ReligionDispatches - Dispatches From Politics

Making ‘The Link’: AIPAC’s New Crises

Matthew Duss — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

As its annual policy conference kicks off this weekend, AIPAC tamps down concerns about a U.S.-Israel rift, but still faces its worst fear in a challenge from U.S. military commanders: Will the link between destabilization in the rest of the Middle East and the crisis in Israel/Palestine become normalized in the minds of Americans?

Creationism and Global Warming Denial: Anti-Science’s Kissing Cousins?

Lauri Lebo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:00:01 PDT

Both evolutionary theory and climate change have scientific consensus, but explain that to state lawmakers seeking to ‘teach the controversy.’ This is broader than attacks on specific scientific disciplines. In a way, it doesn’t matter to them which scientific discipline they are criticizing—their main thrust is a denial of the validity of science itself

Battling The Antichrist By Outlawing Microchips

Joseph Laycock — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

We can rest easy, knowing that our government wants us to be safe from forced implantation of microchips. But it's not about civil liberties, it's about dispensational paranoia and fear of the “Mark of the Beast.”

Will Ralph Reed’s New Venture Wed Religious Right to Tea Partiers?

Sarah Posner — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:00:01 PST

With his new Faith and Freedom Coalition, Ralph Reed hopes to simultaneously bury his past and to make the connection he’s been yearning for: to “address a wider range agenda, social issues plus economic issues.” Will that connection and mutual cries of socialism be enough to wed the two most energetic right-wing movements?

Anti-Choice Doc Aims to Link Reproductive Rights to ‘Black Genocide’

Michelle Goldberg — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PST

Anti-abortion activists are screening an expertly-made documentary to black audiences across the country. Maafa 21 creates a highly selective, distorted history of the reproductive rights movement and frames abortion as a tool of eugenics and genocide.

Israel Claims Holy Sites, Reignites Religious Flashpoint

Orly Halpern — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PST

Netanyahu’s decision to declare two holy sites located in the Palestinian Territories and once shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims “national heritage sites” triggers violence and conflict.

John Yoo and Jay Bybee Dodge Disciplinary Action but Recall Nuremberg

Bruce Ledewitz — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

Justice Department attorney David Margolis rejected the recommendations of the investigation into the actions of two Bush-era lawyers claiming that the infamous ‘torture memo’ simply constituted ‘poor judgment.’ But John Yoo’s arguments are eerily reminiscent of the Nuremberg Defense and both men still face the judgment of international law and history.

Catholic Child Neglect: DC Archdiocese Cuts Adoption Rather Than Abide Same-Sex Parents

Mary E. Hunt — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

As DC law changes to require equality for same sex couples seeking to adopt, the Catholic Church (which has been in the adoption business for generations) opts to close up shop rather than to abide by the law and treat gay and lesbian families equally.

The Abandoned Orphanage: Hillary Clinton’s Mother Teresa Moment

Kathryn Joyce, Jeff Sharlet — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

At the National Prayer Breakfast, Hillary Clinton fondly remembered how Mother Teresa—or perhaps God—compelled her to encourage adoption. The behind-the-scenes story of how The Family brokered a truce between the pro-choice Clinton and anti-choice nun, by moving Clinton rightward on reproductive rights.

Religious Leaders Urge Obama to Condemn Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill at Prayer Breakfast

Sarah Posner — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

Obama is scheduled to address the National Prayer Breakfast, organized by ‘The Family,’ which has ties to the ‘kill-the-gays’ bill in Uganda. Religious leaders, including a member of the president's faith-based Advisory Council, are calling on the president to condemn homophobia and offer an alternative, inclusive prayer event.

RDPulpit: Obama Missed the Hope in State of the Union Address

Daniel Schultz — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:00:01 PST

In this adapted excerpt from his forthcoming book, RD contributor Daniel Schultz asks whether the president’s State of the Union address will foster hope, ‘newness,’ and faith or just reinforce the base assumptions about power and the economy.

