Religion Dispatches
…f the children they are raising together. Congratulations, North Carolina. Welcome to the 16th century. Take voter Joe Easterling’s twisted and tortured logic for voting in support of the amendment: “I know that some people may argue that the Bible may not necessarily be applicable, or it should not be applicable, on such policy matters. But even looking at nature itself, procreation is impossible without a man and a woman. And because of those th…
Read More…er Michael Sean Winters greets this news enthusiastically, penning a post “Welcome Back Lefebvirsts,” in which he soft-pedals the SSPX anti-Semitism. “There are certain intellectual and cultural affinities within the Society of St. Pius X that must be addressed,” Winters notes mildly, “most especially a residual, and sometimes quite lively, anti-Semitism. But, it will be easier to remove that particular sin from within the fold than without.” Perh…
Read More…s of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity. In a speech designed to bring some closure to 9/11, the emphasis on not demonizing Islam was crucial. For those, including myself, who have wondered if the president was too soft on his detractors, the killing of bin Laden will resonate as a moment in which the president has proven his resolve as a leader who is willin…
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…s the kind of Other that women usually must give up a lot more in order to welcome, I had two answers ready: First, childbearing isn’t THAT bad, and don’t you dare pathologize women’s bodies! (SPOILER ALERT: Turns out that childbirth sometimes isn’t that bad, but sometimes it is, and sometimes it’s REALLY DEADLY BAD. But that’s probably a different essay.) And second: Women, precisely because they’ve been an oppressed group, benefit when society a…
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…e governor has made it clear that only Christians of a particular kind are welcome to pray in a certain way. We feel that such an exclusive event does not reflect the rich tapestry of our city.” Jewish state representative Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin), who has been especially critical, told me that “Perry’s Prayer Summit is unlike other events in this country, such as National Prayer Days, which almost always include all faiths,” adding that “the e…
Read More…d we want to make it clear that that kind of message… is loathsome and not welcome here,” Gallagher added in a subsequent interview. Diaz said while he was against marriage equality, “we don’t hate nobody.” But it’s hard to separate NOM’s protestors from the hardcore bigots like Westboro since their opposition to marriage equality is identical—it’s against God, therefore it’s forbidden. NOM and their cohorts may like to make political arguments ag…
Read More…their thinking for them, it is obviously and plainly nuts to throw out the welcome mat to those who have a religious obligation to obliterate us. It is beyond comprehension that we have become so brain-addled that we regard it a positive virtue to blindly embrace our own destroyers. (emphasis added). Fischer admits that he shares with Breivik that disdain for “multiculturalism” and “politically correct elites” who are ruining our culture — for Bre…
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…an Church was founded.” The Irish Prime Minister’s impassioned rebuke is a welcome breath of fresh air from the stench that has wafted from the Tiber and the seat of Peter. No matter if Pope Benedict XVI has met with the abused; the continued, rampant malfeasance of the church with regard to quickly and decisively adjudicating sex abuse cases continues to erode its already waning moral and social authority. The Cloyne Report shows the depth of abu…
Read More…edom of religion.” Which completely misses the point. Fotusky is certainly welcome to believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, but in her job she has sworn to uphold the law, whether she likes it or not. She said her resignation was not a protest against the new law, but it begs the question that if her convictions about the sanctity (or “sacrament,” as Centi believes) of marriage is so complete, has she also refused to sign the cer…
Read More…ews who have sought a place at the Jewish table. We have been made to feel welcome; not only as “others” but as full members of the tribe. (As long as we kept other communal norms, like making monogamous family units, preferably with Jewish partners and children, but that’s another story.) I hope my work helped to bring about that change. It seems often that voices of the religious right are more audible than those of the (various) religious lefts…
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