L. Bogle

…t against government corruption—what Anna Hazare, whose hunger strike made headlines, has named “India’s second freedom struggle.” I was glad to have the chance to interview Bedi when she came to Atlanta a few months ago for a conference. No Prima Donna Something told me to silence my cell phone and bury it in my handbag as I drove to meet Bedi at her hotel. It turned out to be a good move. When I got to the lobby another something told me to dig…

Despite Reversal on Hillary and Hellen Keller, ‘Christian Americanist’ Bias Remains in Texas Curriculum

By David R. Brockman

…nfortunately, not all. The most significant changes related to coverage of world religions are in the TEKS for high school world history, so that’s what we’ll focus on here.* The Good News … In a standard on major historical turning points from 600 to 1450 CE, students are now required to learn about “the spread of major world religions,” instead of “the spread of Christianity,” as the 2010 TEKS required. (A move by some board members to restore t…