Religion Dispatches
…ht. The bill will go into effect immediately and employees will be able to sign up for the benefits by next Spring. This news from Chattanooga is especially striking a few reasons. First, the city has come very far, very fast. Chattanooga does lean Democrat, in no small part because it’s 35% African-American. But as anyone familiar with Southern politics can tell you, a city of Southern Democrats is not necessarily a city of social liberals. And,…
Read More
…ular liberals. Instead, they should have done everything in their power to promote North Carolina’s Freedom of Religion Act and, more, fought to establish the Christian state of North Carolina as quickly as possible. And conservative evangelical legislators need not waste their time writing toothless resolutions establishing state religions. Rather, if the Christian Right would like religion to prosper in America, they should erect a wall between…
Read More
…appily ignore what the leading lights are saying—and that’s if the leaders sign on. Other methods have their own problems. Denying gun-rights advocates the sacraments is a non-starter. Divesting from gun manufacturers might have some effect, but I have to think that churches have already committed to this through socially responsible investment funds. Continuing: witnessing to the effects of gun violence tends to be discounted. The Sandy Hook shoo…
Read More
…t, and government agencies. Since for many Americans, the Republican Party is inseparable from conservative Christianity, Neopagans were surprised that the party stood by Halloran, and took it as a sign that not only is the makeup of the religious left and the religious right shifting, but that the country as a whole is becoming more receptive toward their religion….
Read More
…inckley’s statement, The Family: A Proclamation to the World. “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children,” Hinckley’s proclamation said, warning that “the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calami…
Read More
…ts due to a lack of personal protective equipment, and still others have resigned in an effort to protect themselves from exposure to the virus. “This means that there is a shortage of physicians ready to help,” he says. This lack of adequate care makes many Nicaraguans more hesitant to go to a hospital if they feel sick. “Normally, if someone is in the hospital, family members stay with them, bring food, and provide other support,” explains Tifan…
Read More
…research reported here was funded by two of the UK’s research councils, designed by Linda Woodhead and administered by YouGov. The surveys are available at http://faithdebates.org.uk/research/. Three separate surveys were carried out in January and June 2013. Two are representative of adults aged 18-plus in Great Britain, excluding Northern Ireland. Each was completed by over 4,000 people, including 350 Catholics in the first and 260 in the secon…
Read More…uschwitz. First, in the name of optimism, let’s point out that it’s a good sign that we live in an age when the pope is expected to make a statement like the one B16 made today: The memory of this immense tragedy, which above all struck so harshly the Jewish people, must represent for everyone a constant warning so that the horrors of the past are not repeated, so that every form of hatred and racism is overcome, and that respect for, and dignity…
Read More…church supported me but the Southern California conference forced me to resign. Technically, I’m still a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and have my ministerial credentials though I suspect they will take them away eventually. In fact, I’ve performed a few same sex marriages since I was asked to leave my position. What happened at Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Theological Seminary? Both institutions basically told me I needed to…
Read More…s to his study for the rest of the day to read and write. All I can say is sign me up! Sounds like a pretty good gig. On a more serious note, this routine signifies how Pope Benedict has separated himself from the world, even those working for him. And this might account for all of the recent mishaps. Even top Vatican officials are concerned. One stated, “People feel disoriented. It’s a feeling common to both traditionalists and reformers. Our imp…
Read More