Dear Religious (and sane) America,
Come out, come out where ever you are and welcome to HuffPost Religion -- your new home for opinions, news and wisdom from across the religious spectrum. HuffPost Religion is dedicated to providing a provocative, respectful, and hopefully productive forum for addressing the ways in which religion intersects our personal, communal, national and international life. HuffPost Religion will demonstrate the vibrant diversity of religious traditions, perspectives and experiences that exist alongside and inform one another in America and throughout the world.
For too long strident voices on the religious right have become synonymous with the influence of religion in the public sphere, and they have been countered by equally strident voices on the atheist side who denigrate religious people and their traditions. HuffPost Religion hopes to offer a sane middle way for people who wish to approach religion with both heart and mind, and who believe we can have disagreements without demonization. HuffPost Religion will provide a more accurate representation of the wide range of concerns held by religious people, and dispel the myth that religious people have only one stance on the controversial issues of the day such as health care, immigration, abortion and gay rights. Throughout history, religious people have been on the front lines of many civil rights issues; and even the separation of church and state was a principle insisted upon by Baptists to protect religious freedom (a blatant shout out to my own denomination).
Wherever you stand on the merits of religion, or whatever your personal religious practice -- there is no question that religion plays a crucial role in how humans make meaning, create community, act politically, and find mandates for how to live a good life. HuffPost Religion is dedicated to providing a provocative yet respectful forum for how religion is and should be functioning.
Now for some, the very fact that HuffPost has a religion section will be a source of surprise, or even dismay. A response from grumpyfarmer 33 to a post I wrote about moving your money says it well:
"Now I have seen it all, the Huff post asking what would be the correct thing to do from a religious standpoint. I absolutely agree with the author, but cannot believe I am seeing this on the Huff post."
Well, grumpy -- believe it. Religion is not new on the Huffington Post. There have been over 100 excellent writers, clergy and academics who have regularly covered religion over the past years on Huffington Post. The "religious standpoint" clearly has a lot to say about the world, and provides a unique, and often absent perspective to any conversation. Some HuffPost regulars will find all this talk about religion irrelevant, but according to recent census data 87 percent of Americans describe themselves as religious. To leave that many Americans out of the conversation is to have a narrow scope indeed, and is a fatal political calculation. I expect some of the most interesting conversations will be between people who are theists and atheists, and that will be great! But please, let's be civil. As a start, it would help if religious people acknowledge that non-religious people can be moral, and if atheist people would acknowledge that religious people can be intelligent. Hopefully these truisms will become evident as HuffPost Religion provides a way for people to hear from one another.
So consider yourself invited to participate by blogging, commenting, reflecting and acting upon what you see on HuffPost Religion. We are in a crucial time. As my friend Eboo Patel from the Interfaith Youth Core, and new blogger on HuffPost Religion, has said: "The 20th century was focused on the question of race; the 21st century must be focused on the question of religion." The question of religion requires that we increase our knowledge of people who are different than ourselves in terms of religious practice and belief. That includes interfaith relations as well as intra faith dialogue -- which can be even more difficult.
We must talk about religion, because to not talk about it leaves the conversation to those who only emphasize conflict between religions, or who use religion as a device to incite, divide or destroy. Yet religion, when at its best, can be a source of great strength, motivation and insight. I look forward to being a part of this conversation with you and welcome your thoughts and suggestions. You can reach me at praushenbush@huffingtonpost.com.
Peace,
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush
Religion Editor
Huffington Post
Follow Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on Twitter: www.twitter.com/raushenbush
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush: Religious People Must Rally to Restore Sanity
We must talk about religion, because to not talk about it leaves the conversation to those who only emphasize conflict between religions, or who use religion as a device to incite, divide or destroy. Yet religion, when at its best, can be a source of great strength, motivation and insight.
For a while I had a blog on religious freedom, but soon realized that God wanted me, personally, to get off the debate/controversy wagon and get on the journey of sharing my life. Born with less than 7% use of one arm and 3% use of the other, along with confined to a motorized wheelchair, I can easily covet societal conflicts regarding religion--instead of stepping forward to share fresh glimpses into non-political experiences with Christ.
Thank you for your dynamite post!
Mary Cox-Pace
11th Panchen Lama becomes member of China's top advisory body
March 01, 2010
The 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu was among 13 people who on Sunday became new members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top advisory body.
Interesting development! A Think Tank Arises In The East!
Political advisors discuss draft work report of China's top political advisory body
Senior political advisors on Saturday discussed and put forward proposals to improve a draft work report for China's top political advisory body.
