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“Freedom” vs. “Liberty”: Why Religious Conservatives Have Begun to Favor One Over the Other

…y the land of freedom, its politics marked by turf battles over the proper use of the word—from the Freedom Riders to Operation Iraqi Freedom (although, as many pointed out after several uses of “Operation Iraqi Liberation” by Ari Fleischer, that would have made for an unfortunate acronym). But now, after a century-long hiatus, liberty is back. And the Republican platform isn’t the only place the word is popping up. As Geoffrey Nunberg astutely ob…

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Rage Against the New Age Machine: Three Days at the Osho International Meditation Resort

…not have AIDS, a lengthy registration and payment. Although Osho’s guesthouse and “multiversity” accept credit cards, the registrar requires cash for the resort’s day passes, food and other amenities. Discovering that I lacked the rupees to cover the class’ costs, a serene blonde volunteer taxied me to an off-campus cash machine. Each time the ATM refused my request, my adrenaline surged. I knew Citibank could be unreliable, but why was a peace-a…

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Why Body Cameras Won’t Solve Police Brutality

…to embarrass and exploit those who are subject to police harassment and abuse. They have the potential to cause more harm to the very people they are purported to protect. Mandating body cameras for police officers is an understandable response to the murder of Walter Scott—many family survivors of police shootings believe body cameras might have prevented Scott’s death—but their neutrality is far from given. The “miraculous” objectivity of video…

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What This All-Star Christian Movie Gets Wrong About Christianity

…e. I have not been able to find reference to them in the criminal or civil code of Illinois, where the movie is set. I did learn that many EMTs in Chicago are employed by private companies, in which case such an employee would not be violating the establishment clause by proselytizing.) This is the movie’s big theological problem: a firm certainty that if it seems Christian to you, it probably is Christian, and is therefore a good thing in exactly…

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Jack Ryan Uses Bible to Exonerate Wall Street, CIA

…tirely failed to remark on its political messaging, except to note it as a part of a spate of conservative winter films. This oversight may be conditioned by years of Tom Clancy novels, or maybe it’s because the film is so successful at naturalizing its own efforts through its uninventive use of the Bible, repaired romance, and a heroized CIA to misrepresent the threat to the nation….

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#TeachAcceptance and the Fight for the Soul of SF’s Catholic Schools

…“new age babble” and denial of moral distinctions: The protesters are confused. They reject morality clauses but call the archbishop’s behavior sinful, shameful, and wrong. They belong to a church but seem to think it shouldn’t forbid anything. They insist that no one can be judged, except for issuing judgments that contradict their own. They can’t explain or even acknowledge the moral differences between homosexuality, contraception, and abortio…

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Pope Backs Anti-Gay Referendum; Islamic State Executions Include Gay Syrian; ‘Conscience Clause’ Debated in Northern Ireland; Global LGBT Recap

…n of Amnesty International added: “What is proposed is not a conscience clause, it is a discrimination clause. “This change to the law is not welcome and it is not needed. The law already strikes a fair balance between the human right to freedom of religion and the human right not to suffer discrimination. Poland: Trans MP runs for presidency Anna Grodzk, a transgender member of the Polish Parliament, announced that she will be running for the pre…

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Pentecostal Prayer Gangs: New Film Documents Religion in a Brazilian Prison

…med genuine. It would be very difficult to fake a conversion in prison because someone’s observing your actions 24 hours a day. For example, if someone converted to Pentecostalism, that means they didn’t use drugs. If they did, there would be serious consequences. They would be kicked out of church, and the gang would respond to the betrayal with violence. You had no prior experience as a filmmaker. How did the film come together? A friend of mine…

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American Nuns and the Vatican: More Pain than Promise

…I dream. Nevertheless, this formula—used so effectively in dealing with abusers and abused—is the most relevant parallel I can find to understand what occurred in this case. Instead, the two prelates delivered themselves of sonorous but largely vapid discourses. The Prefect acknowledged that some institutes chose “not to collaborate fully in the process” (maybe more than you will ever know, Cardinal Braz de Aviz), but called for the whole church…

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Are Evangelical Films Destined to Leave Secular Audiences Behind?

…2 percent on Rotten Tomatoes—the studio started claiming secular bias and promoting fan reviews. Many evangelicals view cultural elites as condescending and hostile to begin with, so negative reviews met certain expectations. Even as fans of Left Behind talked about how great it was, however, the old divisions were apparent. There were those who talked about how the film is a great evangelizing opportunity. One woman reported buying more than 20…

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