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Why it (Still) Makes Little Sense to Call ISIS Islamic

…d preferred mercy, amnesty and forgiveness over force (though Muhammad did use force, and at times that use of force shocks). And, as noted earlier, slavery has ended. So many Muslim religious voices have endorsed or accepted abolition that it’s become one of the few things on which an entire religious tradition agrees, and which unanimity is endorsed by Islamic law as equal in force to its most sacred judgments. Muslim scholars have issued collec…

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Reexamining the Shaky Theology That Gives Humans ‘Dominion’ Over All Creation

…n this story? Is it, as the dominionist interpretation argues, a matter of use value? Are animals and the rest of creation there for humankind to use, a bounteous gift of “natural resources”? The fact that, after each stage of creation, God declares that it is all “good,” in and of itself, without reference to humans, already suggests otherwise. Not once does God say “The humans are going to love this! I can’t wait to see what they do with it.” In…

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Paul for the People: John Dominic Crossan Imagines a “Letter to the Americans” In His New Video Series

…he would tell us not to worry too much about that phrase “under God,” because if we use our freedom to establish justice for all we will be living under God whether we know it or not or acknowledge it or not. Paul would also be fascinated by our Declaration of Independence and its claims that all are created equal with such God-given-from-Creation rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He would note with approval how the Decl…

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Does Liberal Theology Profane God?

…God’s name in vain. But, the Bible, while condemning all forms of sex that use or abuse one another, clearly states that anyone who has love, has God (1 John 4:7). The “liberal theology” of welcoming all of God’s children in love into God’s realm cleaves as close to biblical edict as any conservative theology could ever aspire to do. Instead of taking potshots across the bow at one another, though, I often wish liberals and conservatives could joi…

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Beloved Immortals: Science, Miracles and ‘Jellyfish Time’

…world of the jellyfish from very different vantage points, though not because he is a scientist and I am a theorist of things divine. Rather, because he sees the jellyfish as something that drinks from the fountain of youth and I see it as a sign of some kind of magic. But is the gulf between us really so deep? In his book The Constant Fire: Beyond the Religion vs. Science Debate (University of California Press, 2009), the astrophysicist Adam Fra…

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All the Belly-‘eich’-ing

…us freedom in existing federal and state law, could provide a free pass to use religion to refuse service to certain types of customers. It was public opposition, widely shared by individuals, businesses, business interests, and religious actors, which spurred Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s veto, and the failure of similar bills in other states (save Mississippi). Opponents of LGBT equality face real, significant societal, cultural and legal transforma…

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Heretic: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Jihadis?

…ntimidation, and censorship, and then argues for censoring the Qur’an. Because ‘Islam’ causes ‘extremism,’ an assumption that’s never proved, nor the terminology even defined. Islam in turn is what the Prophet Muhammad did (as per the claims of extremists, not any other Muslims). The way to stop extremism then is to eliminate or modify the personality of the Prophet Muhammad, either directly (i.e. through the use of force) or, as Hirsi Ali now pro…

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The Anti-Gay Highway

…heology. And now we have a new wave of evangelicals who are part of that cause. I never took Liberation Theology because I went to evangelical school. They planted the seeds early. Unfortunately, they did it nicely. They built relationships from the late ’80s through to the ’90s, and by the time they said what their agenda was, they already had lots of bishops. It worked well in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda. And most of the bishops there were trained in…

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Why Amy Coney Barrett’s Religion is Fair Game

…ngresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote Monday night: “When politicians use faith as an excuse to pass and uphold laws that seize control of people’s bodies but not guarantee them healthcare, feed the poor, shelter the homeless, or welcome the stranger, you have to wonder if it’s really about faith at all.” No, you don’t have to wonder. It’s about their faith, full stop. Millions in this country—white evangelical Protestants and conservative wh…

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Deifying Matthew Shepard

…society that told him he was worthless and would never have happiness because of how he wanted to use his penis. At his core, Shepard was human and he needs to be embraced in all of his flaws. Shepard can still be a hero to the gay and lesbian community, but he’s more effective when his complete life is celebrated, not just his myth. As Christians especially, we can change society by acknowledging that Jesus, too, had a penis. Chances are good th…

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