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Giving Up God—Not Just a Spiritual Stunt

By Becky Garrison

…t would always be, “Why don’t you come to church, pray, read your Bible? Just test it out and see if this adds any meaning to your life.” So in the same way, I’m asking: what would the world be like if there wasn’t any God? The only way to find that out is to just go there. What authors have influenced you? Merold Westphal, a theist and a professor at Fordham University, wrote a book titled Overcoming Onto-Theology that influenced me. I came to th…

Eid on 9/11 Anniversary?

By Haroon Moghul

…o tourists, every few days, who’d ask: “which way’s north?” Or south, or east, or west. I’d smile, and turn south, and point out the World Trade Center. I’d tell them: Just keep an eye on that, and you’ll always know where to go. But there was just smoke, and it stole more and more of the sky, overcoming that beautiful September morning with a sick smell. If Eid ul-Fitr falls on the anniversary of that day, it will be an especially difficult task…

Intensive Care: Preachers’ Daughters Episode Five Recap

By Sarah Morice-Brubaker

…s, the Koloff, Coleman, and Perry families—with the help, presumably, of post-production staff—ran the emotional gamut. Some highlights: LOLumwhut?: Victoria and Nikita Koloff, divorced parents, were sent on a date by their four daughters. Nikita was in on the scheme, but it was a complete surprise for Victoria. What the audience saw of the date actually involved no rekindled romance, just awkward conversation. At one point Victoria asked Nikita…

Satanic FOIA Reveals Deep Confusion About 1st Amendment

By Joseph Laycock

…historian of American religion.* One Oklahoma paralegal felt it would demonstrate the state’s religious diversity, while another accused the legislature of hypocrisy and threatened to take a sledgehammer to the Ten Commandments monument. Aother, referring to the Temple’s statement that Lucifer symbolizes “the selfless revolt against tyranny, free & rational inquiry, and the responsible pursuit of happiness,” suggested that these values would be be…

“What Kind of Islam Is That?”: Talking With Refugees From ISIS

By Mark Juergensmeyer

…on their side. The Kurds were not given any assurances, and fearing the worst most of them slipped away that night in the darkness to safety. They heard that those who stayed were divided into men and women’s groups. The men were killed and the women were taken into slavery. Is It About Religion? Or About Power? I talked with another fellow, a Syrian Christian pharmacist who had in fact stayed in his Syrian village after it had been taken over by…

Joe Bageant, author of Deer Hunting with Jesus: 1946-2011

By Lauri Lebo

…e popsicle-stick rendition of Our Savior’s sorrow and the proper use of construction paste in Jesus’ name. I’d attempted to liven up my cross with the tempera paints from the craft-materials shelf. Whereupon I was informed by Mrs Roach that we were not allowed to do this. Me, timidly: ‘Why not?’ Mrs Roach: ‘Because only Catholics worship gaudy crosses.’ Bible School is sort of the gateway drug to getting saved, which ultimately everyone in my fami…

Qaddafi Dies; Should it Matter How?

By Haroon Moghul

…palaces and attacking him in his own gaudy vanity projects. He made his last stand near the buildings he had lavished Sirte with. He who accused al-Qaeda of being behind Libya’s revolution ended his life releasing audiotapes only the Syrian government dared share. What do we learn from that? He was apparently found in a drainage pipe in Sirte, his hometown; ending where he began, under the ground not far from where he came into the world. Could h…

Why I Won’t Leave the Mormon Church Alone

By Holly Welker

…aders and members tomorrow and existed only as a historical relic, I would still strive to puzzle out how my past—including the two and a half decades I spent as a devout Mormon—shaped my present life. Not only was the LDS church a dominant institution in my life, it was something I had a personal and passionate relationship with. It wasn’t merely the religion of my community; it was, more importantly, my own private religion. I studied its texts,…

AAA: Like a Good Neighbor

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…he side of the road with a flat tire, or a broken down car, that help is just a phone call away. It also gives me discounts on lodging and other perks. My partner has a gold card with her name on it as well. The account number on both cards is the same. Years ago, when we signed up for the cards with the venerable roadside assistance company AAA, the woman at the counter smiled sweetly and never blinked an eye when we asked for the “family” plan….

Pope Decries ‘Ideological Colonization’ of Family; Islamic State Executes Gays and Others; Gay Couple Gets Long-Delayed Wedding in Mexico; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ng thrown to their deaths off the top of a building in Mosul, Iraq. The first still image shows a crowd gathered on a square on a cloudy day. The shot is taken from the top of a brown building that appears to be seven or eight stories high. The caption at the bottom of the screen says, “The Muslims come to watch the application of the law.” The text accompanying one photograph refers to a prison as “one of Lot’s people.” According to Vice, “The re…