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In Russia It Is Now a Crime to Insult Someone’s Religious Feelings

By Chrissy Stroop

…the four “traditional” faiths of Russia—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism—led to the expression of concerns about potential discrimination not only from human rights organizations, but also from Putin’s cabinet. The drafters of the new redaction, and apparently the Kremlin itself, seemed at least for a time to have accepted my atheist acquaintance’s reasoning with respect to the protection of her feelings. But instead of rejecting the pr…

Protesting Yoga in Schools, But Welcoming Bible Study

By Katherine Stewart

…ssion to join. But that description is misleading. Good News Clubs are not about “study,” they are about religious indoctrination. Further, the clubs produce the false but unavoidable impression in very young children that they are part of the school; they set up shop in public school classrooms immediately after the bell rings, so as to appear a seamless part of the school day. And finally, Good News Clubs instructors tell kids attending the club…

A Buddhist and a Hindu Walk into the Congress…

By Joanna Piacenza

…roughly 75% of Americans self-identify with those two denominations, while Buddhism grabs 0.7% and Hinduism 0.4%. So as groundbreaking as it is that we have two minority religions represented in our government, Congress and the House are doing a fairly good job of representing the nation’s religious affiliations. Race, not so much; but statistically, with the two other Buddhists in the House, these Asian-born religions are each roughly one rep awa…

How Will We Teach About Sikhism After the Tragedy?

By Laurie Patton

…videos, blogs, and articles by Muslim leaders aiming to educate Americans about Islam. In the various radio appearances by Sikh leaders this week, all of them articulated the need for education about Sikhism. To be sure, this is part of the bedrock upon which American society is built. Minority religious communities should have the right and freedom to represent themselves and their traditions—however, wherever, and whenever they choose. But some…

‘Religious Freedom’ for Atheists

By Austin Dacey

…are not about free speech versus belief, or atheism versus faith. They are about equal treatment for all persons of conscience. As with attempts to stop blasphemy, a state that attempts to use the force of law to stop defamation or insult of religious groups must select certain identities for protection to the exclusion of other identities. The very same value that underlies the protection of the traditionally religious believer—equal respect for…

How Contemporary Spirituality Makes Us Stupid, Selfish, and Unhappy

By David Webster

…eing ruthless with myself. Mostly. I had to remove extended discussions of Buddhism—which I digressed into because of my academic background in that area. I also left out some of the grumpiness, but that may be hard for readers to believe. What’s the biggest misconception about your topic? I would say the misconception that astrology, reiki, crystal-healing, cosmic ordering, and the like are just a harmless bit of fun. I argue that they have a sub…

Eat, Pray, Kill: The Basic Brutality of Eating

By Beatrice Marovich

Some humans are deeply passionate about their meat. They love it, they gnash their teeth for it. In her 2006 spiritual travelogue Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert confessed a kind of affinity with the sensual Tuscan culture of meat. Shop windows in the Italian town, she writes, are loaded with sausages “stuffed like ladies’ legs into provocative stockings” or the “lusty buttocks” of ham. The net effect, she suggests, is the emanation of a “you…

What Get Religion Doesn’t Get About “Monk” Class

By Anthea Butler

…ing about criticizing the class did I? But here’s why the story was silent about the course being about a particular spiritual tradition or disciplines: It was designed that way. The AP reporter interviewed Justin McDaniel for an hour, and attended a class session prior to writing the article. She did not leave anything out. The religion story is in the article. It is not a ghost. Problem is, it isn’t the religion story Mattingly wants it to be. M…

Pledging Virginity to Dad: A New Doc Explores the World of ‘Purity Balls’

By Jessica Valenti

…in black-tie attire, Lisa tears up as she explains the events aren’t just about the party. “It’s a beautiful moment with their father to say, ‘I care enough about you to invest in an expensive hotel and expensive meal and a lovely dress for you.’ To say that you’re valued.” Women know the ways in which they’re valued. Whether we go to purity balls or rock concerts as young women, the limits of our worth in American culture are as subtle as a kick…

Government Prayer Isn’t Inclusive—Let’s Not Pretend Otherwise

By Andrew L. Seidel

…o brought the case, Dan Barker), and even some minority religions, such as Buddhism. The court explained, “even if, as Barker alleges, he was actually excluded simply for being an atheist, he is entitled to none of the relief he seeks. … We could not order [the chaplain] to allow Barker to deliver a secular invocation because the House permissibly limits the opening prayer to religious prayer.” Intimidation, hellfire, division, and discrimination—…