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Why We Must Reclaim “Religious Freedom” from Christian Conservatives

By Bill Berkowitz

…e without a profound grasp of their interrelated three-part formula of life, marriage, and religious freedom. This report describes the implications of some of the major decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the growth in the political and especially the legal capacity of the Christian Right to conceive, litigate, and win cases, and to inform politics with their vision of a more theocratic society. I think to take this conversation forward, we…

A Rationalist’s Ghost Story

By Gary Jansen

…ees Ghosts. Me? Not so Much. Ha! You know, I debated the title, Holy Ghosts, Or, How a (Not So) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things that Go Bump in the Night for some time. Religion is an element of the book, but I don’t think it’s the main focus. The heart of the book is the mysteries that sometimes unfold around us and how each of us embarks on a personal journey to understand these events. I was a bit concerned that the book sounded t…

The Episcopal Church ‘Takes a Flying Leap’ into Controversies Old and New

By Elizabeth Drescher

…copal priest and a theologian at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA, who chaired a task force that crafted part of the resolution. “In many ways, the liturgy just approved for the blessing of a lifelong covenant contains many of the same elements as the liturgy for celebrating a marriage in the Book of Common Prayer—declaration of intention, the exchange of vows, exchanging rings or other tokens, et cetera,” Johnson explained. “The lit…

For Buddhism, Science is Not a Killer of Religion

By Paul Wallace

…int for it to rest. Of course, the modern scientific idea finally took hold, but, due to the remoteness of Tibet, it was not until the 20th century that it made its way fully to that land. The Dalai Lama has been in power since 1960, so cosmology has been a live issue for him. How does he handle the mount Mount Meru question? Very simply. On Monday he laughed and, waving his arm above his head, said happily,“No Mount Meru!” Buddhism: Pretty Much A…

Will Pope’s African Tour Change Attitudes on Divorce and LGBTQ Among African Catholics?

By Kaya Oakes

…Africa has gone through a startling increase in recent decades. Since 1980, the number of African Catholics has grown by 238%, in contrast to Europe, where it has grown by only 6%. Some of this may be attributable to higher fertility rates in African countries, but it also reflects the church’s success in missionary efforts. And where there are a decreasing number of vocations to the priesthood in Europe, where vocations have declined by 23%, Afr…

ABC’s Hit Sitcom Black-ish Does God, Pushes Theological Respectability

By Anthony B. Pinn

…ericans represent an important demographic within this growth. Keep in mind, too, that the number of African Americans falling into this category has almost doubled over the past thirty-years. Belief in God doesn’t bind African Americans to one other, and it is unfortunate to assume—even with a laugh—that belief in God is some sort of litmus test. What holds African Americans together isn’t a particular response to the challenges and mysteries of…

Bill Gates’ Comments on Covid-19 Vaccine Enflame ‘Mark of the Beast’ Worries in Some Christian Circles

By Christopher James Blythe

…likewise instructed his listeners: “Do not pray, do not hope, do not think, ‘Oh, praise God they are going to have a vaccine. That vaccine is from the pit of Hell. Do not pray for those vaccines, and do not take the vaccine. These vaccines are going to be coming. They are not going to be good. They’re not good for you physically, and spiritually, they’re a set-up for what shall come later.” Landry noted that while he didn’t think that the vaccine…

The March for Life: Grassroots Movement or Agitprop?

By Patricia Miller

…ts attendance in the “tens of thousands.” But that often equates to some 20,000 or 30,000 marchers. Even Tim Graham, in his 2009 rant against the media admitted: Everyone knows that a single Cindy Sheehan in the summer seems to be worth more than 20,000 pro-lifers in January. And that’s exactly what the March for Life typically is: about 20,000 pro-lifers milling around Washington in January, in which case the media coverage it receives every year…

What Color is Vatican Smoke?

By Marian Ronan

…ican, a documentary film about the movement for Catholic women’s ordination, and, in particular, about Roman Catholic Womenpriest (RCWP), a group that began with the 2002 ordination of seven women on the Danube River and has expanded to include several hundred women priests and bishops and the communities they lead. Pink Smoke is a well-made film, and I found parts of it genuinely moving, especially the testimonies by women priests, bishops, and o…

How a Powerful ‘Ex-Gay’ Pastor is Chasing the Latino Vote

By Katherine Stewart

…pastors call me Jefe,” he laughs, then shakes his head modestly. “But I say, ‘No, please don’t call me that. Because only Jesus is Lord.’” Domen’s story is an irresistible one for anyone interested in understanding the Christian nationalist movement. A “former homosexual,” as he calls himself, who organizes dozens of events every year that encourage pastors throughout the state of California to engage in local and national politics, his issues are…