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None Means None (Not Atheist, Agnostic, Unbeliever…)

By Elizabeth Drescher

…ws, included questions on beliefs. But in the “Global Religious Landscape” report, belief was not a central focus. The report includes but three sentences on belief in the “Religiously Unaffiliated” section. That is, it offers precious little insight into global patterns of religious belief or unbelief. The Pew report on the religiously unaffiliated in the United States does focus substantially on belief, offering a number of significant findings…

Data-Mining The Denominations: The Southern Baptists in Four Charts

By Daniel Schultz

…g like the millenial South if they want to stick around. * I’m using data from The ARDA, which break down membership by state, but which apparently don’t match the SBC’s self-reported numbers. If anyone from the convention has state-level data they want to send me, I’ll gladly update the analysis….

Elephant Orphans and Ecological Spiritualities: An Earth Day Reflection

By Jacob J. Erickson

…ysteries of these creatures. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. A large number of the “spiritual but not religious” crowd in the West are self-proclaimed ecologists or naturalists. A large number of atheists and agnostics are deeply passionate about ecological ethics, or how we might be more “in tune” with nature. Culturally, they become fascinated in the personalities of cats and cat videos, the companionship of dogs who offer a kind of faithf…

To Be Queer, Gifted, and Black: A Conversation with Theologian Pamela Lightsey

By Nyasha Junior

…r movement? The Black Lives Matter movement as I have experienced it has a number of queer black women on the ground doing the work. It also has trans women and trans men on the ground doing the work. They are part of the leadership. As you know the Black Lives Matter movement is a “leaderful” movement, and that is to say that not one or two persons are in charge of any action but that the movement itself very beautifully recognizes and utilizes t…

LGBT Editor In Bangladesh Murdered by Islamists—and More, In this Week’s Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…s were arrested between October 2013 and December 2015, a figure the group reports is based on media reports. In their statement on Facebook condemning the recent verdict, the campaign stated they document a new case against LGBT individuals every two weeks. Faroe Islands: Civil marriage equality becomes law, but no church weddings On Friday, April 29 the Faroe Islands became the final Nordic country to extend legal marriage equality to same-sex c…

Religion Round-Up: What’s Going on in Religion Around the World

By Diane Winston

…cy, those numbers are, according to Pew, surprisingly high. Moreover, they represent a large number of people, “nearly equal the estimated number of religiously affiliated adults in the United States” Accordingly, the 1-plus % of the Chinese population that identifies itself as Muslim equals some 20.3 million people—a population almost as large as Saudi Arabia’s. (More to the point, as one of China’s ethnic minorities, Muslims are not bound to the…

RDPulpit: Israel in Gaza: Right but not Smart

By Rabbi Michael Lerner

…s that have led to the current situation that has killed or maimed a small number of Israelis and a huge number of Palestinians? The first step is for the world to demand an immediate cease-fire. That cease-fire should be imposed by the United Nations and backed unequivocally by the United States. Its terms must include the following: A. Hamas stops all firing of missiles, bombs, or any other violent action originating from the West Bank or Gaza,…

Wesolowski Sexual Abuse Case a New Approach or Same Old Same Old?

By Mary E. Hunt

…ecluded spot for sex. Though wealthier than its island neighbor Haiti, the Dominican Republic is a place where these kids make a few dollars for a day’s work. The clergyman, on the other hand, was probably paid in Euros so he could well afford to up the children’s wages geometrically in exchange for a little titillation. It’s hard to imagine anyone defending the man’s behavior if even a fraction of what’s being reported is true. One victim was a b…

Cafeteria Cockroaches and Synagogue-State Relations in Israel

By Shalom Goldman

…rolled in Israel. In an Israeli restaurant, kosher means that the food is prepared under official rabbinic supervision. The supervisor or mashgiach (who works under the supervision of the Chief Rabbinate) can withdraw the certificate of Kashrut for reasons not directly connected to the preparation of food. Among the more bizarre of these acts of enforcement was when a restaurant in Tel Aviv had its Kashrut certification withdrawn because it offere…

Pussy Riot Members Sentenced to 2 Years for Offending Russian Orthodox Church

By The Editors

…atest wonderful aphorism. If Medvedev gave his presidency the slogan: “Freedom is better than non-freedom”, then, thanks to Medvedev’s felicitous saying, Putin’s third term has a good chance of being known by a new aphorism: “Prison is better than stoning.” I would like you to think carefully about the following reflection by Montaigne from his Essays written in the 16th century. He wrote: “You are holding your opinions in too high a regard if you…