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Václav Havel: Democracy as Spiritual Discipline

By Peter Montgomery

…plurality of ownership and decision-making, while resisting pressures from free-market fundamentalists to abandon any regulation or social principles: Right-wing dogmatism, with its sour-faced intolerance and fanatical faith in general precepts, bothers me as much as left-wing prejudices, illusions, and utopias. Today, unfortunately, we often find that a straightforward analysis of specific problems and a calm, unbiased consideration of them are b…

The Woody Allen Problem: How Do We Read Pacifist Theologian (and Sexual Abuser) John Howard Yoder?

By Stephanie Krehbiel

…f rape and abuse who are reminded how easy it is for their abusers to walk free.“ That trauma is compounded because public discussions of such high-profile cases have a depressingly predictable, misogynistic script, regardless of whether those discussions happen in the context of pop journalism, blogs or Christian denominational magazines. One recurring theme is that of the mentally unstable accusers, motivated by vengeance. “The controversy over…

How (Not) to Understand What Mormons Believe

By Joanna Brooks

…ects no one. It restores no one’s civil rights. It advances no progressive agenda. May all of us—including Fred Karger—enjoy shame-free holidays and a shame-free 2012….

Shutdown is Over, But There Will Be a Next Time

By Diane Winston

…an dismantling Roosevelt’s legacy and successive presidents followed suit. Free markets boomed, social nets frayed and paeans flowed to America’s religious liberties. For many who opposed the New Deal and now stand arrayed against Obamacare, the message is the same: Jesus is the root of American democracy and capitalism. Christianity bestows freedom from big government, market regulations and sin. The message may be exploited for political or econ…

Why Scientists Should Be Agnostic: Or, Why Lawrence Krauss Is Still a Windbag

By Andrew Aghapour and Michael Schulson

…re, he argues, nothing is sacred): No ideas, religious or otherwise, get a free pass. The notion that some idea or concept is beyond question or attack is anathema to the entire scientific undertaking. This commitment to open questioning is deeply tied to the fact that science is an atheistic enterprise. Krauss is right to draw the connection between science and the concept of a secular public square. Both emerged around the same period in history…

Soy Story: Atrocious ‘Reporting’ on Insular Religious Groups

By Eli Federman and James Moxness

…ting to believe that insular religious societies are treated by some as a “free pass” from engaging in good journalism. And the line between news, documentary, docudrama, and entertainment is frequently blurred beyond recognition. Reality shows such as TLC’s “Breaking Amish” on and the Discovery Channel’s “Amish Mafia” are scripted sensationalism, total fabrications of authentic Amish life. “Amish Mafia” gives the impression that it represents hi…

No “Cancel Culture” on the Right: How Conservative Christians Protect the Powerful

By Chrissy Stroop

…legitimately weaponized and used to harm less powerful people? Sure. I’m a freelance writer and a trans woman with no trust fund to my name, and this is something I unfortunately know from personal experience. But it’s a leap to conclude from the inappropriate weaponization of “cancel culture” that all opinions deserve access to all platforms. Nor is this a reason to stick our heads in the sand, ostrich-like, and ignore the very real ways in which…

Searching in Vain for a “Pure” Elie Wiesel

By Martin Kavka

…th leftist intellectuals who reject it. Perhaps another generation will be free enough to criticize Israel; I cannot. [Italics added.] Was this a betrayal of his other broadly humanist commitments? Absolutely. There is no reason why critics should not continue to take Wiesel to task for what he said about Palestinians, or why they should not point out how especially unprepared Wiesel was for the recent growth of Israeli racism. But if we have anyt…

Global LGBT Recap: Asylum for Victims of Homophobia Exports; Orthodox Church Sees Anti-Gay Campaign Turned Toward Itself

By Peter Montgomery

…s based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Demand for support services is expected to grow with the adoption of harsh anti-LGBT laws around the globe. Al-Jazeera America, for example, has recently reported on the rising number of Russians seeking asylum in the U.S. At the Capitol Hill event, activists described the many challenges facing asylum-seekers. For those who make claims when they arrive at a US border crossing, that includes…

Paul Ryan’s Bible, Jim Wallis’, Or None of the Above?

By Sarah Posner

…insists that “people of faith” are opposed to federal funding of abortion services for poor women, who are seeking abortions at increasing rates, a phenomenon that will likely get worse if Republicans succeed in cutting off their access to family planning services? Is the biblical mandate to help the poor no good in that case? Or should we look to the Bible of Catholics for Choice or the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, who oppose the…