If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
I think Barry W. Lynn's letter could prove to be the snowball that finally starts the avalanche that ultimately wipes out political proselytizing from the pulpit of American churches.
Black women should treat the black church the same way they would treat a patriarchal, self-serving, preachy boyfriend, and let their feet do the talking. If they ever do, patriarchy and homophobia in black churches will fall by the way side.
Will sharing my religious life make me more or less likely to get a date? Make new friends? Expand professional networks?
No matter where you stand on the issue of gay marriage, there are some boundaries of human decency that should never be crossed. Never.
One measure of the decline of church strength and authority is church membership and attendance. And by that measure, US secularity is rising to surprising heights.
What intrigues me about the ascension of Christ is not only what it tells me about the ancient world and its "scientific" knowledge of the universe, but also what it tells me about many Christians today.
Knowledge is power. There is no knowledge more important than to have knowledge about what all of your options are as you approach the end of your life or as you make decisions about life-changing conditions.
Back when I waited tables, the Sunday after-church crowd was the absolute worst of the week to wait on. It really killed me when, instead of leaving a tip, they'd leave a tract on the table. They justify this because saving my soul is a far greater gift than a couple of dollars.
This conflict is really about the role that faith will play in America. It is about whether or not we will accept Muslim Americans as true Americans or as second-class citizens. It is a test of our character, and we dare not fail it.
I am a Christian and will remain so. This means that there are certain beliefs I hold dear. But I can, without reducing my Christian commitment, surely accept that someone else, brought up in a different tradition, holds a different set of beliefs, holds them as strongly as I hold mine, and I can respect that person and his/her right to believe as he/she does.
Equating Down syndrome with suffering, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach praises the "doctors who work tirelessly so that this disease can be purged and children came into the world healthy." Down syndrome is not a disease.
Just as Ron Brown believes that the Bible is an inerrant guide to life, I am convinced that he and his ilk are sadly deluded, and that their reactionary efforts to drag civilization back into the Dark Ages pose a danger to us all.
Women's reproductive rights have been so stigmatized and stripped of moral value by certain religious leaders that it can be difficult to speak up. This is a good time to reconsider.
I realized that since the world is far from perfect, showing my children that what the world does offer is perfectly good enough was important. It also made me realize that being good enough as mother was a worthy goal for me.
If I hadn't been at the Anti-Racism Training that day, would I have been so quick to invite this unknown African American man into my car? And give him that much money?
Elite gymnast Dominique Dawes knows how it feels to stand on the highest podium with gold around her neck. And she knows how one misstep in an exacting sport means going home early.
