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Proposition 8, Mormonism, and the Other Fight for Alternative Marriage

By Holly Welker

…her in heaven: with his many wives, he not only created but procreated the spirit of every person born physically onto this Earth. Proving oneself worthy of the right to do the same thing in another corner of the universe is, in Mormon belief, the goal and purpose of our mortal existence. The film argues that because gay people cannot procreate on their own, they have no place in the LDS Plan of Salvation, so the church works to deny them and thei…

Heaven On Earth: A Non-Hysterical History of Shari’ah

By Haroon Moghul

…slim humanity, and impressively outlines Islam’s formidable complexity and spiritual richness. There are too few writers who want to do this, and fewer still who can pull it off. If you had to briefly define Shari’ah, how would you do so? There’s no better definition than the word’s source. It once described a direct path toward water—a very valuable route to seventh-century desert Arabs—and though people properly argue about human interpretatio…

A Life After Death Double-Feature: Eastwood’s Hereafter and Noe’s Enter the Void

By Jay Michaelson

…enly realms, but in the traditional depiction of them, they are not vague “spiritual” places like the amorphous afterlife of Hereafter but actual places, albeit very different from any we usually know. Enter the Void is about the supernatural, but in a way it’s entirely naturalistic. The closest thing Hereafter presents as an authority figure, a Swiss hospice worker, says that she was once a skeptic, but was convinced over twenty years of working…

Junior Falwell Unmasked Conservatism; Let’s Thank Him For It

By John Stoehr

…ell and his new breed of confederate aren’t doing that, of course, but the spirit of treason, if not the act of treason, is the same. Conservatives tell us they prefer slow and gradual change, and stand united against radical attempts to bring it swiftly. But that’s not their true face. Conservatism in practice is a radical ideology reserving the right to betray its stated principles, and to betray community and brotherhood, if it doesn’t get what…

Persecution, Betrayal, and the Zero Sum Fight for Global Domination — Day 1 of NatCon 2024

By Annika Brockschmidt and Ben Lorber

…short: procreate, and make sure your offspring are being brought up in the spirit of national conservatism. The Ten Commandments—a new flag to rally around In an especially stark example of cognitive dissonance, Hazony declares that, while he himself is “not a fan of litmus tests,” there is one he isn’t just comfortable with, but passionately supports: Putting the Ten Commandments up in public institutions, including schools. You couldn’t possibly…

Mormons Take Even More Activist Message to DC Pride March

By Joanna Brooks

…ons are banding together to share a powerful message, and we hope that other Mormons who may have been previously afraid to show their support for civil marriage equality will see us and feel emboldened to “come out of the closet”. That pioneer spirit is still in our blood, and it’s sorely needed here and now on one of the most critical civil rights issues of our time. So like pioneers, we walk. I will be walking with my wife and two kids. In chur…

State of the Union Stuck in that Olde-Time Semi-Niebuhrianism

By Ira Chernus

…different from Mr. Obama’s SOTU… sort of. Just before he affirmed that the spirit of “civility,” the solution to our dangerous dissention, is the mark of American exceptionalism, he also turned the problem itself—“the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate”—into a mark of exceptionalism. The “contentious debates” are “a good thing,” because “That’s what a robust democracy demands. That’s what helps set us apart as a nation.” He reprise…

Christian Pol, Attacked for Opposing ‘In God We Trust’ in School, Talks Church and State

By Frederick Clarkson

…d the original motto E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) which spoke to the spirit of unifying the diverse nation of the founding era.) Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) told CBN News that he “was moved by the president’s commitment to God.” The disingenuousness of these and allied pols has set the tone for much that has happened since. And there are indications that this may become more the rule than the exception. If so, the experience and example of State S…

Pat Robertson’s Women Warriors Leading Spiritual Warfare In Zimbabwe

By Sarah Posner

…od] revealed to me that if I would submit myself and these women under the spiritual leadership of Pastor Vicky that He would raise up an international army of mighty warriors, and together we would enter into a realm of intercession that would change nations. The following year, seeking to assist the family of Rami Ayyad, a Christian bookstore owner who was killed in Gaza, she traveled to the Ukraine and visited with Henry Madava, a pastor there…

The Heart of Texas Ain’t Hateful: An Open Letter to Lawmakers From a Texan Trans Queer Latinx

By Robyn Henderson-Espinoza

…ur public square to one that aligns with deep postures of welcome. In that spirit, I invite you to sit down with me and my colleagues, my compañeros in the movement, to break bread, discuss our differences, and bridge that growing divide, rather than widening it through divisive, hurtful legislation like that which is currently awaiting your approval. That about puts the rag on the bush, as my grandmother used to tell me. Sincerely yours, Dr. Roby…