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Is Army’s New “Humanist” Designation Just Semantic Hooey?

…ajectory of his lineage.  Indeed, in many religions, choosing a name that expresses a close coherence between self-identity and religious identity and affiliation (or having one conferred) is a defining ritual feature, as in the Sikh Nam Karam ceremony for naming a child according to the first letter of a sacred hymn. Such a name is, as Roland Barthes put it, “the prince of signifiers; its connotations are rich, social and symbolic.” While not per…

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The New “Values Voters” Mantra

…y and Titus both read the secular language of the Constitution in the context of the invocation of “the Creator” in the Declaration of Independence: “Inalienable rights are endowed by the Creator.” These rights, both Rushdoony and Titus contend, are not granted by either document, only recognized in them; these rights exist only because they were granted by God.  That “endowed by the Creator” argument has been made repeatedly by Republican politic…

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Art(ful) History in Texas

…d state. The new standards serve as publishing guidelines for writers of textbooks, and Texas is the second largest bulk purchaser of textbooks in the country. But how far publishers will go to sell books in such a lucrative market is a matter of debate. Some writers have argued that the board has gone too far, and no reputable publishing house will present history in the context that the new standards demand. But in an interview this week, McLero…

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Soccer and the Sublime in the Shadow of Apartheid

…further death threats, back-door deals, and fundamental greed, all at the expense of locals. Which brings us to the paradox of it all. The tournament starts today. For good or ill, the tournament’s eminence has vanquished concerns of these less noble attributes, even for the locals of Nelspruit. The game will unify people, and mollify hardship for the present. It will not end it, but it provides a respite. Some might call it tragic delusion—opiate…

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A Real-Life Truman Show?

…ractive young couple casually dressed in designer sunglasses, khakis, and expensive sandals led a group of fair-haired children in prayer. The young blond woman urged the children to suggest prayers to say for their families, but the group of eight- and ten-year-olds sat silently except for the sound of them slurping from their juice boxes. Finally, the woman gave up and began the prayer herself. She thanked God for all his blessings. She made no…

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Glenn Beck’s ‘Social Justice’ Heresies

…Party of today—primarily because the Progressive Socialist Party doesn’t exist (unless his purview now extends to Lebanese politics). It’s impossible to discuss the history of the social justice movement without bringing in the father of the social gospel, the theologian Walter Rauschenbusch. But while Beck and Barton ignore Rauschenbusch, Beck does bring up Father Coughlin—to whom Beck owes a debt for his invention of hate radio—because Coughlin…

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Pat Robertson’s Women Warriors Leading Spiritual Warfare In Zimbabwe

…to include or permit same-sex unions to be prohibited,” as well as for “sexual relations between partners of the same-sex, bestiality, and other perversions to remain a criminal activity.” Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai agree that homosexuality should remain illegal. Mugabe has, for example, called LGBT people “worse than dogs and pigs” and his regime has harassed, censored, and interfered with members of the nation’s only LGBT rights organization, G…

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Still Trying to Get Creationism into Science Classes

…the Dover trial, she was its most damning witness. In her testimony, she exposed how the intelligent design textbook Of Pandas and People was initially a creationist text. But following the US Supreme Court’s 1987 decision in Edwards v. Aguillard, in which the teaching of creation science was ruled unconstitutional to teach in public schools, its editors simply replaced the phrase with “intelligent design.” Forrest also unearthed the quote of DI…

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Growing Up Gay in 666: Fred Phelps in Retrospect

…christ. The fact that the US Postal Service assigned “666” as Topeka’s zip code prefix the year I was born underscored my destiny as ultimate evil; even if Phelps said that about all homosexuals. Phelps is currently making his case about homosexuality to the US Supreme Court in Snyder v. Phelps. Legal scholars think the case is about First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion; military families think it’s about honoring our war dead; and many…

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God Bless Islam with Courageous Leadership

…owing to public adulation through demagoguery than in showing courage and exhorting people to piety and sanity. Check if the sermon in the`Id al-Fitr (End of Fasting) sermon at your mosque hinted at the cowardly acts of al-Qaeda who killed thousands on September 11 and elsewhere. Or if deeds of the Somalian Shabab who killed dozens of Ugandans watching a soccer World Cup match in the suburbs of Kampala caused outrage. Has anyone been able to keep…

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