ReligionDispatches - Dispatches From Politics

Prophetic Counterterrorism: Avoiding the Insanity of Repeated Failure

Eric Reitan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

The secular world, in confronting evil, has long relied on one solution: the use of coercive power to violently incapacitate those who do evil—often with “collateral damage.” Maybe it’s time to explore other options?

Two Wars and No Peace in Sight: The Role of Faith-Based Pacifism

Richard Ricketts — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

When it comes to peace activism, holding signs might not always be enough, says sociologist Sharon Nepstad. In this interview she explains why, and talks about the unique historical role of religion in nonviolent protest.

Words Matter: The Linguistic Damage of “Going Muslim”

Daniel Martin Varisco — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

The etymological ethnic bias of the phrase “going Muslim,” used to refer to the massacre at Fort Hood, is as damaging as it is inaccurate.

Stupak Forming Fault Lines in Left-Leaning Faith Groups?

Sarah Posner — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

With left-leaning faith groups unable to agree on abortion issues, the religious right—with the help of anti-choice Democrats—were able to convince Democratic strategists that they spoke for people of faith. Will the inability to take a strong stance for women’s rights split religious coalitions?

House Health Care Bill Discriminates Against Religious Freedom

Gordon D. Newby — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Abortion is not a liberal, secular invention; there are examples in Jewish, Muslim, and even Christian theologies—and in Buddhist and Hindu traditions—of instances in which abortion is justified.

Muslim Students Shocked By Professor’s Column

Haroon Moghul — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:01 PST

An NYU professor suggests in Forbes that we refer to tragedies like the one at Ft. Hood as “Going Muslim.” An NYU alumnus, himself a Muslim, finds himself shocked, not so much by the article, as by the response of the school administration.

Spinning Ft. Hood

Hussein Rashid — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

RD associate editor Hussein Rashid scrutinizes a cross-section of reactions to the Ft. Hood massacre, from those eager to blame Islam to a number of Muslim-Americans.

Bad Religion Leaves Big Bruises: When Christians Threaten Health Care Reform

Peter Laarman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Two strands of Christianity battle against a bill ensuring that all Americans are cared for. One prefers John Locke to Jesus while the other has its issues with women.

Are US Bishops Responsible for Anti-Abortion Amendment in Health Care Reform?

Frances Kissling — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:00:01 PST

As so many pundits ask whether it was the 11th-hour activism of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that enabled the anti-choice provision to be inserted into the health care bill, our analyst explores a different possibility: Democratic strategy.

Politics, Not Religion, At Heart of Health Care Reform Wrangle on Abortion

Sarah Posner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Despite repeated compromises from pro-choice Democrats, anti-choice Dems threaten to kill health care reform unless all their demands are met.

Suicide Bombers and the Prozac God: A Review of Dying for Heaven

Bruce B. Lawrence — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:00:01 PST

A new work advancing a radical theory of the motivation behind suicide bombers is almost bizarrely off the mark. Stitching together thought and observation from disparate and often dissonant sources, Georgetown theology professor Ariel Glucklich’s book would be laughable were he not a consultant to the defense community.

Reverend Billy For Mayor: Is He For Real?

Nathan Schneider — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:00:01 PDT

Performance artist or man of God? Agitator or politician? The Church of Life After Shopping’s Reverend Billy has a choir and a congregation like a preacher—does he have to be a “real” clergyman to minister to the masses?

Escalating Afghanistan: What Did You Do in the Class War, Daddy?

Peter Laarman — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 PDT

Don’t the clergy have a duty to challenge the march of folly in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right

Frederick Clarkson — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:01 PDT

President Obama averages 30 death threats per day, preachers pray publicly for his death, and right-wing pundits speak openly of military coups. Dave Neiwert, author of The Eliminationists, gives some insight into the relationship between extreme rhetoric and acts of violence.

A Pagan Republican Comes Out of the Broom Closet

Sarah M. Pike — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:01 PDT

Aspiring New York City councilman Dan Halloran is a practicing Neopagan, more specifically a Heathen, devoted to the religious practices and beliefs of early Northern Europe. But the oddest thing of all, to many people, is that he’s not an anti-war, enviro-activist, free-loving liberal—he’s a Republican.

Barbara Ehrenreich’s Bright-Sided Explores the Dark Side of Positive Thinking

Michelle Goldberg — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:00:01 PDT

A new book reveals the historical roots and conservative uses of the positive thinking movement, showing how it encourages victim-blaming, political complacency, and a culture-wide flight from realism.

National Association of Evangelicals Supports Immigration Reform, But Elsewhere Discord Reigns

Donna Schaper — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:01 PDT

Major religious leaders support immigration reform while a think tank argues that “loving thy neighbor” is relative. When we remember that real people’s lives are at stake, the moral landscape becomes clear.

Burying the Future: Youth Violence in Chicago

Ibrahim Abusharif — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:01 PDT

The problem of children slain in urban America is usually considered an inner-city crisis, isolated from the larger social sphere. But once you know about it, or see it up close, you see it everywhere.

How Mormonism Built Glenn Beck

Joanna Brooks — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:01 PDT

Some are familiar with Glenn Beck’s teary Mormon conversion story, but what many are not aware of is the extent to which Mormonism has given Beck key elements of his on-air personality and messaging—and how it may shape the future of American conservatism.

A Great Gulf Fixed: Implications of the Vanishing Religious Middle

Peter Laarman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:01 PDT

Results of a new poll show that in matters of religion the right and left are in different universes. Why, then, are progressives so insistent on finding common ground?

Could a Prophet Be Confirmed to the US Department of Labor?

Kim Bobo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:01 PDT

Two of the Obama administration’s picks to staff the Department of Labor are coming up for confirmation this week. M. Patricia Smith and Lorelei Boylan face opposition by right-wing business forces, who don’t appreciate the kind of advocacy they represent.

C Street Scandal, the Media, the Future of the Family: An Interview with Jeff Sharlet

Bill Berkowitz — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:01 PDT

It was a hot summer for the Family, the exclusive conservative Christian group with designs on DC power—three politicians with ties to their C Street headquarters were caught in sex scandals. Jeff Sharlet, author of the definitive book on the secretive group, talks with us about the flickering media spotlight, and the future of the Family.

“I Want My Country Back!”: The Demography of Discontent

Wade Clark Roof — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:01 PDT

It’s more than white republican conservative Christians who are losing confidence in Obama. A survey taken back in April reveals the roots of this season’s protests—the results are surprising.

Tea Partiers and Religious Right Court at Values Voter Summit

Sarah Posner — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:00:01 PDT

Judging by this past weekend’s marquee event on the conservative calendar, the center of gravity is moving from religious right to Tea Partiers, from homosexuality to taxes. A closer look, however, reveals the growing symbiosis between the two.

Huckabee in the Holy Land: A Christian Zionist Campaign

Shalom Goldman — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:00:01 PDT

The religious right’s preferred presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee recently returned from a visit to Israel. What prompted Time to call it his first campaign stop in the 2012 race?