Religion Dispatches
…. So, though many Mormons are too sensitive about The Book of Mormon musical to answer the “thank you” from its creators, I’ll say it: Trey and Matt—you’re welcome. *This post originally mistakenly stated that Smith died in a Missouri jail….
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…risible. This is a huge step, one that Church authorities should actually welcome. Their understated reaction to the musical suggests that they do. Popular Blasphemy Ultimately it’s disappointing that Trey Parker and Matt Stone—two of the best satirists around—should have chosen such soft religious targets: missionaries from Utah. The finale to season 14 of South Park (the censured episode about the propriety of depicting Mohammed in a bear costu…
Read More…ressive Christians angered by his refusal to run the Believe Out Loud LGBT welcome ad. Never mind that religious feminists cringe when you bring up Wallis’ name. Never mind that he’s been no friend of the reproductive rights movement. Wallis is the leader of a “progressive Christian group,” according to the Nation’s George Zornick, who covered the Faith and Freedom conference. When these “faith leaders” stand up against Republican corporatism, pro…
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…ork that I was doing over the course of the past 4 or 5 years or so was to promote the agenda that marriage is the union of a man and a woman only, and that anything contrary to that definition was invalid, basically. And more so over the course of the past year or so, I was working directly with the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in promoting this agenda, and specifically the way that I opted to do that was by organizing a summer bus to…
Read MoreWhile I agree that the Sojourners rejection of an LGBT welcome advertisement is a solid reason to repudiate Jim Wallis as the “the embodiment of Progressive Christianity,” I feel that this flap adds little to the ongoing saga of Wallis versus others who are left of the Christian Right—whether their top concerns are about LGBT justice or a wider set of issues. First, Wallis’ tent has long been too small—and on more issues than simply LGBT justice…
Read More…to worship, regardless of sexual orientation. To be clear, the ad did not “promote” homosexuality, advocate for churches to perform weddings for gay couples, or endorse any activity that church might find objectionable. The ad, in my reading, says that anyone who believes in God is welcome in a house of worship. As Muslims living in America, we too will be faced with a similar issue: how welcoming will we be? Like the ad, I am not advocating for a…
Read More…Houston blogger posted an internal email that advised local stores not to promote their halal products during Ramadan. A collection of relics from Pope John Paul II, including a capsule of his blood, will tour Mexico this fall. Rev. Roy Bourgeois has been officially dismissed by his religious order, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, for his support of women’s ordination. “Don’t tase me bro!” When the head pastor at New Welcome Baptist Church in…
Read More…it is unclear whether it signals a real shift in Sojourners’ stated desire to avoid the issue via paid advertising. It is increasingly important that progressive Christians take a firm unambiguous stand and decide they want fellow Christians to welcome the LGBT community in the church.” It is that “firm and unambiguous stand” that Sojourners continues to resist taking — simply because they can’t understand that the spiritual homelessness LGBT peo…
Read More…I can’t write much because the tears are dripping on my keyboard. So I’ll say this: Just watch this. It Gets Better—Brigham Young University edition. Produced by filmmaker Kendall Wilcox. Please watch. Please share. And welcome to the Mormon twenty-first century….
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…e reading this, Matisyahu, or Matt, or by whatever new name this newly strong self is to be known, let me be the first to welcome you home….
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