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Health Care as Moral Drama
Myths of good versus evil have long sustained conservatism, but these narratives, with their shining heroes, and dastardly evildoers, are irrelevant to the civil debates at hand, and threaten to undermine the reforms that would help us all the most.
American Brokenness: A Lament
Conservatives in this country are undergoing an existential crisis, but this is not the time for liberals to sit by smugly and watch.
Of Monks and Men: A New Kind of American Toughness
In which the author expresses frustration with the gendered imaginings of “courage” and “compassion” that are so deeply interwoven in our politics, and asks: why not a Buddhist monk for president?
Israeli Jesus: More Popular Than Ever
The staging in Jaffa of a controversial play with Jesus as central character is shut down by protests—but not for the reasons one might imagine.
Aung San Suu Kyi: The Verdict is Unfair
For Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, her years of house arrest have only deepened her Buddhist insight, and strengthened her commitment to a just society in Burma.
Blackwater’s Free-Market Crusade
New testimony from Blackwater whistleblowers alleges that the notorious military contractor murdered Iraqi civilians and destroyed the evidence, all in support of founder Erik Prince's vision of an epic battle for the defense of Christendom.
Prison Religion: Rehabilitation or Forced Conversion?
Prison and evangelical religion have been linked throughout US history; but when a faith-based rehabilitation program compels prisoners to memorize Bible verses, boundaries get blurred.
Beyond Progressive Religion
Everyone has it wrong regarding politics and religion: the Christian Right, Atheists, and even the Progressive Religious community. The author proposes a daring alternative.
American Nuns Under the Vatican Microscope
The Vatican is investigating US Women religious, concerned that nuns are not in line on issues like same-sex love, women’s priestly ministry, and interreligious dialogue. But this time they’ve gone too far.
This Just In: College Will Make You an Atheist
A recent study is making headlines with the finding that certain college majors, most notably those in the humanities and social sciences, are likely to turn students into godless nihilists. Why is this such a big deal?
In the Church of Lincoln
We’ve made Abraham Lincoln into a secular saint, as a visit to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois—complete with relics and incense—easily confirms. But what of his cutthroat skill in the political arena? Contemporary politicians can’t compete.
Imagine No Religion: Sustaining Morality Without God
Religious values shift with every era, often limiting moral discourse to only one religious tradition; and new research shows that the secular Swedes are happier than the rest of us. Isn’t it time to try to imagine a purely secular ethics?
New Book Stokes Fear of a Muslim Europe
Reflections on the Revolution in Europe tells of a tide of Muslim immigration ravaging European culture, and threatening the future of Western civilization. Its author, Christopher Caldwell, makes Samuel "clash of civilizations" Huntington look like a benign minor prophet.
Texas Board of Education Wants to Change History
Texas is the second largest purchaser of textbooks in the country. If conservative Christians on the Texas Board of Ed panel prevail in their wish to leave Ann Hutchinson (trouble maker!), Cesar Chavez, and Thurgood Marshall out of the social studies curriculum, all US schools could be affected.
The Most Religious Race: Islam in Europe
Christopher Caldwell’s new book on Islam and the West is fraught with inconsistency, selective history, and outright error. But, for all that, it is a must-read.
Oh My God...
What does the word “God” mean? Anything and everything, depending on whether you’re a Bible-believer or an atheist, a rap artist or a writer for South Park, a peyote-eater or Meg Ryan in a diner...
Baby Dolls, Sex Dolls, and Ritual Objects
From a man in Japan who has romantic attachment to a pillow, to boom in realistic baby dolls, to a movie about a man who falls deeply in love with a life-size silicon woman, our craze for surrogate objects reveals more than simple fetishism.
Feared Taliban Leader Killed, But Military Strategy is Not the Answer in Afghanistan
A gathering of senior scholars in the field agree that the US presence in South Asia invokes a colonial legacy and undermines peace.
The Resurrection of Terri Schiavo
Opponents of health care reform have raised the specter of Terri Schiavo to mobilize “pro-life” activists and the elderly, but what they forget is that this case was a powerful instance of an unpopular government intervention in a family matter. They can’t have it both ways.
Women of Opus Dei Explain “True Feminism”
In response, most likely, to the (fictional) account of the lesser status of women in Catholicism’s most notorious semi-secret society in The Da Vinci Code, a group of women has come together to explain what feminism looks like, Opus Dei-style.