…as City diocese, and a priest, the Rev. James Connell. It was backed by an online petition signed by 113,000 Catholics. They asked Pope Francis to remove Bishop Robert Finn, who was convicted in 2012 of a misdemeanor charge of failing to report a priest who had pornographic images of children on his computer. The priest is currently serving 50 years for taking the pictures but Finn remains in place as the head of the diocese. The UN report said th…
…porary), and physical experience. Even if you have a relationship entirely online, your own embodiment should be a reminder that turning romantic love into a kind of deity is asking it to carry a weight it can’t possibly bear. Her doesn’t need to be an exploration of female subjectivity and sexuality in order to teach us this lesson, and I would argue that it is actually the women in the film who drive this conversation. The juxtaposition of these…
…ound as we share ideas, hopes, worries, and more. These friendships forged online are not tainted by stereotypes and prejudice, but are stronger because we respect one another’s differences. Maybe people who reach out on social sites are more inclined to be open, understanding and trusting? Either way, those who are insincere can be blocked or deleted with the push of a finger in one second. Zapped! We on the social networks try to help each other…
…five times its size, RD has evolved from an academic project to a thriving online magazine. Do you accept unsolicited submissions? Yes, see guidelines by clicking the Submissions tab in the nav bar above. Shall I navigate my web browser to your home page each day? Sure! We publish new material daily. You can also sign up for the Newsletter and join us on Facebook and Twitter. I’m not a writer but I have a great idea for a story. How can I tell you…
…part company with conventional reality for a moment and take up residence online, joining millions of others in a search for the sublime reality that can be only momentarily captured in a book of monsters, which is always and ever a book of miracles. The dreams we realize in movies, virtual realities, and videogames are the dreams we have always dreamed; the monsters we find there are the monsters we cherish, for it is their presence that reminds…
…er of a business.” The nuns are seeking support for their stand through an online petition. The Rev. Debra Haffner of the Religious Institute is helping NCAN coordinate the effort. “When I saw the brave stand these nuns were taking on the mandate, I started to think about what we could do to amplify their voices. So we launched a social media campaign asking people to ‘Stand with the Nuns’,” she said. “We really need to counter the idea that faith…
…and some states such as Connecticut are still bringing the complying plan online. Significantly, the ADF is the legal group that represented the town of Greece, NY, in theTown of Greece v. Galloway Supreme Court case. As with the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood (which ADF also represents) contraception mandate case, this suit brings together high-profile political objections from the Catholic bishops, a well-funded conservative public interest law…
…ined that he feels more like the creature’s manager than its creator. Soon online forums speculated that Slender Man had not been created by Knudsen, but was a real entity described by ancient cultures around the world. A recent book by Rev. Robin Swope (aka “The Paranormal Pastor”) asserts that Slender Man is an actual demonic entity rather than an Internet meme. The body of material surrounding the history, abilities, and motivations of Slender…
…Church’s global proselytizing missions—an advance that follows a surge in numbers of women missionaries. Some observers believe that the changes are part of a concerted LDS Church effort to bolster its rates of retention among younger women. Increased attention to the theology of gender and equality is also evident, both among rank-and-file Mormons and on the part of leaders. Last month, advocates of women’s ordination to the Mormon priesthood—a…
…nd, a second attack by a knife-wielding teenage girl was attributed to the online Slender Man mythos. While the attack could be a copycat crime, the connection to Slender Man is speculative. The odds of a wave of meme-driven girls hacking their way through America’s suburbs seem—well—slim. It requires exceptional circumstances for a preoccupation with a legend to manifest into actual violence. Given the long history of panic in America I’m more co…
