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Church=State in Putin’s Orthodox Empire?; Evangelical-Orthodox Anti-Gay Alliance; Malaysian Court Protects Transwomen; Catholicism (Still) Declining in Latin America; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…d to attend Islamic religious classes and promise to stop being trans. The New York Times’ Thomas Fuller has more: Although lawyers described Friday’s decision as a landmark judgment, it was also circumscribed, according to Fahri Azzat, a lawyer representing the three hairdressers who brought the case. The judgment is subject to appeal and is only applicable in Negeri Sembilan. Transgender bans in other Malaysian states remain intact, Mr. Fahri sa…

If the Media Are Reluctant to Properly Label the GOP’s Racist, Christian Nationalist Ideologies, We’ll Have Trouble Hanging on to Democracy

By Annika Brockschmidt

…ccording to the conspiracy myth, by a secret cabal that wants to create a “New World Order”—again, code for Jews. Jews want to eradicate the white race by instigating a “race war” and replacing the white population with immigrants. This narrative was popularized by the eugenicist Madison Grant in his 1916 book The Passing of the Great Race. It gained even more traction in white supremacist and Nazi circles with the publication of the Turner Diarie…

Beneath the ‘Wacky’ Paula White Video is a Dark and Deeply Undemocratic World Propping Up the President

By Frederick Clarkson

…ist Randy White were able to afford a $3.5 million condo in Trump Tower in New York. For a time, they were stars in the televangelical firmament. But it all unraveled in a series of scandals, including an alleged affair with Benny Hinn (which she denies), a spectacular divorce, and a lawsuit by her former church. Nevertheless, a predominantly African-American Orlando area megachurch, New Destiny Christian Center, hired her as senior pastor in 2012…

LGBTs in Philippines Reflect on Papal Visit; Francis Meets Trans Man Shunned by Parish; French Group Turns ‘Bar of Sodom’ into ‘Pub of Mercy’; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…on of “reparative therapy.”) In a related note, the Telegraph reports that BBC announced that as part of a cost-cutting restructuring, it was eliminating its top religion post, currently held by Aaqil Ahmed, the first Muslim to hold the position. Italy: Rome recognizes civil unions; Catholic Church decries ‘anti-family itinerary’ Rome this week began to register same-sex civil unions. “Today the capital of Italy gives the signal that, in this city…

Gandhi, his Grandson, Israel, and the Jews

By Shalom Goldman

…news story that did not get wide coverage in the American print media (the New York Times chose not to cover the story) made headlines in India—in today’s media world, it seems, there are no more “backpage stories.” Exactly a month after his resignation from the institute, Arun Gandhi and his son Tushar Gandhi attempted to organize a protest in Bombay. Unlike the Calcutta Telegraph, Bombay newspapers reported the story but didn’t editorialize abou…

6 Overlooked Takeaways From a Reviewer of Controversial Texas Textbooks

By David R. Brockman

…December 5, 2014. 4 Truth in Texas Textbooks, “TTT Report to Texas SBOE on Worldview World History B incl publisher response,” p. 71. URL: http://truthintexastextbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/TTT-Report-to-Texas-SBOE-on-Worldview-World-History-B-incl-publisher-response.docx. Accessed December 5, 2014. 5 Ibid., p. 38. 6 Pearson Education, “P2015_Pearson Rsp to Public Comment_World History_11_19,” p. 16. URL: http://tea.texas.gov/Curriculum_a…

Telling the World a ‘Big Story’: RD in Conversation with Karen Armstrong

By Laurie Patton

…o I believe that all this religious material is immensely important to the world today. And the work of many academics is not always accessible to non-specialists and yet it is too important to be confined to the university. So I see myself as a “popularizer”—again that would be anathema to many academics! And yes, the Charter is a plea to look at the Big Story of humanity, see that we are one, that we need one another, and learn, as the Qur’an sa…

Islamophobia and Racism: Civil Rights at the Breaking Point

By Erik Love

…lamophobia. Deepa is one of the most important civil rights leaders in the world today, and her work has been an inspiration to me and many others. I can’t tell you how honored I am that she recommended my book in a review. What’s your next book? I’m continuing to track the troubling developments around Islamophobia, but I don’t plan to write a second book on this topic. I’ve recently started a new project that once again has me interviewing advoc…

High on Drugs: Breaking the Just Say No Addiction

By Gary Laderman

Forget the war on drugs. As Jimmy Carter recently argued in the New York Times, it is time to call off this wasted effort, heed the recommendations of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, and create more reasonable, empirically-based, economically beneficial rules and regulations. It is time to shift policies, attitudes, and responses in the face of a rampant hunger for drugs across all sectors of society. Let’s face facts: despite the vacuous s…

Vick Redeemed by Record-Breaking Performance

By Anthea Butler

…ll the wrong he committed to pit bulls. Giving up his body to the pain, by running, passing, and strategizing his way into the record books, (bruised ribs and all), his penance is made pure in the eyes of the public because of the resulting touchdowns. That is, if one believes in penance. Judging from some of the commentary, prison isn’t even enough to garner forgiveness. Had the Eagles not taken a chance in signing Vick, I don’t think he would ha…