Religion Dispatches
…s connection to a controversial clergyman, but McCain was getting off scot free for his link to an equally (or perhaps even more) controversial right-wing preacher, Rev. John Hagee, whose support he sought and whom he publicly thanked last year for his “spiritual guidance to politicians like me.” Finally, the outrages of Hagee pushed the McCain campaign one step over the line, leading to the formal break. But one interesting piece of this story ha…
Read More…se of Religion” that people “sometimes fear the Bible will be destroyed by freedom of thought and freedom of speech. Let it perish if such be the case. Truth cannot fear the light, nor are men so mad as to forsake a well of living water. All the free thinking in the world could not destroy the Illiad; how much less the truths of the Bible, which … has already endured the greatest abuse at the hands of its friends, who make it an idol, and would ha…
Read More…gious groups can be very newsworthy, of course, particularly when the line between self-destructive or harmful behavior and unusual but largely harmless traditions is blurred. In the most extreme examples, shining a spotlight on a dangerous religious movement, such as that of Jim Jones or Heaven’s Gate, is not only newsworthy, but a call to give protection and a voice to those who have none. So feel free to serve douse those Cheerios in soy milk o…
Read More…r not having a beard is a central element of Islam. And I realize that the free exercise in question need not be “central” to any religion for it to qualify for RFRA or RLUIPA protection, under current jurisprudence. What I’m trying to highlight is the erasure of a distinction between a plaintiff’s sincere belief (which is a question of fact, whether or not a court chooses to investigate it) and the question of whether a burden is substantial, whi…
Read More…eby returning this power to itself). As such, this is a matter not only of free enquiry—the very lifeblood of the modern academic enterprise, with all the attendant risks of excess and of failure that such enquiry entails—but of free speech itself. The very gag-rule to which international public health organizations were subject until very recently is now to be replicated at the college level right here at home. These legislators have come dangero…
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…the rise of religion historically, politically, and culturally.” A Bridge Between Worlds Noë’s book is relevant and valuable far beyond its thesis that consciousness is not synonymous with the brain: Out of Our Heads represents a remarkable bridge between two cultures. Noë admits a political objective: get science and the humanities talking again. They have a lot to say, if only they could get over themselves. “The idea that science and philosoph…
Read More…itself the Family Love Alliance says an existing law that criminalizes sex between adults and minors of the same gender, and which mandates prison sentences of up to 15 years, should be amended to also apply to sexual acts between adults of the same gender. Rita Hendrawaty, chairwoman of the group, said Wednesday it was not trying to criminalize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. “The real reason is so that we have much clearer norms,”…
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…] really is trying to harmonize with nature, but he also needs to make soy-free chickens for his customers who are demanding soy-free chickens. So he’s feeding them fish meal, which is manifestly unnatural. When I asked him about that he acknowledged that we all have to choose our compromises. In the book you explore a number of social domains—diet, birth control, parenting, economics, alternative medicine—where what’s “natural” is considered to b…
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…tion do much belt tightening. Meanwhile, there’s absolutely no equivalence between criticizing people who hold (or enable) dehumanizing opinions—and even, perhaps, applying consequences for those opinions—and the suffering imposed on those who are dehumanized by those opinions (and whose rights may even be restricted by policies grounded in bigotry). Case in point: the transgender community took particular issue with the Harper’s letter, with tran…
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…s or riding a bicycle so that you can charge your cell phone or blend your free smoothie, the spirit has that vibe, that playful spirit of early hope. Our skateboarder is ready to ride. Here you can see mushrooms growing out of logs injected with coffee grounds. Beautiful, edible oyster mushrooms. You can buy a nice meal in a glass dish, which is recycled. You can get a free recyclable cup to drink water out of a fountain. You can sign a climate r…
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