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What Liberals Want: A Response to Susan Thistlethwaite

By Frances Kissling

…s. Thistlethwaite speaks of the danger of common ground resulting in a lowest common denominator value base, promptly moving on as if it is a given that this has not become a problem. Some of us think it has. The fact that one can talk to those one disagrees with seems more important than what one agrees on. As a result, those for whom common ground is more important than some core values are able to accept an abortion rights strategy rooted in th…

The Real Mormon Moment

By Joanna Brooks

…nt is now. Now that the New York Times is confirming that at least a dozen Mormons nationwide have faced or are facing discipline for criticizing Church practices or policies or voicing support for same-sex marriage or women’s ordination on-line, on Facebook, on Twitter. Even in anonymous chat rooms. That the LDS Church supports what must be a substantial enterprise monitoring the on-line communications of its members—this is not a surprise to pro…

Pro- and Anti-Muslim Sentiment in Gainesville

By Julie Ingersoll

…ic radio audience. With renunciation of Dove Outreach coming from even the most outspoken anti-Muslim public figures (both political and religious) maybe the whole mess will serve to dial back the Islamophobic rhetoric a bit. The Wall Street Journal has reported that “residents of Gainesville are trying to get the word out that the actions of one tiny church don’t reflect the city. Along the main drag, businesses are putting up signs such as ‘We S…

Are All Religious Experiences Reducible to 16 Desires?

By Andrew Aghapour

…ve list. The others, like Freud—he didn’t do any research, and neither did most of the others. They just did armchair speculation and philosophically suggested the fundamental forces. Then they would take one or two and say that was the most important. There was no scientific basis. Could you walk me through your methodology? We started off with every goal I could think of [with help from my students]. And then we asked other people to add to the…

Secularist Activists Are Being Murdered in Bangladesh: An Ongoing Crisis Causes Many to Flee

By Michael De Dora

…nts have had some measure of success in relocating threatened individuals. Most of those who have escaped Bangladesh still live in relative anonymity. But some are willing to share their stories. “We’ll Have to Keep on Doing What We Do” In 2015, Raihan Abir was a PhD student at the University of Dhaka, studying biomedical engineering. He was also a writer for Mukto-Mona, co-authored books with Avijit Roy and, in fact, had plans to see his friends…

Presbyterians, Change Hearts & Minds, Begin Ordaining Gays

By MaryAnn McKibben Dana

…wing the vote. But advocates downplay the impact of their departure, since most reports estimate that only 100 of the denomination’s 11,000 congregations have been lost. “I don’t buy it,” says Dykers-Koenig. “Maybe in a couple of presbyteries [it made a difference].” Rev. Teri Peterson, a pastor who helped organize the pro-10A response in north-central Illinois’ Blackhawk Presbytery, acknowledged that while a handful of pastors have left her presb…

But ‘Natural’ is Better, No? ‘How Faith in Nature’s Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science’

By Andrew Aghapour

…probably because it’s more potent.) And yet, when faced with the choice, I most often buy what’s natural. The expensive stuff comes from a plant. It’s real. “It’s probably better for me and for the world,” I think, without a modicum of supporting evidence. “There’s a picture of a flower right there on the package.” The allure of naturalness isn’t limited to the grocery store. From diet and medicine to childbirth and economics, we assume that natur…

‘Rising Global Tide’ Of Anti-Gay Crackdowns; More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…he streets. Targeting the gay community, activists say, appeals to Egypt’s mostly conservative population; both Muslims and Christians consider homosexuality a sin. A 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 95 percent of Egyptians believed that homosexuality was socially unacceptable. In a separate Post story, Katy Pearce suggested that the anti-gay campaign in Azerbaijan, launched after an investigative journalism coalition released a r…

Even Tougher Questions to Ask Mormon Presidential Candidates

By Joanna Brooks

…ation? 2. Mormonism is an openly patriarchal religious culture—one of the most patriarchal modern cultures on the face of the earth. Your own father is (or was) an extremely powerful and wealthy man with great influence within LDS culture and beyond. How have you personally benefitted from a patriarchal (and therefore exclusionary) religion and culture? How has patriarchy shaped your ability to exercise independent judgment? Have you ever openly…

The Brutality of the American Eden

By Paul Harvey

…not one adopted by the contemporary Christian Right), the series focused almo*]}*st exclusively on the “intersections of religion and public life in America.” The 3 two-hour episodes linger over Anne Hutchinson confronting John Winthrop over issues of freedom of conscience, Great Awakeners inadvertently but unmistakably preparing the way for the American Revolution, denominations splitting over slaveholders in their midst, Abraham Lincoln struggling t…