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Why Republicans Don’t Think Obama Is Christian

By Sarah Posner

…or Islamic and the President appear. This is snapshot, of course, and the number of constituents who actually listen to these speeches is infinitesimal. But if elected Republicans aren’t afraid to question Obama’s religious commitments for the permanent record, think of what they might say to constituents in smaller settings, or the well that they are drawing from when they make remarks in Congressional sessions for which they receive no pushback…

Pope Backs Anti-Gay Referendum; Islamic State Executions Include Gay Syrian; ‘Conscience Clause’ Debated in Northern Ireland; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…Wellington, New Zealand Per the National Catholic Register: “The only Anglophone nominee is Archbishop John Dew of Wellington, New Zealand. In 2005, he advocated a new ‘pastoral approach’ for allowing divorced-and-civilly-remarried Catholics to receive Communion. During last year’s synod on the family, he also voiced his support for a change in language when ministering to persons with same-sex attraction.” Archbishop Alberto Suárez Inda of Moreli…

Muslim Women Create a Mosque of Their Own in Los Angeles

By Brie Loskota

…media attention that their work was attracting. Just after 1pm on Friday, January 30, women sat side by side on the cloth-covered floors of the Pico-Union Project—once a synagogue, then a church, and now a multifaith center. All but a few pews remained on the sides of the room, where observers from other religious traditions, reporters, and a few Muslim women were seated. As Maznavi and Sana Muttalib, the Women’s Mosque’s co-President welcomed th…

LGBTs in Philippines Reflect on Papal Visit; Francis Meets Trans Man Shunned by Parish; French Group Turns ‘Bar of Sodom’ into ‘Pub of Mercy’; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ll not follow because they are afraid of change.“ The Pope’s comments at a January 15 mass, in which he warned against “confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family” disappointed some activists. Reasoning that the Pope’s statements are nothing new, Fire Sia, who identifies as gender queer, said: “There was no false hope from the pontiff. If you believed for one moment that he would be different, look back and see that he supported…

‘Iconoclash’ of Civilizations: Missives from the Image Wars

By Eric M. Gurevitch

…t’s apparatus and provided no narrative, only raw images and words. *** On January 7th, 2015, two men entered the editorial offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo and opened fire, killing twelve people. The magazine is famous for printing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad (among other religious figures) in sexual poses. A separate gunman, who claimed allegiance with the two gunmen on the run, took over a kosher grocery store and killed four Jews. Th…

Is Refusal to Write Anti-Gay Cake Message a Violation of Religious Freedom?

By Kara Loewentheil

…l beliefs not religion #HateCake — Caroline Mala Corbin (@CarolineMCorbin) January 21, 2015 But if the customer tells the baker they want the (undecorated) cake for religious reasons or a religious event, like the hypothetical Church prayer group in my example above, I’m not sure that the fact that the baker has a political objection to the customer’s religious beliefs means that refusing to bake the cake isn’t arguably religious discrimination. T…

Is The Episcopal Church Driving Drunk?

By J. Terry Todd

…of coverage the more staid Baltimore Sun. The Bishop turned herself in on January 9th, and a tough judge set bail at an exceptionally high $2.5 million, noting Cook’s “indifference to life” and calling her a flight risk. A few days later, a defrocked priest, described as Cook’s “steady companion,” stepped forward with the cash and promissory note to free Cook. In the days since, the Bishop reportedly has returned to rehab on the shores of Chesape…

Republicans To Get Free “Spiritual, Historical” Trips to Israel

By Sarah Posner

…n Renewal Project and the American Family Association. The meeting follows January’s winter meeting of the party committee in Coronado, Calif., where Priebus is set to be resoundingly re-elected to his post. According to Priebus’ email, the trip is not an RNC event, but is reserved exclusively and is being coordinated by the RNC for members and their guests. An RNC spokesperson said the trip was not officially a committee trip, but is a “spiritual…

Egyptian President Al-Sisi is a Dictator, Not a Reformer of Islam

By Mohamad Elmasry

It’s ironic that a number of (mostly right wing) commentators have been invoking the ideals of freedom of speech and expression while praising an authoritarian leader who has cracked down on these freedoms more than any of his nation’s authoritarian predecessors. American and European analysts on the right have called Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi an Islamic “reformer” and an ally in the quest to deliver the message of Western freedom t…

The Battle for the Bible Against Christian Nationalism Seeks to Continue Historic Campaign

By Frederick Clarkson

…onalism and the Movement to End Poverty, a one-day conference held in late January, went entirely unnoticed by the media. But the event nevertheless highlighted a burgeoning effort to reclaim a prophetic version of Christianity, history, and religious freedom while building power on behalf of the poor. Nosie, a traditional Apache has, like many other indigenous and minority religious leaders, joined forces with this movement which asserts that muc…