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Ritual Killing v. Factory Farming, or, Are There Roosters in Heaven?

By Meera Subramanian

…imal sacrifice that once infused the world’s religions have fallen away. In 1987, the Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye in Florida’s Dade County banned animal sacrifice after it began plans to build a church where religious rites including animal sacrifice would take place. Six years later, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the city ban violated the church’s religious freedoms. It was the same year that Congress passed the Religious Freedom Resto…

“Do Not Rejoice When Your Enemies Fall”

By Sarah Posner

…ll of its killing reflects the brokenness of our world. That is the proper spirit with which to greet this news. And, in a move in which he unmistakably distances himself from the saber-rattling of many of his more apocalyptically-minded fellow evangelicals, Gushee goes on: We also now have the opportunity for national reflection on how our broader military and foreign policies—including the placement of our troops throughout the largely Muslim Ar…

Putin’s Violent Holy War Rhetoric Made it to the Christian Right Fringe — And There’s Reason to Believe it’ll Go Mainstream

By Thomas Lecaque

…c too—on February 27, Metropolitan Epiphanius I of Ukraine said that, “The spirit of the Antichrist operates in the leader of Russia, the signs of which the Scriptures reveal to us: pride, devotion to evil, ruthlessness, false religiosity.” So the narrative of antichrist and Putin tends not to work in his favor—which shouldn’t be surprising as there’s a long-standing tradition in evangelical Christianity working against Putin and Russia from the C…

What Can a Real Life Haunting Tell Us About American Religion? [Updated]

By Daniel Wise

…an of American religion Catherine Albanese traces metaphysical religion or spirituality through New Age spirituality back through late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Theosophy and back to Spiritualism and Mesmerism. It’s a type of spirituality concerned with intuition, the therapeutic, and the flow of spiritual energy. More and more Americans are embracing metaphysical forms of spirituality as they move away from traditional religious affi…

Exodus Declares Opposition to Criminalization of Homosexuality

By Warren Throckmorton

…d truth of Jesus Christ. Finally, we stand with the LGBT community both in spirit, and when necessary, legally and physically, when violence rears its head in Uganda, Jamaica or anywhere else in the world. The statement is in response to reports that the board Vice-Chair of the Exodus board of directors, Dennis Jernigan, traveled to Jamaica in May to speak about his sexual reorientation. While there he spoke to several groups and appeared to suppo…

High on Drugs: Breaking the Just Say No Addiction

By Gary Laderman

…nce: “The psychedelic drug in magic mushrooms may have lasting medical and spiritual benefits…” Spiritual benefits? You can read the details yourself in Time or this Mother Jones piece, but bottom line is that the drug can induce transcendental, mystical experiences in volunteers who feel better and more fulfilled over time, with relatives and close friends claiming the individual also became “calmer, happier, and kinder.” Yes, it’s a rather limit…

Prophecy and Prosperity are Keys to Republican Christian Nationalism According to New Poll

By Daniel Schultz

…’s all about the math: White evangelicals, most of whom are Republican, outnumber Black Protestants (who overwhelmingly vote Democratic), so even though the latter are much more likely (66%) to say they’ve experienced charismatic events in worship than the former (41%), the numbers balance out. Christian nationalism adherents and sympathizers are significantly more likely to have encountered charismatic elements, and yet, of the Republicans who ex…

God is Love: A Desert Prophet’s Message

By Lauri Lebo

…hardy bunch, live here year round, braving temperatures that will climb to 130 degrees. It was 112 when I was there Saturday and Sunday. At the entrance to Slab City is Salvation Mountain, an adobe mountain covered in bright paint and topped with a white cross. Its creator is Leonard Knight, a desert prophet, an Elijah, who says God sent him here 30 years ago and commanded his Chevy dump truck to break down. While Knight was waiting to get his tr…

St. Paul the Pacifist: A Christian Response to Torture

By V. Henry T. Nguyen

…ce on nonviolence. Take, for instance, his statements in Romans (12.14, 16, 17–21), which echo the themes of nonviolence and non-retaliation in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them… Live in harmony with one another… Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge…

11 Top RD Stories of the Year: Because in 2020 Religion Went to 11

By The Editors

…on’t forget to show the people you love that you appreciate them. — eds *** 11. How an 1843 Revelation on Polygamy Poses a Serious Challenge to Modern Mormonism, Benjamin E. Park This week, new legislation goes into effect in Utah that decriminalizes polygamy among consenting adults. The development, which was voted on in February, was a long-time coming. But while many decriminalization bills have been proposed over the years—Utah’s polygamy laws…