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Giving Up God—Not Just a Spiritual Stunt

By Becky Garrison

…deas, choosing my “beliefs” from a smorgasbord of options. But then in the last sentence she seems to suggest that there might be a “marketplace” motive to my actions—that I might stand to benefit in the marketplace from my yearlong experience of atheism. First of all, I’m not sure what the marketplace of religious beliefs and practices has to do with my possible success. It also seems to assume that I crassly set out to create a media storm for m…

Satanic FOIA Reveals Deep Confusion About 1st Amendment

By Joseph Laycock

…The only data concerning what the monument committee thought about the Satanic monument are hinted at in e-mails to and from an executive assistant. In fact, reading through the files, I felt sympathy for this assistant, who dutifully relayed all phone messages from constituents to the legislature. This resulted in e-mails like: [John Doe] at [555-555-5555] from Durant, OK. is opposed to the statue being erected. He will personally come up, rope…

Aliens Are Fattening Us Up For the Rapture

By Mark Hulsether

…Nations, a case for the U.S or Israel attacking Iran, and a pitch for the phone ministry 1-888-RAPTURE. Apparently the UFO issue got onto Lindsey’s radar screen because of reports that United Nations is paying attention to it, as discussed here. Lindsey offers a mass of evidence (quite disturbing if true) claiming sightings by military personnel who witnessed UFOs disarming nuclear weapons. In Lindsey’s interpretation, such disarmament fits a sim…

“What Kind of Islam Is That?”: Talking With Refugees From ISIS

By Mark Juergensmeyer

…and Kurdistan. The pharmacist showed me a video he had made with his cell phone, which did indeed look like a cattle surge of vehicles illumined by a few eerie lights. Now the news from his town is “very bad”—there is no water or electricity or food in stores. Christians are forced to make payments to be allowed to survive and have to pretend to be Muslims and go to the mosque, and ISIS militants roam around the streets and do whatever they want….

Joe Bageant, author of Deer Hunting with Jesus: 1946-2011

By Lauri Lebo

…culture in America is staggering under the sheer weight of its white underclass, which now numbers some sixty million. Generally unable to read at a functional level, they are easily manipulated by corporate-political interests to vote against advances in health and education, and even more easily mustered in support of any proposed military conflict, aggressive or otherwise. One-third of their children are born out of wedlock, and are unemployabl…

Qaddafi Dies; Should it Matter How?

By Haroon Moghul

…is palaces and attacking him in his own gaudy vanity projects. He made his last stand near the buildings he had lavished Sirte with. He who accused al-Qaeda of being behind Libya’s revolution ended his life releasing audiotapes only the Syrian government dared share. What do we learn from that? He was apparently found in a drainage pipe in Sirte, his hometown; ending where he began, under the ground not far from where he came into the world. Could…

Why I Won’t Leave the Mormon Church Alone

By Holly Welker

…c school were often held at the Mormon church, and vice-versa. Most of my classmates, virtually all my friends, and much of my family were Mormon. At church I was commanded to keep a journal, examining my life for the narrative threads that guide my choices and determine my character. I will never shake this habit, no matter what. Truth be told, if the LDS church somehow lost all it leaders and members tomorrow and existed only as a historical rel…

AAA: Like a Good Neighbor

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…de of the road with a flat tire, or a broken down car, that help is just a phone call away. It also gives me discounts on lodging and other perks. My partner has a gold card with her name on it as well. The account number on both cards is the same. Years ago, when we signed up for the cards with the venerable roadside assistance company AAA, the woman at the counter smiled sweetly and never blinked an eye when we asked for the “family” plan. We we…

The Tweets of the Christ

By Nathan Schneider

…explains Linda Hanick, Trinity’s VP of communications and marketing, “the last words of Jesus are almost written in tweets, less than 140 characters.” Okay, so maybe they’re a match made in heaven. It all got going around 12:10 p.m. on Friday, ten minutes late, after some technical troubles. The first post: “via @ServingGirl: is so tired. Caiaphas and the priests have been up all night questioning a man who claims to be the Messiah. And I wait on…

On Harith, and Matters of Inheritance

By Amina Wadud

…d on her way to work. Then she went to bed, coughed once, and breathed her last breath. She was 44 years old. I knew she had an enlarged heart but even a death certificate concluding “natural” causes could not alleviate the tragedy it was for me. I mention this because while I had already made my intentions to make hajj, the cost would have just about wiped out my little savings, which I ended up using to pay for most of her funeral expenses. Then…