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Qur’an-Burning Pastor Says It’s Time “To Hold Islam Accountable”

By Sarah Posner

…awareness that there could be a violent reaction,” he told a British news service today. In a press release distributed through the Christian Newswire service, Jones issued a statement defending his Qur’an burning on the grounds that the resulting violence in Afghanistan proved that “the time has come to hold Islam accountable,” adding that “Islam is not a religion of peace.” He demanded that “Muslim dominated countries can no longer be allowed t…

SCOTUS Likely to Support Memorial Cross; Should We Even Care?

By Andrew L. Seidel

…maintain the wall of separation. The separation also guarantees religious freedom. There is no freedom of religion without a government that is free from religion. True religious freedom can only exist when we divorce the awesome power religion holds over the supposed afterlife, from the power government has in everyday life. In short, a secular government is a prerequisite for religious freedom. Which brings us back to the Bladensburg cross. Our…

I’m Too Sexy for My Church: Will a Thriving Singles Scene Renew American Catholicism?

By Megan Sweas

…w you to list yourself and search others by religion, but there are dating services that cater specifically to Christians, Jews, or Muslims. And, of course, there are many shades of “Catholic.” St. Monica parishioner Molly Harrington, who isn’t involved in YMA’s dating scene, signed up for CatholicMatch.com during Lent one year. The site asks users whether they accept the church’s teachings on seven issues, from the Eucharist and Immaculate Concep…

Russian Orthodox Church Supports Referendum on Sodomy Laws

By Chrissy Stroop

…or which Okhlobystin—an ordained Orthodox priest on indefinite hiatus from service in the church—serves as creative director. As Global Voices Online’s Kevin Rothrock has pointed out, many in the liberal Russian blogosphere had until recently tended to regard Okhlobystin as only a charlatan and provocateur making outlandish statements as a form of performance art. His recent actions, however, are causing some of them to change their views and to s…

Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” Depicts Death Struggle Between Hope and Despair

By Peter Laarman

…ore biblical snippets here and there. The text that Michael has instructed Toller to use at his memorial service is the very last message for humanity that the Hebrew Bible attributes to God. As the Book of Job draws to a close, God rehearses the mysteries and wonders of the natural world and rebukes Job (and by extension all of us mortals) for our presumption of knowledge and control: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (etc….

Death of a Self-Proclaimed God-Man: Sai Baba’s Controversial Career

By Andrea R. Jain

…s to a controversial figure like Sai Baba.) As Sai Baba’s devotees grew in numbers and influence so did his financial worth. In 1972 the Satya Sai Central Trust was set up. Today the trust is estimated to be worth at least $8.9 billion. It has funded water supply projects in poor areas of southern India as well as ashrams, hospitals, universities, and several schools across India and globally. Sai Baba was most famous for his miracles—mainly mater…

RIP: Bishop Otis Charles and Rev. Robert Nugent

By Peter Montgomery

…ry 1 at age 76. The Washington Post carried Kevin Eckstrom’s Religion News Service obituary of Nugent, which notes that Nugent had been silenced by the Vatican for his work with LGBT Catholics. In many ways, the scrutiny of Nugent’s activism symbolized the Vatican’s approach to all talk of homosexuality under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI — what one gay Catholic group called a “witch hunt” — compared with the more tolerant “who am I to judge…

Tainted Love: The Cost of Sojourners’ Refusal to Take Sides on LGBT Issues

By Jamie L. Manson

…iately forthcoming about our relationship if someone talks to us after the service. Regardless of what good work we do for the church, our efforts will be seen by many church people as tainted because of our loving, committed relationship. The congregants in my partner’s home church are extremely proud of the work that she is doing with the poor in New York City. However, if they knew she was in a relationship with a woman, they would cease to ta…

What to Wear When Praying with the Pope

By Donna Schaper

I made a lot of jokes about what to wear to the Pope’s Interfaith Service at Ground Zero yesterday. I was so thrilled to be invited that I needed a slant way to lose my pride and let it imitate the Pope’s humility. Thus the question of what to wear was my sneaky way of alerting people I had been invited by the Cardinal. Yup, the Cardinal. I know, I am bragging again. As I left the house, my husband said, “I look forward to touching your hem when…

LGBTQ Methodists on Whether the United Methodist Church Will Ever Affirm LGBTQ People

By Tris Mamone

…inished with church until they both attended a late-night Methodist church service on a whim. They both quickly fell in love with the Methodist tradition. “Methodists have always emphasized the lived reality of faith,” Rebecca tells RD. “Salvation isn’t going to heaven (instead of hell) when you die, like the Baptists taught. It is dedicating your life, here and now, to building a better world….Any faith that is purely about an individual’s relati…