Religion Dispatches
…all Street Journal, Clinton described it as “a loosely organized movement, mostly online, that ‘rejects mainstream conservatism, promotes nationalism and views immigration and multiculturalism as threats to white identity.’”) Richard Spencer, the white nationalist who came up with the term “alternative right,” told Slate columnist Michelle Goldberg that the moment was “hugely significant.” “When a presidential candidate—and indeed the presidential…
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…t the Catholic bishops of Bavaria and the archbishop of Cologne, among the most powerful clergymen in the country, found themselves compelled to reprimand the C.S.U. for its un-Christian conduct). The C.D.U. is also looking to reinforce its conservative image. In recent years the party has capitulated on several key issues, which until then were considered to lie at the core of their policy: compulsory military service and nuclear energy, to name…
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…d of American Evangelicals Don’t Believe Jesus Was God” is more typical of most coverage, but CT’s headline, “State of Theology: Evangelicals Hold Steady on Doctrine, More Outspoken on Politics,” gestures toward what will be more of interest to observers of the Christian Right in an election year. In order to understand the significance of something like the State of Theology Survey, however, it’s crucial to understand that for the vast majority o…
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…them—73% of Americans are more welcoming of religious pluralism. They’d almo*]}*st certainly like to ban contraception, too, but something like 91% of Americans are in favor of it, right? Their benighted ideas and ideology are wildly unpopular, so they need an anti-democratic institution to impose it on everybody. That is why they have targeted the courts for capture. At the moment it’s unclear what other consequences may result from the ruling, but…
Read More…in which they will put their spin on the election results by releasing a post election poll. Boasting that, leading up to the election, they distributed “6 million voter guides, 8 million mail pieces, 15 million phone calls, 500,000 doors knocked on by volunteers, and radio advertising covering 56 congressional districts and 22 U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races,” they are now (apparently as I write this) surveying voters to learn “who went to th…
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…rience leaving religion and coming out as gay. Ted expressed that although most of his family members are no longer religious, his friendships were deeply effected. I experienced a certain degree of shunning from several very close friends. We still communicate, but they have definitely put a wall between our relationship. They no longer include me as one of their own. I’m familiar with that guarding because I used to put similar walls up with peo…
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…re than a bit of mystique, serving as a sort of secret handshake among the most discerning and dedicated geeks. When BBC Wales resurrected the show after a 16-year hiatus in 2005, word began to spread that the new Who was something incredible. Under the guidance of producer Russell T. Davies (creator of Queer as Folk), Doctor Who quickly transformed from “acquired taste” into “essential viewing.” The new show is sophisticated, witty, and (most imp…
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…the Salt Lake City, Utah LGBT Pride Parade with the grassroots-organized “Mormons Building Bridges” group. From the beginning, Mormons Building Bridges founder and organizer Erika Munson, a straight, churchgoing LDS mother of five from Sandy, Utah, focused on one very simple message: that as followers of Jesus Christ, Mormons should show love to LGBT people. Munson sent word out across the Mormon grapevine, through email, phone, and Facebook, inv…
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…hters have both recently married, and each has a new baby. I spend my time mostly as a doting grandmother, but recently they have both been minus the husbands for one reason or another, and now I am the fill-in. This is not as much fun as being the doting Nana, trust me. So far, it’s meant: six hours in the emergency room; being pushed out of my queen-size bed at night by a ten-month-old who insists on sleeping right in the middle; countless rando…
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…d. Those with the least resources and fewest connections have suffered the most. Those with the most responsibility for lies about election fraud, driving the ideas that motivated the crowd that day, have suffered the least. And they continue to spin their stories, driving the crowds toward another day. Of course, the greatest consequences of the insurrection on Jan 6, 2021, in Washington DC, were felt by the five who died, and their loved ones wh…
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