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Catholic ‘Soul-Searching’ as Ireland Votes on Marriage; Churches, American Activists Join Kenyan Anti-Gay Group’s ‘Family’ Confab; Indian Mom Seeks Spouse For Gay Son; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…fluence the implementation of the constitution with special focus on family, life, religious freedom and social justice issues that are contrary to Christian values.” The group’s “justification” for the conference: Recent developments in the legal and social environment threaten the very survival of the Kenyan society. The Christian church remains the only institution that has the answers to these issues. However, church leadership has often been…

Refusal of Interracial Couple Shows How Slippery the Slope of LGBTQ Refusal Really Is

By Heron Greenesmith

…ederal and state laws that create a distinction based on sexual orientation, sex, and gender identity are subject to a level of interrogation slightly lower than the level granted to laws that create distinctions based on race. Some call it “heightened scrutiny.” In a fiery opinion from 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves issued a temporary injunction halting Mississippi’s broad anti-LGBT law from going into effect, finding that “It is…

Response to Daniel Philpott: the Politics of Religious Freedom

By Elizabeth Shakman Hurd

…ghts protections, and so on. There is pressure to sign on to these projects, and, in many cases, strong financial incentives. The field has become an important source of grants, institutional support, career stability, and prestige in an era of neoliberal reform in the academy, increased donor scrutiny and control often informed by strong normative agendas, and faltering support for secure academic positions that provide the opportunity for long-r…

Despite Conflation of Israel with Judaism, Anti-Zionism is More Kosher Than You Think

By Seth Sanders

…Jewish history and culture, should know about Jewish anti-Zionism that was, and is, expressly NOT antisemitic [because] even today, certain orthodox Hasidic Jewish communities…as well as adherents of the pre-state Jewish labor movement have held views that are at odds with the modern Zionist conception.” What is the anti-Zionist Jewish history and culture Nadler is talking about? Do the classical sources of Rabbinic thought and law actually agree…

Pride Month & Prejudice; ‘Worrisome Time’ For LGBT People; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…in their psyche,” he explained. “They are the future of our country, nation, race, I mean the white race, which is a priority. I’m not a racist, I just like my people more.” Indonesia: CNN, Salon take in-depth looks at 18 month backlash against LGBT people On May 31 CNN reported on Indonesia’s crackdown against LGBT people, noting, “In less than 18 months, being gay in Indonesia has gone from widely tolerated to just plain dangerous.” The report c…

RDPulpit: Rick Warren and the Limits of Empathy

By Tom Davis

…usly, his election statement made no mention of widows and orphans, poverty, war, or AIDS. No mention of global warming, either. Because the Republican candidate opposed all five issues and the Democratic candidate was pro-choice and supported at least two more of them, it became clear that President Bush was the one to vote for. Why, all of a sudden did abortion trump all other issues? Rick Warren is a man of compassion—why does he not have compa…

What Irish Marriage Vote Means for Catholic Church; The Lonely Fight for Equality in Belize; Progress and Backlash in Tunisia; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…onstrates that the pope’s understanding of acting mercifully toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will not be adequate to bring them into the pews.” Sure, Pope Francis believes the church should minister warmly to LGBT people, but he also believes they should never be given the impression that their relationships have the same potential for goodness and holiness as heterosexual relationships. The pope’s brand of mercy suggests that…

Why Bill Maher Gets a “C” in My Introduction to Religion Class…

By S. Brent Rodriguez Plate

…their rituals and practices, through their symbolic and communal exchanges, and, yes, in light of and sometimes in spite of their in-the-head beliefs. Two of the more usefully analytic definitions of religion that I offer my students, which is not to say they are the “right” ones, come from Catherine Albanese, Professor of American Religious History at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Columbia University’s Chair of Religious Stu…

Heterosexual Martyrs and Gay Saints: Did AIDS Coverage Clear the Way for LGBT Equality?

By Diane Winston

…e had AIDS, Mason “dedicated her life to helping others understand the pain, fear, and tragedy.” AIDS saints likewise modeled grace and courage. Unlike sufferers who said AIDS was a divine punishment, these men felt God’s love and yearned to share it. Not all saints were clerics or even religiously committed. In a series of stories about people who tested positive for the HIV virus, the Dallas Morning News included 23-year-old Charles, a gay intra…

RD News Round-Up: October 27, 2008

By Bill Berkowitz

…diating the endorsement he had so eagerly sought. Earlier this month, Hagee, 68, underwent open heart surgery. While he is not slated to be back in the pulpit for several weeks, his new book, Financial Armageddon: We are in a battle for our very survival…—published by the Strang Book Group—will hit bookstores the second week of November. From the publishers: In Financial Armageddon… Hagee addresses the subject of global oil and economic crisis hea…