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By The Way: Gay Marriage in Iowa, not California?
To all the breathless detractors of “flyover country,” think about the history of Iowa before expressing shock.
RDPulpit: They Plug Up Their Ears With Bible Verses
Religious people who want their government to deny legal marriage to gays and lesbians ought to think more clearly about the rights they would lose if the wall between church and state were to crumble.
Hitching a Freedom Ride: Gay Ain’t the New Black…
Due to the widespread acceptance of black civil rights, some members and friends of the LGBTQ community have hitched their conceptual wagons to the black freedom struggle of the 20th century. While gay rights are no trifling matter, those eager to make comparisons may want to hold their horses.
Grasping At Straws: The Problem with Common Ground on Abortion
What could possibly be wrong with finding “common ground” on abortion, as a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer op-ed suggested? A closer look at the “commongroundniks” leaves a lot to be desired for those who don’t compromise on respect and support for women.
Pro-Life Tempest Over Obama’s Notre Dame Speech
Obama’s scheduled Notre Dame commencement has a small, largely powerless, group of Orthodox Catholics singing for publicity to an obliging media. Why did Notre Dame take the bait?
By the Way: Religious Right Losing its Grip?
College Democrats at Pat Robertson’s Regent U., Notre Dame’s refusal to rescind an invitation to the pro-choice president—younger evangelicals and Catholics are in rebellion and it doesn’t bode well for the once-commanding presence of the religious right.
RDBook: Wifely Submission and Christian Warfare
A growing movement among conservative Christians exhorts women to give up the foolish notion of independence and subordinate themselves to their husbands. In this excerpt from Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, Kathryn Joyce connects the dots between cinnamon buns and submission.
Plus: Let the Judicial Wars begin; Falwell Jr. warns of The Rapture; Out gays will create ‘turmoil’ in the military, says anti-gay leader, and more.
Jesus, Please Take Away These Feelings
A play about gay teens steps outside the box, sparks a loud clamor in religious media, and rankles an archbishop.
The Great Secret of Constitutional Law: Why Proposition 8 Will (and perhaps should) Be Upheld
“The Constitution is not what the Court says it is. Rather it is what the people…eventually allow the Court to say it is.” A careful read of the history of great advances in American freedom reveals that high court decisions like Brown v. Board of Ed. actually relied both on the clarity of the argument and the perception that the nation was ready.
The Religious Violence of Defending Marriage
Defense of Marriage laws, now in place in over thirty-seven states, are actually a form of religious violence; they violate sacred texts, are idolatrous, and scapegoat a powerless group.
RDPulpit: Excommunicating the Victims
While the family of a 9-year-old incest victim’s abortion is excommunicated, the perpetrator never even made it to the ecclesial radar screen. Let this case signal the end of any credible claim to authority of bishops and the dawn of a new era when local communities determine their own members. I daresay the world will be a safer, kinder place.
Muslim Women “Warriors”
The recently launched Musawah Movement reckons with the Qur’an and Sharia to ensure that women aren’t subject to hostile and unequal treatment by their communities or families.
Mormon Bloggernacle is No Choir
A recent RD story on Mormon Mommy Bloggers sparked debate in LDS blogs and revealed a community in transition. What exactly is the “Bloggernacle”—and are “Mormon Mommy Bloggers” a part of it? And what happens to a church built on gathering when the internet becomes the primary meeting space?
Scott Lively, the founder of Abiding Truth Ministries and the author of the the weird book The Pink Swastika, is declaring war against the Southern Poverty Law Center, while taking his anti-gay crusade overseas.
ENDA Times: LGBT Groups, Echoing the Civil Rights Era, Approach Churches
The Human Rights Campaign, while lobbying for the passage of a comprehensive federal nondiscrimination bill, is hoping to “reclaim the moral ground” from the religious right by targeting churches with its new curriculum.
No Conspiracy Theories Needed: Abortion Foes Cry Racism
In order to attract a different demographic of supporters, the anti-abortion movement has adopted the theory that reproductive freedom is actually a plot to rid America of its black and brown citizens.
“Not a Fan of the Undergarments”: A Mormon Mother Blogs
A Mormon mommy blogger ponders spiritual laziness, gay marriage (fine with her), projectile vomiting, the evils of daylight savings time, and the relationship between Mormon-mom perfection and antidepressants.
Birth of the Bloggernacle
Mormons are natural storytellers, they say, and commanded by the church to research family history and take an account of their lives. LDS and the internet: a match made in heaven.
RDPulpit: I Am Not A Number: Gays and Lesbians and Opinion Polls
A new poll shows that a majority of Americans support legal recognition for gay unions. Our columnist wishes they would stop taking surveys and start taking action.