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Latest Shroud of Turin Theory: Nuclear Emissions
Last week, Professor Alberto Carpinteri of Turin Polytechnic claimed that the image of a man’s face on the Shroud of Turin, that piece of cloth believed to be the burial shroud of Christ, was caused by nuclear emissions from an earthquake that hit Jerusalem in the year 33 AD. The story made worldwide headlines. Wait, I hear you asking, wasn’t that Shroud thing proved to be a fake long ago? Well, yes. Whatever else it is, the Shroud is one of the…
Read MoreLatest Supporters of Messianic Jews: Duck Dynasty
…announced the Duck Dynasty appearances in an email today, and its website promotes the evening, called “Inexpressible Joy,” as light-hearted entertainment: Spend a fun filled evening with the Duck Commander himself, Phil Robertson, and other stars from the mega hit show, A&E’s Duck Dynasty. They’ll share heartwarming and hysterical stories about filming the show, what goes on behind the scenes, their lives, their faith, their family, and ducks. T…
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It Depends What You Mean By “Religious”: Latest Poll Says More About Us Than Candidates
A new poll from the Pew Research Center tells us, predictably enough, that Americans generally like their presidents to be “religious,” and that about half (more Republicans than Democrats) want someone who shares their religious beliefs. Indeed, people who rated a candidate as “religious” were also likely to say that person would be a good president. Sounds clear enough—but is it? The poll also confirmed that not believing in God is the single b…
Read MoreThank You, Ben Carson, For Your Latest Anti-Muslim Rant
In an interview yesterday with Breitbart “News” Daily, Dr. Ben Carson told host Stephen Bannon that American Muslims who tried to embrace an American value like democracy while practicing Islam would have to be “schizophrenic.” Because the two, as he Islamsplained, were in no way compatible. I know, I know. I had the same reaction: Ben Carson is still running for President?! I’m not sure if he’s knocking Muslims because it draws headlines and mig…
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The “Spaghetti Dinner” Clause That Launched The Latest Religious Freedom Suit
Just days after a new Massachusetts law took effect this month ensuring trans people have equal access to spaces of public accommodation, right-wing legal powerhouse Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit challenging the law on “religious freedom” grounds. According to the suit, filed on behalf of “four diverse Massachusetts churches,” the new statewide law requiring all places of public accommodation to make facilities available to the…
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High Holidays Watch: Seth Rogen’s Latest Highlights the ‘American Pickle’ of Living with Death
Warning: Spoilers ahead I dare say that nobody decides to watch the new Seth Rogen film An American Pickle as inspiration for the High Holidays. Like most people, my wife and I viewed it as a much needed diversion from the combination of a global pandemic and the heated political climate. Plus, I just like Seth Rogen. And yet I came away from this zany dark comedy with a feeling that its release in the Hebrew month of Elul was no accident. Putt…
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‘Murder Among the Mormons,’ Latest True Crime Doc From Netflix, Highlights Issues of Faith, Skepticism, and Authenticity
…ces regarding what his forged documents would say. While his first forgery promoted traditional faith, his later texts became increasingly unorthodox. In 1981, for instance, he presented an 1844 blessing from Joseph Smith that delegated his son, Joseph Smith III, the faith’s true successor, rather than Brigham Young. Other documents similarly challenged traditional narratives, adding fuel to a growing fire over how to handle the faith’s past. No d…
Read MoreChurch=State in Putin’s Orthodox Empire?; Evangelical-Orthodox Anti-Gay Alliance; Malaysian Court Protects Transwomen; Catholicism (Still) Declining in Latin America; Global LGBT Recap
…. But who is to decide what constitutes a “vice against nature”? The Portuguese legislators had been too coy to mention gay sex explicitly, and so a meaningless clause entered the statute books, which no court could act upon. This year, the Penal Code was rewritten. The new Penal Code sweeps away a great deal of the musty colonial legacy, including the mention of “vices against nature”. Now not even the most contorted of arguments could claim that…
Read MoreNo God but Country: The Religion of John McCain Has Something Important to Tell Us
…stay, that he did so against his obvious self-interest, in loyalty to the Code, might demonstrate, as Wallace puts it, that McCain is certifiably insane. But we also know… [F]or a proven fact, that he is capable of devotion to something other, more, than his own self-interest. So that when he says the line in speeches now you can feel like maybe it’s not just more candidate bullshit, that this guy it’s maybe the truth. Or maybe both the truth and…
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