Anti-Semitism Survey Reveals Growing Problem at US Colleges
Which is troubling. Sort of.
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Top 2011 Religion Stories That Weren’t
Time magazine’s religion top ten list had Mormonism in the spotlight. The Religion Newswriters Association voted Osama bin Laden’s death (and the faith response to it) their number one story in a list that included Harold Camping, Rob Bell, and Mississippi’s Personhood initiative. Oh, and the top religion author of 2011? Tim Tebow, whose life story is a runaway bestseller for our friends at HarperOne.
But what about the stories that shoulda been, but weren’t? We’re thinking this list, drawn up Peter Laarman, might provide a template for 2012 coverage. —The Eds.
Read MoreWhy an Orthodox Anti-Gay Declaration is Actually Good for the Gays
Reparative therapy—neither reparative nor therapy—is the lie that will not die.
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#Occupy: A Deeper Form of Protest?
Ours is primarily a linear society which rewards building, doing, improving, and growing. It’s no surprise, then, that countercultural movements have tended to emphasize circles: consensus rather than hierarchy, egalitarianism, nuanced notions of ‘progress.’ Does this sound familiar? It should—it’s behind a lot of what observers have noticed about the Occupy movement: that there are no clear goals, no policy prescriptions, no realistic (i.e., incremental) demands.
Read MoreOccupy Judaism: A “Turning Point” in American Judaism
The organizer behind the Kol Nidre service at Occupy Wall Street says the Jewish establishment has asked Jews to “check our social justice values” at the door.
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Jews and Baseball: A Reflection on a Longtime Love Affair
Walking down the street in my neighborhood a few years ago I was warmly greeted by the president of my synagogue, who cheerily introduced me to her new male companion. “You’ll like Rebecca,” she said. “She’s the one who gives those baseball sermons on Yom Kippur…”
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Tattoos, Cremation, Personal Spirituality: The Jewish World in Transformation
I think some outsiders still think American Judaism is divided into Reform, Conservative Orthodox. In recent decades, it has become much more pluralistic, with several additional groups that could be seen as fledgling denominations and many others that are floating somewhere between institutional categories. On the other hand, some insiders believe that the American Jewish religious denominational structure has collapsed.
Read MoreGlenn Beck Apologizes for Comparing Reform Judaism to “Radical Islam”
Worst. Analogy. Ever.
Read MoreJulian Assange Nativity, Castro’s Hanukkah, & a Burger Blessing
Come donkey, it’s time to pray.
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Spiritual Envy: Michael Krasny’s Agnostic Quest
One of our premier interviewers, host of KQED’s Forum, talks to RD Senior Editor Lisa Webster about atheists, God, his parents’ Judaism, and writing a book without answers.
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