Religion Dispatches
…vation that Palin is “running as kind of like the other partner, somewhere between a VP and a First Lady.” Here was McCain, the angry old warrior, deploying sex as a central political weapon to recharge his potency, his party’s fortunes and the cultural oomph of the right. Not gender. The Republicans didn’t need just any woman to compete with Obama for the Wow factor, the Mmm factor, the stable, loving family factor. It is a calculated bonus that…
Read More…own: a photo opportunity with Palin chatting it up with hoi polloi, with a bonus side of Piper sniping at her mom. The Palin bus rolled into Philadelphia yesterday so that Palin and family could visit Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Predictably, there was a crazy press scrum, complete with helicopters, police escorts, random Tea Partiers, a donkey, and an elephant. Traveling with Piper, Todd, her parents, and a media throng racing behind,…
Read More…rriage and using contraception, in spite of Vatican teaching that both are sin, noted that people lie even though that’s a sin, too. I had a little retort to that.) There’s a bonus at the end, too: Michael, a traditionalist Catholic, makes the case against beatification of Pope John Paul II. Watch:…
Read More…t aggressive evangelizing in the military: Scandals have included the ties between Pentagon brass and the evangelical organization Christian Embassy and the aggressive and even hostile evangelism at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Another story that received attention was the post-9/11 comments of Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin, who, in speaking to evangelical audiences, compared Islam to Satanic evil and framed the “war on terror” as one of spiritua…
Read More…s.” He supports an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. He supports requiring teachers “to present the evidences both supportive of and contradictory to the theory of evolution.” And in response to the question on abortion, he said it should never be allowed, adding, “Life comes from God. Life begins at conception. Abortion is always tantamount to murder.” This from a lawmaker who is worried that a…
Read More…ally? Really? No no, I can top that: “Brother Fire.” Best of all: “Sister Bodily Death.” Who comes up with this crap? Oh, wait. A major Christian saint came up with that crap (Hint: He died in Assisi). As a bonus, he talked about “Mother Earth.” You may find that it’s helpful to know something about a subject before you start talking about it. Just a suggestion. Hugs and kisses, Pastor Dan …
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…ry of how they got to America is really awesome. 10. Remember, the hymn says: “Let us oft speak kind words to each other,” not “let us oft call people we disagree with Hitler.” And finally, one bonus reason: 11. We’ve got the soothing tones of Elder Richard G. Scott. If that doesn’t lower your blood pressure, nothing will. Safe travels, and happy voting….
Read More…sive position” on gay marriage that would “precipitate a national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions and to the detriment of both institutions; He found President Obama’s support for marriage equality “deeply saddening;” He said the White House is “strangling” the church with the contraception coverage requirement; He wrote that the contraception coverage is “un-American;” He worried that by inviting HHS Secretary Kathleen S…
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…LGBT community An article in Global Voices says that there’s a difference between what the law books say about LGBT people and the reality they face. Jordan’s stance on LGBT issues is considered one of the more advanced in the Middle East, as criminalization of same-sex relations was removed from country’s the Penal Code in 1951. However, decriminalization alone has not ensured complete freedom for members of Jordan’s LGBT community. Article Six…
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…no one to turn to. Nepal: Activists call for changes in civil and criminal code Pahichan reports from Kathmandu that local human rights activists have submitted a memo to Speaker Onsari Gharti calling for changes to provisions of the civil and criminal code that violate the rights of women and gender and sexual minorities. Albania: Activists seek to build on LGBT progress with partnership recognition Kristi Pinderin, head of PRO LGBT, announced th…
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