Religion Dispatches
…ferring to white Christian people, particularly white Christian men. Roosevelt’s view, completely consonant with the view of others of his era who had laced their Christian perspective with a dash of Darwinism, was that white people and people of color had simply evolved to different levels of civilization, with whites at the top and blacks at the bottom. Roosevelt considered himself enlightened and progressive and a “friend” to lesser peoples. In…
Read More…is why the feigned outrage from the political right is so vexing. For Michael Steele—the GOP’s racially-cynical token selection in light of President Obama’s election—to assert that Senator Reid’s comments are the equivalent of Senator Trent Lott’s past suggestion that segregation would have been good for America is plain asinine. Particularly in light of Senator Reid’s legislative record supporting causes that benefit voters of color. When interp…
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…deral court in Georgia will show whether legal exemptions on the basis of religious freedom are as open to the politically liberal as they are to conservatives. The trial concerns the actions of a group of Catholic peace activists, the Kings Bay Plowshares 7. In April 2018, they broke into the Trident nuclear submarine base at Kings Bay, Georgia, where they carried out what they dubbed an act of symbolic disarmament in protest against the U.S. mil…
Read More…lize our interactions, let’s sexualize them anyway!”? Maybe he wanted to feel young and frisky and cool, and thought he deserved to feel those things at her expense? In our collective imagination, prostitutes are people whose consent can be purchased, after which it cannot be withdrawn. Why would a Mormon patriarch—even an unorthodox Mormon patriarch who derives an edge from challenging the status quo while making clear how much he’s still part of…
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…nd the world adhering to this ideology share organizational affiliations, beliefs, and grievances, as well as direct communication. For example, in 2019, Brenton Tarrant, the Australian White nationalist terrorist who killed 51 Muslim New Zealanders in two separate attacks in Christchurch, shared his xenophobic manifesto, The Great Replacement, online before livestreaing his rampage via Facebook. Notably, Tarrant would directly influence Patrick C…
Read More…to you—that the sums of money that might be paid to spiritual healers are relatively small. It matters hugely to me—and I hope it will matter to you—that a spokesperson for the Christian Science Church could tell Times reporters with a straight face that public funding of prayer treatment is part of “finding effective health care.” It matters greatly that this appalling provision, if enacted into law, will undoubtedly invite other faiths to get in…
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…misconstrued… Homosexuality has long been a taboo topic in Egypt. Even in relatively cosmopolitan big cities, conservative Muslim mores exercise tremendous influence. Gay men have frequently been jailed under various statutes governing indecency, immorality, or offense to Islam… Egypt’s harsh treatment of those suspected of homosexual acts has been extensively documented by human rights groups over a period of many years. Some of those accused hav…
Read More…spokesman for Osteen, on why he chose to pray at the event: “If you ask Joel he’ll tell you ‘when I can pray at an event over government leaders and in Jesus’ name it’s hard to resist,’” Iloff said. Osteen prayed for the previous mayor, Bill White, at his inauguration. “Annise says she’s a believer. Let her stand before God; that’s kind of where Joel is,” Iloff noted. “He’s not going to tell homosexuals they can’t come to our church. If the Holy…
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…in 1992 triggered violence against Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as many religiously-motivated pogroms afterwards. A few weeks ago, I spoke on the phone with a leader of New York City’s Bangladeshi Hindu community, who was extremely resistant to making the connection between the persecution of his fellow Hindus in Bangladesh and the persecution of Muslims in India. He insisted, “Please don’t tell me about India. I only want to focus…
Read More…force multipliers. Conservatives are strenuously trying to challenge parallels between the Norway shooter and the positions they themselves have been advocating. But Breivik’s call for a return to patriarchy, driven by a fear of emasculation by powerful women, is also a feature of American religious right rhetoric. Florida Congressman and Tea Party favorite Allen West, speaking last spring at a “Women Impacting the Nation” meeting, declared: “We n…
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