Religion

June 3, 2012

Edition: U.S.

RELIGION OMER 2012 BUDDHISM CHRISTIANITY HINDUISM ISLAM JUDAISM RELIGION AND SCIENCE INTERFAITH SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY PRAYER AND MEDITATION

All The Blog Posts

View Bloggers Index ›

Filter by: AOL AOL Music Arts Black Voices Books Business Canada Canada Business Canada Lifestyle Canada Living Canada Politics Canada Sports Canada Style Celebrity Chicago College Comedy Cooking Crime Culture DC Denver Detroit Divorce Education Entertainment Eyes & Ears Fifty Food Gay Voices Good News Green Health and Fitness Health News Healthy Living High School Impact KitchenDaily Latino Voices Living Local Los Angeles MapQuest Media Miami Mindful Living Money Moviefone Moviefone Canada New York Parents Politics Religion San Francisco Science Small Business Sports Style Stylelist TechCrunch Technology Travel TV UK UK Celebrity UK Comedy UK Culture UK Entertainment UK Fashion UK Lifestyle UK Politics UK Style UK Tech UK Universities & Education Weddings Weird News Women World

All-American: 45 American Men on Being Muslim

Rep. Keith Ellison | Posted June 2, 2012

Read More: Islam, Keith Ellison, American Muslim Men, Congressman Ellison, I Speak For Myself, Islam In America, Religious Books, White Cloud Publishing

"It's not what you call me, but what I answer to."
--African proverb

Although a decade has passed since Sept. 11, 2001, and the world has been abuzz about Islam and what it means since then, it is clear Muslim-Americans must tell their own stories.

Many have attempted to...

Read Post | Comments (56)

How Do We Talk About Paganism?

Teo Bishop | Posted June 2, 2012

Read More: Convert To Paganism, Interfaith, Pagan, Pagan Conversion, Pagan Converts, Paganism, Talk About Paganism

I had a dream last night that I was trying to explain my Paganism to my father. He was patient, and open, and he behaved in the ideal ways that only a dream-father behaves. As I explained to him what Druid meant in a modern context, our relationship exploded into...

Read Post | Comments

Good News! Bad News!

Rev. Mel White | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Christian Right, DOMA First Circuit Court Of Appeals, First Circuit Court Of Appeals DOMA, Rev. Fred Luter, Rev. Luter

On June 1, 2012, one Los Angeles Times headline reads, "Southern Baptist pastor Fred Luter is set to become the first black president of a denomination with a segregationist history." Just two inches away a second headline reads: "Key part of marriage act ruled invalid." Juxtaposing...

Read Post | Comments

Manifesto Against Religious Bullies

Richard J. Rosendall | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Anti-Bullying, Anti-Gay Bullying, Bible Homosexuality, Christianity Homosexuality, Christians Homosexuality

First Amendment to the United States Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress...

Read Post | Comments

God Hates Clams!

Domenick Scudera | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Anti-Gay Pastors, Christian Preaching, Church Rants, Homophobia, Homophobic Pastors, Religious Intolerance, Satire

My fellow congregants:

I stand before you today an angry man! I am hoppin' mad cuz a legion of sinners is pushin' a liberal agenda that will be the ruination of us all. You know what I am talkin' about, don't ya?! Eating shellfish! Yes! These evildoers want us to...

Read Post | Comments (32)

Reflections on Project Visit to the Dominican Republic

Reverend William E. Flippin, Jr. | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Dominican Republic, Bateyes, Bv-Sunday, Global Poverty, Social Justice, Suffering

On May 14-17, I had the fortunate opportunity to have traveled to the Dominican Republic with Children International and a group of committed advocates for the poor. This non-profit organization, which serves mostly Latin America, Asia (the Philippines), Africa and India, helps to provide impoverished children with meaningful benefits and...

Read Post | Comments

The Irony of the Bishops' Opposition to Providing Contraceptive Services

Frank G. Kirkpatrick | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Catholic Church, Catholic Bishops, U.S. Conference Of Catholic Bishops, Contraception, Health Care, Health Care Reform

Is it possible that the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops will one day be credited with having significantly advanced, albeit unintentionally, the argument for a single-payer health care system in the United States? In their opposition to having to make contraceptive services available to their employees through institutionally provided health care,...

Read Post | Comments

A Billboard Of Love

Phil Shepherd | Posted June 1, 2012

I am a sucker for a great love story -- and, no, I am not joking. I was the large, bald, tattooed guy who saw "Titanic" four times in theater; that is more than 12 hours of my life I can't get back (as...

Read Post | Comments

The Islamophobia Industry Strikes in Kansas

Nathan Lean | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Islam, Sam Brownback, David Yerushalmi, Islam, Islam In America, Islamophobia, Kansas, Religion And Politics, Sharia, Sharia Law

Just like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Republican Governor Sam Brownback had a feeling he was not in Kansas anymore. At least not the Kansas that he once knew. His Sunflower State was teeming with unfamiliar creatures and though not tin-men or scarecrows or wicked witches, they were nonetheless...

