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RDRoundtable: Republican Scandals Drag Secretive “Family” Into the Big Time
Last week it was discovered that several powerful republicans at the heart of two sex scandals—Sens. John Ensign and Tom Coburn and Gov. Mark Sanford, among others—are members of The Family, reputed to be an “aggressively anti-democratic” Christian movement quietly steering us toward a “theocentric” state. Three scholars discuss The Family with the author. Sparks fly.
Do Atheists Borrow Religion’s Morality?
Does morality come from religion or is it merely “the language games of one’s time”? Are the most basic moral boundaries we evolved that make life easier and less chaotic a reflection of the character of God? If there is no God, or if He doesn’t care about us, then our common morality is still the result of practical, reality-based needs, which also “teach” that a good life depends on the “Do unto others…” ethic.
My Womb for His Purposes: The Perils of Unassisted Childbirth in the Quiverfull Movement
Already distrustful of outside experts, be they members of the education system or leaders of traditional denominations, Quiverfull followers are increasingly eschewing the medical establishment, opting to leave childbirth to God. The recent death of a newborn, however, exposes a growing rift between the most zealous opponents of intervention and those open to some assistance.
Praying Upon a Star: Michael Jackson Spectacle Highlights Online Rituals
These days, rituals of mourning, praise, and eulogies for celebrities are often enacted in and through the media sphere.
Rage Against the Regime: Voices from the Iranian Underground Music Scene
Iran’s Green Revolt is about freedom and democracy, sure. But it usually has to take form in a particular issue or, as in the case of a growing portion of Iran’s youth, in song. Meet the resistance in the form of the underground music scene.
Michael Jackson, Perfect “God” for the Media Age
Was Michael Jackson a supernatural magician or an icon of self-immolation? Both? The physical body is gone, the musical productivity has ceased, the capacity to speak for himself is no more, so now MJ is a wonderfully ambiguous figment of our imagination. Three religion scholars discuss the life, legend, meaning, and myth of one of the world's most talented, successful, and perhaps tortured performers.
By the Way: McNamara, Dead at 93, Lived Long and Rueful Life
What went through the mind of this haunted man with the “thousand-yard stare” in his later years as he shuffled back and forth to work just “a hand grenade’s throw” from the Vietnam War Memorial?
Beyond the Spin: Palin Hurt the GOP, According to the Numbers
With her resignation as Alaska’s governor, rumors are flying about Palin’s plans to run for president in 2012. But what do the numbers reveal about her effect on the McCain ticket in 2008? In fact, among key religious demographics, they don’t bode well for the “hockey mom” from Alaska.
The Dirty Little Secret of Every Ponzi Scheme, or: Bernie Madoff’s 150 Year Sentence
18th-century visionary financier John Law and 21st-century crook Bernie Madoff both had compatriots with a ravenous desire for free money—the vice that drove the systems in which these kindred spirits operated.
Ten Commandments of the Antichrist: The Georgia Guidestones
Back in 1980, a mysterious set of stones bearing a message for civilization in various languages appeared in Georgia. From Christian dispensationalist symbol of the New World Order to Native American “power-nexus” to the interpretations of Contemporary Pagans, UFO buffs, and New Agers, the Guidestones are a spiritual and political Rorschach test.
Obama Threaded the Moral Needle of Latino Evangelicals in ’08
Obama won, in part, by flipping the vote of Latino evangelicals back from their support of Republicans in ’00 and ’04. This switch, argues Prof. Gastón Espinosa, is due to a combination of targeted and aggressive outreach to evangelicals, the candidate’s ability to talk about his faith, and a compromise on the abortion and gay rights issues.
Respectability and Its Discontents: Missing the Louche, Loud, and Lovely World of Sexual Outlawry
In this meditation on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots an ordained minister, while eulogizing his own outlawry, notes that God’s goodness is evident in the way in which new and seriously maladjusted queer youth are still rising up to bring new energy and edge to the movement.
Stonewall of the “Nones”: The Revolution Won't be Homogenized
What would “a tranny hustler,” peeking through a rip in the stocking of space-time, think of our world 40 years later? What will the next Consciousness Revolution look like?
When The Gods Die: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett Take the ’70s With Them
Michael Jackson, pop theologian and transcendent performer, went from Jehovah’s Witness to Nation of Islam to Islam searching for the well-being embedded in so many of his songs. Farah Fawcett, who was so much more than a pretty face and healthy head of hair, courageously faced death on camera in a youth-obsessed culture.
Does Prayer Work? Do Prayer Studies Work?
Can the efficacy of prayer be determined through a double-blind clinical trial? Do studies measure prayer in ways that even make sense? Perhaps we’re learning more about medical science than about the healing power of prayer.
Pop-Eye: Blind Faith and the Invisible Font
Simply put: Font matters. Is it possible that the most pervasive typeface of late capitalism—Helvetica—is telling us what the gods wish: Do not worry. Trust in me. Put your value here, and you will be rewarded?
“Who Will Rid Me of This Troublesome Doctor?”: Bill O’Reilly, King Henry II, and George Tiller
Thomas Becket was murdered at the suggestion of the powerful King Henry II, who then did public penance. Do pundits like Bill O’Reilly, who spoke so hatefully of George Tiller, likewise bear some responsibility for that crime?
The Two Faces of New Atheism
We should not overlook the New Atheists’ support for science, progressive views and legitimization of non-belief as a viable alternative. Unfortunately, their record is also marked by an intolerance of religious people and the alienation of potential progressive allies.
Purpose Driven Atheism: Secular Maharishis Seeking True Believers
Do Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher, and other true believers really offer a different path, or are their methods and manner merely a mirror image of the fundamentalism they so despise? We are spiritual animals and must learn to live with the complexities and paradoxes of religion—and of the natural world as well.
To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise
According to a pathbreaking new book, Wal-Mart’s success in reframing traditional gender roles, bending the curricula of business schools, and sanctifying working-class consumer capitalism, help explain the connections between conservative politics, the market economy, and family values.