Satanic Temple Organizing a Rally for Religious Liberty
The trouble started in 2015 when Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert sponsored a bill to erect a Ten Commandments monument at the capitol.
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The Story Behind the Catholic Church’s Stunning Contraception Reversal
Behind the official explanation for the continued ban on birth control was the need to maintain the link between sex and procreation, which was essential to the maintenance of the traditional, subordinate role of women, a key concern of the Catholic Church.
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How a Catholic-Majority SCOTUS Fulfilled an Evangelical Dream
This is not a majority Catholic court. It’s the Supreme Court that the strange alliance of the religious right built.
Read MoreThe Southern Baptists Dumped a Predator or Two, but Let’s Hold Off on the F-word
The #metoo and #churchtoo movements have put SBC leaders on the defensive, as earlier revelations of widespread child sexual abuse by priests did to the all-male Roman Catholic hierarchy. Yet both groups continue to deny that there could be any connection between all-male power and the sexual abuse of women and children.
Read MoreExclusive: Columnist Jonathan Merritt on his Sudden Departure From Religion News Service
I was happy to let the story pass under the radar and to move on, but I felt, as a journalist, I needed to set the record straight.
Read MoreHindu American Community Finally Coming Around for Pride Month
Even though Hindu scriptures embrace queerness and gender fluidity, Hindu temples have generally been reluctant to wade into discussions about sexuality.
Read MoreSCOTUS Refusal Again Favors Religious Claims… But This Time in Liberals’ Favor
An anti-gay breakaway group has to return a half a billion dollars worth of property to the Episcopal Church.
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Is #MeToo Misogyny ‘Unbiblical’? Southern Baptist Women Test Limits of Biblical Inerrancy
If conservative Christians want to challenge the misogyny in their institutions, they should be applauded and supported. But their call for change will remain problematic as long as they claim Biblical inerrancy as their reason for this call.
Read MoreWill SCOTUS’s New Zeal for “Neutrality” Affect its Decision on the “Muslim Ban”?
The Town of Greece v. Galloway decision in 2014—also written by Justice Kennedy—upheld a town’s practice of holding legislative prayer during public meetings, even though these prayers were uniformly Christian. Where was neutrality on religion then?
Read MorePaul Schrader’s “First Reformed” Depicts Death Struggle Between Hope and Despair
A younger Paul Schrader might have chosen to end this film, which many critics are calling his masterpiece, in apocalyptic violence. But I don’t think it’s quite right to conclude that Schrader has simply mellowed in his eighth decade.
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