Read Post | Comments (149)

A Snake-handler's Lethal Embrace of Religious Ecstasy

Jack Levison | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Mack Wolford, Adrenaline, Christianity, Evangelical Christians, Gospel Of Mark, Religious Ecstasy, Snake-Handlers

I was driving into downtown Seattle when I heard the news of Randy "Mack" Wolford's death on National Public Radio, in a British accent no less. Randy, a snake-handler in West Virginia, had died -- bitten by a snake and poisoned. Mack had a spare room full of poisonous snakes,...

Read Post | Comments (31)

Now, Not Later: Increasing New York State's Minimum Wage

Andrew Wilkes | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Christianity, Economy, Faith-Based Activism, Governor Cuomo, Jobs, Living Wage, Minimum Wage

Governor Cuomo has an opportunity to exercise economic leadership on behalf of the Empire State's most vulnerable families. Despite his characterizations, raising the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 can and should be done. According to a recent Siena College poll, 79 percent of New York State...

Read Post | Comments (13)

Worley's Anti-Gay Rant and Comparisons to Hitler

Lincoln Mitchell | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Adolf Hitler, Barack Obama, Charles Worley, Josef Stalin, Pastor Charles Worley, Ronald Reagan, Christianity, Christians, Communism, Nazis, President Obama

In today's highly polarized political context, there is a great deal of political vitriol and frequent statements that are nothing short of appalling. Every now and then something is said that is far beyond the pale even by the standards of today's political discourse. Pastor Charles Worley's comments of May...

Read Post | Comments (19)

Are People With Autism More Likely to Be Atheists?

Matthew Hutson | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Theory Of Mind, Atheism, Autism, Autism Atheism, Autism Belief In God, Autism God, Mentalizing

In most religions and arguably anything worth being called a religion, God is not just an impersonal force or creator. He has a mind that humans can relate to. Maybe you're not gossiping on the phone with him late at night, but he has personality traits, thoughts, moods, and ways...

Read Post | Comments (34)

The Moral Excellence of the State of Israel

Rabbi Adam Jacobs | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Iran, Israel, Israeli Settlements, Judaism, Morality, Tikkun Olam

Tal Ben Shahar's class in positive psychology was one of the most popular in the history of Harvard University. Yet despite his pedagogical success, four best-selling books, a consulting practice with Fortune 500 companies and sundry television appearances, he decided it was time to move home ... to Israel. How...

Read Post | Comments (377)

Ten Commandments for Education Reform

Dan Ross | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Ten Commandments, Church, Education, Education Reform, Judaism, Public Education, Public Schools, School Reform, Separation Of Church And State, Social Justice

Last weekend, the Jewish people marked the anniversary of the first uttering of perhaps the most famous words in human history. We celebrated Shavuot, the festival commemorating the giving of the Torah at Sinai, and of course, the proclamation of the Ten Commandments.

Whether the separation of...

Read Post | Comments (28)

Parshat Naso: Weekly Torah Portion Summary, Questions, Resources (VIDEO)

Josh Fleet | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Hufftorah, Judaism, Naso, Parshat Naso, Scripture Commentary, Scripture Study, Torah, Video, Weekly Torah Portion

Editor's note: The HuffTorah is an overview of the Torah reading of the week, which is a double portion, and includes links to additional resources for study and discussion. Read the full text of Parshat Naso interlinear Hebrew/English.

God tells Moses: Lift up the heads of the Gershonites...

Read Post | Comments (133)

Sharia History: A Timeline of 1,400 Years of Islamic Jurisprudence

Sadakat Kadri | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: Islamic Law, Prophet Muhammad, Islam, Islamic History, Sharia, Sharia Law, Shariah, Slideexpand

At a time when efforts to ban sharia law have been tabled in some two dozen states, it would be interesting to know what precisely their sponsors are hoping to prohibit -- because their target has a 1,400-year history that extends deep into the realms of faith.

When the...

Read Post | Comments (270)

New York Faith Community and Sikhs of Kenya: A Partnership Is Born

Nomi Teutsch | Posted June 1, 2012

Read More: New York, UNITED SIKHS, Impact, Interfaith, Interfaith Action, Interfaith Impact, Sikhism, Sikhs Of Kenya

On June 6, 2012, New Yorkers of all faiths will come together to support the Kenyan Sikh community's efforts to fight the famine that has devastated their region since last summer. Hunger, an issue that cuts across all faiths, is a natural point of connection for the 10 NYC congregations...

Read Post | Comments

Anti-Blasphemy Laws in the Arab Spring

Azizah al-Hibri | Posted May 31, 2012

Read More: Arab Spring, Anti Blasphemy, Anti-Blasphemy Law, Anti-Blasphemy Laws, Blasphemy Arab World, Blasphemy In The Arab World

The Emir of Kuwait is faced at this very moment with the decision of approving a law that would impose the death penalty against unrepentant Muslims (and varying prison sentences upon others) who exercise their religious freedom of speech in a way deemed blasphemous. So far, this is the most...

Read Post | Comments (67)

Clergy Bully From the Pulpit

Warren J. Blumenfeld | Posted May 31, 2012

Rev. Charles L. Worley of the Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden, N.C., during a recent sermon, argued for the building of a large fence some 150 miles long to contain "lesbians" in one section and "homosexuals and queers" in another section. "And have that fence electrified till...

Read Post | Comments

All posts from 06.01.2012 < 05.31.2012