Clergy and lay people celebrated Gay Pride with the passage of a Marriage Equality law in New York State. The testimony of country music star Chely Wright especially moved us to pray for the day when every person can celebrate all the love in their life, whether from a spouse or the Divine. Meanwhile, circumcision continues to hold an odd fascination with the voters of San Francisco who are evoking the ire of those who view this as an attack on religious liberty. I haven't seen anyone mention that circumcision has been proven to drastically reduce the transmission of HIV, but this is not a debate marked by pragmatism.
Mormons have been dominating the religious landscape with hundreds of ads and presidential candidates, begging the questions of how much we actually know about this homegrown and increasingly world-wide religion. In case you missed it, two weeks ago an impressive list of Buddhists met to discuss the future of Buddhism in the West - will denominations and annual meetings come next?
Our bloggers stirred up the sphere by insisting that Christianity is not only compatible with evolution, but that an authentic faith requires accepting evolution - um, not everyone agrees. Also inviting comment was the presence of a wonderfully informed post on slavery and the Bible, which raises the question of what interpretive lens we use when reading sacred texts and the implications for the many social questions facing us today including the war in Afghanistan, and the death-penalty.
Sacred Sounds made its debut on HuffPost Religion with reflections on Vedic chanting, Bobby McFerrin, Mozart and Rage Against the Machine - obviously this hits a sweet spot as many of us find music a means of transcendence.
Finally, Christian and a Muslim leaders are swapping pulpits this weekend in an effort to live out Eboo Patel's encouragement to make religion needs to be a bridge, not a bomb.
Sounds like all of our responsibility. Peace.
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Paul Brandeis Raushenbush: HuffPost Religion Round-Up, June 27-July 4
Carol Mott and Paul Mott: Rob Ford Has a Better Idea? Picks Cottage Over Pride Parade
Pastor Neil Christopher: Can Christians Truly Be Inclusive?
Confessions of a Gay Christian Country Singer
Religion As A Bridge To Understanding, Not A Bomb Of Destruction: An Interview With Eboo Patel
Hundreds Of Mormon Ads Launched In New York City
Seeing Jesus in the Face of the Condemned
A Change Has Come: A Clergy's Response to the New York Vote for Gay Marriage
Faith Shared in Iowa: Finding Our Commonalities and Respecting Our Differences
However, it has been conclusively proven that condoms reduce the rate of HIV transmission.
No. Mostly we'll sit and meditate. That's what we do.
Um, wait a minute. I really liked that article and it didn't really argue for what you suggested. It certainly argued that evolution is a scientific fact by citing actual evidence (yea!) and argued from Christian theology that Christianity must defer to proven science. Both arguments are well presented and seem to be correct. But whether Christianity is compatible with evolution (or any other science) is a completely different issue. Frankly I do think Christianity is incompatible with evolution (that's a whole knew discussion I won't dive into). In any case, it is two very different things to say that Christianity implies acceptance of evolution and that Christianity is consistent with evolution.
I'm pretty sure that's been in every post on the subject. Such a measure might help population HIV rates, but for any particular individual, they are still far better off using condoms etc. than limiting sex to only circumcised men or to be circumcised themselves.
The best you can do is encourage people to limit their sexual partners to those who they can trust, and to always use protection when they do have sex.
"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere.... Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
-- Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science," New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930
“I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.” T. Paine
“This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple; your philosophy is simple kindness.”
The Dalai Lama
It is a huge task before us, however, to make religion a bridge, as has been made painfully obvious by the proud and militant Bible-thumpers, Torah thumpers, and Qur'an thumpers who distort their religion to suit their own self-serving purposes, and create terrible conficts and divisions.
We will not accomplish this task by playing it safe, with sweet talk. We will accomplish this task by turning the tables on the bible-thumpers, reminding them of the true purpose of the Torah, Tanakh and Qur'an --- which is to enable the humble, gentle, peaceful, "meek" majority to inherit the earth, reconcile differences, make amends, make peace, and transform our "swords into plowshares."
God is on our side -- on the side of all who hold the same universal values of love, humility, mutual respect, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, and pacifism. That, in fact, is what we all have a responsibility to say
The Coalition of Jews, Christians and Muslims for Peace and Freedom, http://cjcmp.org
Whoa! Talk about your 'frivolous lawsuits.'
I'm afraid for doctors that soon cutting the holy, umbilical cord will be the next un-godly act, and having an 'inney' instead of an 'outie', sacrilege.