Religion Dispatches
…n Without Tarrying for Any!” foreshadowed Freedom Now! The Sixties were as American as apple pie or that great American hippie Johnny Appleseed. 3. Given the reality of the socially constructed cages we are trapped in, the Matrixes which we accept unknowingly, we have two choices. We can either make the cage as comfortable as can be for as many people equally as possible; Or we can try to break out of the cage, break out of the text, break out of…
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…a variety of innovative approaches to collaboration between mental health service providers and faith-based organizations from around the state; demonstrating how spirituality can be incorporated into mental health services in a way that is client-driven and respects the separation of church and state; and sharing information from research findings on the role of spirituality in trauma recovery and mental health. We’ve worked hard to make the con…
Read More…nded “the release of a secret legal agreement between the Internal Revenue Service and a radical atheist organization that portends increased scrutiny and harassment of churches and Christians, potentially infringing upon their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and association.” Upon closer examination—surprise!—that turns out not to be the case. Patrick Elliott, a staff attorney at FFRF, told me “there has been a lot of misinformation p…
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…vice. The rest of the UU protestors began the day at the 6 a.m. interfaith service, in which Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray of the UU Congregation of Phoenix, played a central role and UU singers participated in the joint choir. The more than 200 UUs, some in clergy garb but most in their bright yellow shirts emblazoned with the Standing on the Side of Love logo, were visible in the service and then in the march down the street. Once groups convened do…
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…e Act (DOMA) and a move by the DHHS to disqualify the USCCB from a refugee services contract (because it refused to provide the full range of sexual health services to women who had been victims of trafficking) the bishops charged the administration with waging an unprecedented war to “neuter religion” in the public square and declared that they would be forced to mobilize to fight. The fact is, however, that Catholic bishops have been waging a ne…
Read More…ed only to those seeking opposite sex partners—to now begin offering their service to same-sex love seekers. Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality and says Christians need to respond. “Tell them that this is a terrible decision, and we hope this is going to hurt their bottom line,” he notes. “Again, this is a time of testing for Christians, and you’ve got to stand and defend truth. American freedom will die if we…
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…, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due. As the 112th Congress convened on Thursday, January 6, 2011, the first order of business was a religious ritual designed to underscore the import of a historic transition of power: a reading of the US Constitution. Or rather, a reading of it without some of its icki…
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…e seen happen in Mormonism, with very humble roll-up-your-sleeves hands-on service to the most vulnerable members of a congregation or community. But your experience seems to suggest he’s not comfortable with a robust give-and-take exchange of ideas, especially with people outside his circle. If you were ever at a ward party and sat down with your plate of food and found yourself at a table with Mitt and five other men, you would just expect that…
Read More…hool graduation was held in the school’s auditorium, but the Baccalaureate service was held at the First Baptist Church in my hometown—the church where I was a member. At that service I learned an important lesson: my church was not as open as I thought it was, nor was my own mind. My high school was actually majority black—but my church was 100 percent white. As we prepared for the service that night, I did a double take when a black woman, the m…
Read More…military is recruiting a “spiritual army” to fight Islam. At the time, the American Family Associations news service, as well as Gaffney and a host of others, came to his defense, with Gaffney telling the AFA that Boykin “clearly put his finger on the truth when he said his God is bigger than the god of Islam.” Boykin more recently told James Dobson that “Islam is not a religion and does not deserve First Amendment protections.” All this is not a…
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