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Will Women Priests Change the Church?

By Mary E. Hunt

…ook place in Detroit, Michigan; the eponymous organization arose from that spirited event. WOC sponsored another meeting in 1978 in Baltimore where women were very specific about the kind of renewed priestly ministry they would accept: one without clericalism, without mandatory celibacy, without hierarchy, but with the inclusion of all and a focus on social justice. WOC became the go-to organization on these matters, holding subsequent meetings an…

No God but Country: The Religion of John McCain Has Something Important to Tell Us

By Kathryn Lofton

…or a Suburban. Yet McCain supplies no wake-up call, no re-awakening of his spirit to explicate his substitution of Sunday affections. He offers no specifications of the kind of Christ that pressed him from a the Book of Common Prayer to the Baptist Faith and Message. Nor, as mentioned above, has he shown the increased piety of the convert. When asked how often he attends church McCain says, “not as often as I should.” When asked whether he has par…

Vatican Considers ‘Disordered’ Language; HBO Doc on LGBT Persecution in Russia; Nigerian Bishop Shifts on Anti-Gay Law; Arson at ‘Open Mosque’ in South Africa; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…in 2011 would bring minorities greater freedom. Indonesia: Province Passes 100-Lash Law We previously reported that the province of Aceh, described by NBC News as “the most orthodox corner of Muslim-majority Indonesia,” was considering legislation to make gay sex punishable by 100 lashes with a cane. That law has passed. The sting of a rattan cane is only part of the punishment. Aceh’s officials admit the primary objective is shame. That’s why th…

Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Avatar and the Myth of Originality

By S. Brent Rodriguez Plate

…ary myth: the myth of the individual human who creates out of his own mind/spirit, unshackled from all tradition, pure genius, even transcending his own body. In the 1970s, literary critic Harold Bloom used the phrase “the anxiety of influence” to account for why modern poets attempted to separate themselves from their own tradition. The modern creator must discredit influence, build up the mythology of originality, the better to sell themselves t…

A Sacred Encounter with Erykah Badu’s Controversial Nude Video

By Tamura Lomax

…walking downtown Dallas where President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot in 1963, removing her clothing while singing in front unsuspecting onlookers of various ages and simulating “assassination” once completely naked. While Matt and Kim won MTV’s coveted “Breakthrough Video” award for creativity and direction, Badu has become somewhat of a despised prophet. Meaning, as predicted in her video, her subjectivity has been “assassinated” by public ra…

Five Things We Can Learn From Creationists

By Nathan Schneider

…sent, I’d like to offer a list. It’s not about you, exactly, but about what 150 years of creationism can teach us about your accomplishment. I hope you like it. 5 Things We Can Learn from the Creationists: 1) They show us that there is more at stake in science than science itself. People have other concerns at heart—religious, political, or otherwise. 2) They never tire of pointing out how scientific ideas can be misused by dangerous ideologies, f…

Anglican Bishops Punish Episcopal Church Over LGBT Inclusion; Secularization’s Role in Moving Latin America ‘Beyond Machismo’; Greek Orthodox Bishop Says Gays Deserve Respect; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…witter users have described the wedding as an “incredible example” of the “spirit of tolerance,” democracy and respect, while others have criticized Taleb’s actions as a “disgrace for a Muslim.” The report says Taleb’s election campaign focused on the ideals of unity and tolerance. “We need to breathe clean air, without racism, without xenophobia and discrimination, we need a diverse society that includes all groups without exception”, she argued…

God Grows Up: Robert Wright’s Evolution of God

By Robert Wright

…away with these things in the first place when you live with a very small number of people. 2) That ancient Israel was monotheistic from the get-go. I don’t think monotheism emerged until the Babylonian exile of the 6th century BCE—nearly half a millennium after King David and way, way after Moses and Abraham supposedly signed on to monotheism. 3) That Jesus said “Love your enemy” and espoused universal love. I think the emphasis on a love that c…

Who Could Possibly Take Issue With ‘Human Dignity’? Beware of Trojan Horses

By Peter Schwartz

…closely to the precepts of Thomist natural law moral philosophy and to the spirit of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ironically, however, the belief that human dignity is contingent upon some abstract reflection of “the face” of God has led us into dark places that subvert these universal values. For instance, one might be forgiven for noting that the commitment of Dignity Health to the “sanctity of human life,” based upon the noti…

Occupy in Exile: Sacred Space is Everywhere

By Donna Schaper

…y wants to know where it is—and it is everywhere. On Monday night, November 14, 2011, the mayor of New York City ordered the police to evict the 500 or so overnight occupiers in Zuccotti Park. As part of the eviction, tents and computers, books and papers, food and toilet paper were destroyed, actually ground fine in dumpsters. Many falsely thought the movement wouldn’t survive its physical eviction and material destruction. They were and are wron…