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U.S. Bishops Reject Pope Francis’ Priorities

By Patricia Miller

…anasia), vocations and ongoing formation (shoring up the rapidly declining number of priests and nuns) and, of course, religious freedom (Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who arranged Kim Davis’ meeting with Pope Francis, received two standing ovations from the bishops.). Then the debate turned to the USCCB’s quadrennial “Faithful Citizenship” voting guide. The bishops had voted earlier to revise the 2007 edition prepared for the 2008 election, whic…

The New Age Fantasy of a Celtic Church that Revered Nature and the Divine Feminine Never Existed — So What?

By Ed Simon

…h than reality. Today, the idealization of Celtic Christianity endures in any number of manifestations, from a community like Iona to the shelves of New Age bookstores. Bradley argues that although the idea of a historical Celtic Church may be an exercise in “wishful thinking, romantic nostalgia and the projection of all kinds of dreams about what should and might be,” it’s also a “vehicle through which people have chased their dreams… of deeper s…

Can the Catholic Church Survive Trump?

By Patricia Miller

…ture of the U.S. bishops’ conference. Byrnes argues that it’s foolish for any religious institution to tie itself too clearly to any political party for the simple reason that parties are “ephemeral political institutions,” always in the process of decay and rebirth: …one can well imagine a bishop deciding that retaining a prohibition on public funding of abortions justifies support for today’s Republican Party. But bishops should be wary of such…

Turn On The News: This Isn’t a Split, It’s a Tiny Sliver of Conservatives Walking Out the Door — Introducing A New Media Criticism Column

By Daniel Schultz

…e an evangelically-oriented bunch. How does that make them different from any other evangelical denomination? What are they going to do differently in the face of increasing secularism? No idea, it’s not discussed. “We believe if the church is going to be successful in the 21st century, it needs to be powered by a more agile structure and it needs to be more theologically aligned than theologically diverse,” said Dan Ackerman, ARC’s director of or…

Not a ‘Weenie-A** Lodge’: James Ray Trial Begins

By Johnny P. Flynn

…ements that all the participants signed waivers and were free to leave at any time. He then suggested that toxic chemicals in the wood used to heat the rocks, or rat poison which was stored in the same location as the tarps used to cover the lodge, might be responsible for the deaths and illness of the people inside. Prosecutor Polk noted that the three who died suffered from heat related illnesses and organ failure due both to the extreme tempera…

Jesus Christ and Super Stars: How The Holy Rolled Mainstream in Pop Music

By Alana Massey

…er ultimate love for her mother, whom she asks for forgiveness instead of any divine redeemer. “But all the good in me is because of you/It’s true,” she sings with the loud silence of omission of any mention of the God alleged to be the source of goodness. She defies God by leaving him out of her conclusion at all. But this is the silent treatment toward God rather than a denial of his existence. It calls God to task by not appealing to God at all…

The Sacred and the Dead: Truckin’ as a New American Pilgrimage

By Varun Soni

…man, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school.” Culturally, the Grateful Dead embraced the spirit of Americana, a spirit of possibility and freedom. As the band moved from the margins to the mainstream, attending one of their concerts became an essential American rite of passage. Through their articulation of the United States blues, the Grateful Dead navigated the politics of the culture ways by re-conceptua…

Are You There God? It’s Us, Googling

By Michael Schulson

…ogle Incognito, on two different computers, one with no known search history for Chabad). Again, it’s not clear whether these quirks of search actually shape people’s beliefs. But it’s worth remembering that posing a question to a search engine is not the same as posing a question to any other kind of source. The competition for authority online is governed by a very different set of rules than in previous contests for theological legitimacy. And…

Indonesian Court Rejects Religious Conservatives’ Bid To Criminalize Gay Sex; More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…be registered as a “religious marriage celebrant” and identify as such in any advertising. Only existing celebrants will be allowed to do this. Anyone who becomes a celebrant after Saturday, December 9 will be considered a “civil celebrant” and will not be allowed to refuse to marry gay couples. This is in recognition that celebrants are authorised to perform a function on behalf of the state and should be required to uphold Commonwealth law. Deba…

First U.S. Visit of the Virgin Mary Confirmed in Wisconsin

By Lewis Wallace

…udied, and at least 12 were formally approved as of 2008—according to most numbers (although even a simple count of “official” sites is hard to obtain), Our Lady of Good Help is the 13th. Pope Benedict XVI recently called for more moderation in approving such sites, but any new regulations did not fall into place in time to stop Bishop Ricken from pushing Adele Brise into the international spotlight. Benedict probably doesn’t have to worry about A…