Religion Dispatches
…ake a significant contribution to it, especially in areas that have often been overlooked or simply ignored. Because of this, the ECPS is a welcome addition to the current psychedelic landscape….
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…fully vaccinated, leading to what the Wall Street Journal calls “a hero’s welcome” upon returning from his ordeal Down Under. Not only was he celebrated by the country’s anti-vaxx community and a government ostensibly struggling to vaccinate a reluctant nation, but Djokovic also enjoyed the support of the Serbian Patriarch, the highest-ranking religious official in the country. For those familiar with Orthodox Christianity’s brewing internal conf…
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…pla and stood in sharp contrast to Pope Francis’ kind, diplomatic words of welcome to the second Catholic president of the United States. The Bishops acknowledged Mr. Biden’s personal piety, but charged that he “has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity…” They weren’t referring to building walls, supporting the death penalty, interfering with voting rights, and/or withholding healthca…
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…, each of the seven largest mainline Protestant denominations had begun to welcome women to the ranks of the ordained. Although women still represent a minority of ordained mainline clergy today, their presence has grown substantially since they first entered the pulpit in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. In 1978, fewer than 3 percent of clergy were women, but by 2017, their numbers had grown to approximately one-third of ordained clergy in the mainline den…
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…, he promised his audience of die-hard fans “a baby boom,” including “baby bonuses”—inserting his very own brand of crudeness, announcing “you men out there are so lucky. You are so lucky, men”—presumably with all the sex they will be having to get those sweet baby bonuses. From a European perspective, one of the more chilling moments of the speech was when he fantasized about Russia destroying the NATO headquarters (“one clear shot from a tank!”)…
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…but not guarantee them healthcare, feed the poor, shelter the homeless, or welcome the stranger, you have to wonder if it’s really about faith at all.” No, you don’t have to wonder. It’s about their faith, full stop. Millions in this country—white evangelical Protestants and conservative white Catholics chief among them—root their genuinely held religious beliefs in opposition to modernity, which is to say, in politics. There is, therefore, no app…
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…rm, marriage equality, and reproductive rights. Those views might make him welcome in the GOP, even if the party hasn’t exactly welcomed his efforts to move it forward on another issue near and dear to him: immigration reform. Back in 2008 and 2009, Rodriguez was promoted by Democratic-leaning groups Faith in Public Life and Third Way as a centrist evangelical who had grown weary of the culture wars and wanted to bring evangelicals into a “broader…
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…the positive role of religion in the public sphere—as Jews, they are more welcome than ever. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the idea of Jews finding a place for themselves in such spaces. Especially in the United States, where Jews are frequently stereotyped for their liberalism (witness how often Israeli conservatives complain that US Jews don’t sufficiently appreciate the value of Republicans to Israel’s security and well-being); the…
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The striking down of Proposition 8 in California comes for many as a welcome decision in the battle for marriage equality and equality for all people. For others, it is, in a word: “demoralizing.” For those of us who research and write about religion, beliefs and the people who hold them dearly, the written ruling by Chief District Judge Vaughn R. Walker (an appointee of President Reagan) holds important implications not only for marriage, but al…
Read More…humanists, and other nonbelievers, though kids from religious families are welcome, too.” Speaking of leaving religion, Liberty University removed Ergun Caner as dean of the seminary after questions arose regarding his Muslim background. Apparantly, Liberty wasn’t sure if and how Caner left his former tradition. Caner’s removal prompted RD’s Hussein Rashid to ask, “does one have to be an ex-Muslim to be a good Christian?” The Gulf oil spill contin…
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