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Jonestown at 40: The Real Conspiracy Is More Disturbing Than the Theories

By Rebecca Moore

…? Certainly more than 300 children were murdered. They were killed first, primarily by medical staff who used syringes to squirt poison into their mouths. But this staff was aided by parents, make no mistake about that. In addition, a number of senior citizens are reported to have been injected with poison, but it’s impossible to determine how many. This leaves the problem of how many adults voluntarily drank the “Kool-Aid.” Suicide is, of course,…

The Plot to Turn the Synod into a “Plot”

By Patricia Miller

…ournalist Edward Pentin’s recent book about whether last year’s synod was “rigged,” echoing its conspiratorial overtones. Of course he fails to note that Pentin’s book, which amounted to an elaborate rehashing of that question, offered no proof of any “rigging” beyond a change in procedures to give the more progressive proposals and bishops who back them a chance to be heard in a synod where they’re still vastly outnumbered by conservatives. Douth…

Satanic or Silly: Does Yale Press Censorship of Cartoons Insult Muslims?

By Daniel Martin Varisco

…e in both Iraq and Afghanistan, drone bombings in Pakistan and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there are far more relevant pretexts available than an Ivy League book that may not even warrant review in major newspapers. The peddlers of Islamophobia in the media, popular trade books, and blogs would have us believe that radical extremists are lurking everywhere just waiting for an excuse to promote violence. To suggest that deadly protest over the…

As Gaza Burns, Jews Disagree, Protest & Pray

By Sam Kestenbaum

…ssiles Hamas has fired (2,270)—some reaching as far north as Jerusalem—the number of Hamas’ smuggling tunnels uncovered (31), the number of Israeli soldiers killed in action (29). These numbers will likely change every hour. In the weeks leading up to the Israeli invasion of Gaza and now as increasingly grisly accounts and bloody images emerge of Palestinian homes and hospitals blown apart, American Jews are conflicted—alternately protesting again…

Dutch Treat: Betsy DeVos and the Christian Schools Movement

By Peter Laarman

…se hatred of unions was passed along to Betsy and brother Erik (yes, that Erik Prince of Blackwater notoriety), had struck it rich in auto parts manufacturing. Betsy made a very Dutch dynastic marriage when she wed the son of Richard DeVos, the Amway co-founder said to be worth upwards of $5 billion. Rizga reports in Mother Jones that Betsy DeVos grew up in the Christian Reformed Church and attended its flagship seat of higher learning, Calvin Col…

New Poll Reveals Jews May Be Open to Change in Israel Policy

By Benjamin Weiner

…e release of its new polling data, which seems to demonstrate that the majority of American Jews are on their side. Here are some of the key published statistics from their “National Survey of American Jews”: *President Obama enjoys a high level of support in general, and 69% of respondents view his position on the Middle East favorably. (More on this in a moment.) *88% want active American involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and a sligh…

What’s in a Name? Religious Nones and the American Religious Landscape

By Richard Flory

…ritual) or not; there are no other options. Thus the basic gist of the majority of writing and hand-wringing about the “rise of the Nones” is that secularism is on the rise, and religion and spirituality is in retreat. In my view, this assumption doesn’t actually capture the diversity of beliefs, non-beliefs and practices within the Nones category. So, what is really going on with religious Nones? The origins of the term shed some light on who exa…

Workers Once Forced the Social Gospel Into Churches—Can It Happen Again?

By Eric C. Miller

…e the answer to the churches’ workingman problem and to the nation’s industrial crisis as one and the same: champion conservative labor reform. We are now living in what some have called a “New Gilded Age,” defined by stark inequality and class resentments. In your view, what are the prospects for a new social Christianity? Can working people do it again? Great questions. This notion of a “new Gilded Age” has caught on and not without reason, give…

Rome Has Spoken and Rome Is Finished: The Vatican’s Sexual Abuse Summit ‘Failed Miserably’

By Mary E. Hunt

…A large number of minors have been sexually abused by a large number of clerics. Period. Full stop. It’s simply the beginning of a hideous story that includes the abuse of seminarians, nuns and other women, children of priests, and more, all of whom merit summits of their own. Francis’ discussion of power fell flat. He claimed that the sexual abuse of minors is an abuse of power. He completely passed over the structures of vastly unequal power bet…

RD News Round-Up—Oct.14, 2008

By Bill Berkowitz

…d the Faithful” which includes portraits of the political views and issue priorities of two important groups: young Catholics and evangelicals, according to a Media Advisory issued by Faith in Public Life. The survey found: Monthly worship attenders swing to Obama in 2008. The greatest shift in candidate preference between 2004 and 2008 has occurred among all voters who attend religious services once or twice a month, moving from 49% support for K…