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The Great Cremation Debate

By David Marchese

…y fifteen percent of all deaths in 1985 to about a third as of 2006. And while solid numbers for Jewish cremation are lacking, anecdotal evidence suggests that the practice is firmly entrenched. A suburban Philadelphia cemetery owner estimates that cremations now total five percent of his business. The same percentage—this time applied to all of California’s Jewish funerals—is given by cremation advocate Rabbi Allen Maller of Culver City, Californ…

Closed-Door Conference in Poland Shows How US Conservative Christian Networks Export ‘Conversion Therapy’

By Antonia Gross and Rina Nikolaeva

…ve banned it for minors. Other countries prohibit it in certain regions, while a number of other countries continue to discuss bans or restrictions. This past January an EU-wide initiative called on the European Commission to work on a binding legal ban for all member states. All 11 US speakers were invited to Warsaw by a British Christian Lobby organization called the International Foundation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice (IFTCC), which p…

Is LGBT-Muslim Clash Aiding Rise of Right in Europe?

By Peter Montgomery

…trong population representing many different countries. In contrast, the Daily Mail reports that Jamil El-Biza, a “fundamentalist Muslim sheikh” from south of Sydney, used derogatory anti-gay language in calling marriage equality evil. He said “it is a healthy sign that people in the community Muslims and non-Muslims have openly said this is wrong and shouldn’t happen.” The Daily Telegraph also reports, “Imams and Islamic leaders are ramping up a…

From Pastor to Harvard’s ‘Godless Church’ Planter

By Becky Garrison

…that into a model of community that’s offering a chance for people and families to connect and celebrate life events will require a lot of work in educating people to start the conversation. Humanist communities are the cutting edge, and we’re laying the foundation here. Our goal is to fill a need for social connectivity, which religion does very well. Many balk at creating communities because they feel those types of groups are [intrinsically] r…

Presidential Debate: We Are All Socialists Now

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…ing away. He needs something new and dramatic to say. But what was said is as pandering and staged as a vice presidential wink, a promise that fails to titillate, and it’s just plain irresponsible, doggone-it….

The Religious Mourning of ‘Saint’ Kobe Bryant Continues

By Terry Shoemaker

…r prayers, light candles, and pay homage to lost loved ones at religious buildings, similar to the mourning of Bryant’s passing. American society is heavily influenced by Protestant Christian ideas. An important move of the Protestant tradition—a reform movement of Catholicism—is the elimination of formal sainthood processes. Protestants argued that saints were not needed as mediators between humans and the divine, and that saints bordered on idol…

New Poll Finds “Growing Appetite” for Mixing Religion and Politics

By Sarah Posner

…number of voters are interested in hearing them talk about their faith. While the number of Americans who believe it is important for members of Congress to have strong religious beliefs has remained steady since 2010—about 6-in-10, with even more significant majorities among Protestants and Catholics—this poll shows a growing number of Americans who want to hear candidates talk about their religion. On the Republican side, candidates could view…

The Benedict Opt-Out: Why Christian Self-Isolation Won’t Work

By Kaya Oakes

…’s emphasis on withdrawal is Dreher’s solution. While statistics about the number of families who homeschool for religious reasons can be hard to find, it’s clear that beyond Dreher’s own Orthodox and Catholic examples, homeschooling, homesteading and a return to agrarian lifestyles—mostly lived out in deeply isolated areas—remain a topic of interest in many Christian communities. A cursory Google search for “Christian homeschooling” or “Christian…

Are Muslims Nuts?

By Haroon Moghul

…e (with Newsweek’s Ayaan Hirsi Ali piling on with her usual opportunistic silliness). Still, there were protests, calls for censorship, condemnations of the U.S. government for something it had nothing to do with, and tragic acts of violence, including very early on the death of several American diplomats and staff. Why? We seem to have some trouble applying insights we consume in popular culture—say Malcolm Gladwell’s ideas, or through David Eagl…

Christianity and Condoms

By John Blevins

…how far would a woman with no prospects of a job go to feed herself, her children, her family? What would she do as food becomes scarce and her children get hungrier and hungrier? What would you do? The predominant HIV prevention strategy exported to Africa from the United States has three messages: abstain from sex, be faithful to your partner in monogamous marriage, or use condoms every time you have sex. Abstain, Be faithful, Condoms: ABC. This…