Members of the the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top advisory body, attended group discussions on the report.
Jia Qinglin, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, was present at the discussion.
CPPCC had united and mobilized non-communist parties, social organizations, ethnic groups and people from all walks of life to strive for development, improve people's livelihood and promote social harmony last year.""
""The CPPCC committees at different levels have representatives from different political groups, ethnic groups, and people of all walks of life."
Dorje Shugden has Become the Protector of the People's Republic of China
Eighty-seven percent of Americans are Deists, like the Founding Fathers? I wonder how many are "Christian"?
Is the title meant to imply that ALL people that are "religious" are sane, regardless of their belief? The 911 perpetrators were very "religious", yet clearly insane for believing that they would be hanging out with 72 virgins for their murderous self-sacrifice.
If those same men had NOT done the Twin Towers (private citizens), but had, instead, launched laser guided missiles at the Pentagon from a mile high jet fighter (thinking that their Messiah would bless them with an eternity in Heaven when they eventually died of old age), would that have been "sane"?
Texas, when they're not threatening secession, is leading this charge towards the "United States of Jesus". As we speak, the Texas State of Education is considering revisions to their social-studies curriculum text books, that PROVE America, per the "Founders", is a "Christian" nation. It's Fundy, revisionist, bunk.
I think it's time to offer them their Christian nation. Offer them sovereignty and build a moat between America and Texas. Illegal immigration of Mexican citizens to America, thru Texas . . . solved.
I've known amazing ministers, in MCC and United Church of Christ and reformed Judism who are open and affirming to LGBT parishioners.
But the putrid hatred coming from Mormon elders, Catholic Bishops, Orthodox Jews, Black homobigotted churches, and Baptists have put me OFF on most religions. Bill W who began AA, Alanon, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and other 12 step groups, had a gay friend who added the phrase
AS WE UNDERSTOOD GOD, to the step turning our will and our lives over to God, because he knew my community has been BEATEN with the bible for eons, and many of us would never go anywhere near recovery if it was THAT GOD of the haters, we were forced to turn over our lives to...we'd rather DIE.
Really?
understand the greatness of God. A spiritual fullness
everyone should experience.
Those that kill, terrorize, control and whatever else they do out of hate and pride and do it in the the name of God are breaking God's commandment, " Thou shall not take the Lord thy God's name in vain." God's message is about Love, the same as what Jesus preached and any other person that is true to God.
II Peter 3:2-3
its actually II Peter 3:3-4 get it right if you are going to quote.
II Peter 3:7 goes on to suggest that God will set the entire earth on fire so that he can burn non-believers to death.
Nice guy!
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.
II Tim 3:5
Rev. 22: 18-19
" For more than a week, Ria Ramkissoon watched passively as her 1-year-old son wasted away, denied food and water because the older woman she lived with said it was God's will. Javon Thompson was possessed by an evil spirit, Ramkissoon was told, because he didn't say 'Amen' during a mealtime prayer."
She's now waiting for him to be restored to life by God. I'm taking bets on that. You religious people want to back your guy in in the sky?
Despite your umbrage at the comparison, we have no real way to tell the difference. Both claim to be acting on absolute moral authority vouchsafed solely to them by invisible, inaudible, intangible beings who never appear in public.
As David Michael Green observed, a society that assuages its existential fears through the tenacious adherence to ludicrous fairy tales will also be one that is fundamentally ripe for other such nonsense stories in the political spheres and elsewhere, and one that lacks the mental infrastructure, developed and sustained by habitual use, for rational decision-making.
I've proven that God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, Satan and demons exist. I have also proven that the scriptures in the Bible are Truth. Many, many people will just sit back and deny that God exists. Why? It's easier, you don't have to do any work and because you will find out you were wrong. You people can have your temporary carnal life and your temporary world.
As it goes for "Free Will", God gave this to us to choose between Him or the world. He will always welcome you. He doesn't condemn you for rebelling against Him, you condemn yourself. Same as if you commited a crime here, do you not condemn yourself? He may punish you out of His love for you, just as a parent would punish their children.
God offers eternal life, He sent His Son to die for you and to help you if you would just ask for it. Does that sound like someone who wants to see you spend eternity in torment? May God Bless You All.
As for the existence of God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and The Bible, don't you people have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Haven't you proven any of the scriptures yet?
This is the problem fundamentalists always face. Reality always spits right in the face of their beliefs. That, and their determined irrationality, is what makes them so angry, and so very dangerous.