When Mormons Mobilize: Anti-Gay Marriage Prop. 8 Effort ‘Outed’?

Joanna Brooks — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:01 PST

New documents introduced in the challenge to Prop. 8 reveal that the LDS Church sought to create “plausible deniability” in its role in supporting the Yes on 8 campaign. Why would the LDS hierarchy want to deny Mormon involvement?

Angry Voters, Right-Wing Populism, & Racial Violence: People of Faith Can Help Break the Linkages

Chip Berlet — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:00:01 PST

We are in the midst of one of the most significant right-wing populist rebellions in US history as illustrated by the Tea Party and Patriot movements. Will religious and progressive activists provide a voice and outlet for populist fear and anger or will these dispossessed voices find a home among the potentially violent elements of the far right?

Welcome to the (New) Gilded Age: Supreme Court Delivers the Goods to Corporations

Peter Laarman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:00:01 PST

The Supreme Court struck down a century of regulations limiting corporate money in politics, clearing the way for a new Gilded Age. In the original Gilded Age (which inspired the Social Gospel movement), opposition was galvanized by a strong anti-corporate Christianity. Where's the religious opposition now?

Top Five (Less Sensational But More Dangerous) Things to Remember About Pat Robertson

Mark Hulsether — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:01 PST

Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at Pat Robertson for his 2,000-pound leg press claims or to scold him for his vile Haiti comments, but Robertson thrives on the ‘persecution.’ Our list spins the Robertson moral differently and shows just why he’s been a truly dangerous figure.

Coakley v. Brown: Democrats Search (For) Their Souls

Peter Laarman — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:01 PST

On the eve of the vote for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, we contemplate the gulf between the incoherent story offered by the president’s party, and the compelling narrative—about systems of oppression, and the perils of a deeply entrenched status quo—of prophetic religion.

Oral Roberts, Pioneering Christian Zionist

Shalom Goldman — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:00:01 PST

Famous for his use of TV to spread the message, Oral Roberts—friend of Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion—helped to popularize the notion that the newly founded State of Israel was an indication that God still acts in history and that events prophesied in the bible were at hand.

Excerpt: The Christian Roots of Zionism

Shalom Goldman — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:00:01 PST

20th century Jewish aspirations for a revived national home were supported by three centuries of Christian enthusiasm—bolstered by biblical literalism—for the return of the Jews to "their land." In this excerpt from the newly-released Zeal for Zion, Shalom Goldman traces the Christian roots of Zionism.

‘Traditional’ Christianity vs. ‘Liberals’? It’s Not That Simple

Mark D. Jordan — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:01 PST

From abortion to homosexuality to stem cells, you’ve heard time and again that what we are living through is a fight between religious conservatives and activist liberals. It’s not. It is a deep disagreement inside Christianity over what conserving faithfulness means.

The Undergarments of Absolutism: Why Abdulmutallab Got on the Plane

Haroon Moghul — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:01 PST

The so-called Christmas Bomber, a young Nigerian Muslim with a British education, was caught between wealthy westernized life and an inflexible religious ideal. His story summons a theory about how the radical narrative emerges, rises and dies

Oppose Afghanistan But Not a Pacifist? Tough.

Rita Nakashima-Brock, Serene Jones, Gabriella Lettini — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:01 PST

While Obama used his Nobel Peace Prize speech to legitimize Afghanistan using just war principles, soldiers are currently unable to invoke these principles in refusing to serve. When we punish soldiers who heed their moral compasses, we deny them religious freedom, and our democracy is threatened. It’s time to allow those who oppose the war on ethical grounds the option of ‘Selective Conscientious Objection.’

Telling the World a ‘Big Story’: RD in Conversation with Karen Armstrong

Laurie Patton — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:01 PST

Compassion is not just a sloppy emotional bonhomie; it requires a serious intellectual effort to learn about one another, even if it’s unflattering to ourselves. RD contributor and religion scholar Laurie Patton interviews Karen Armstrong upon the launch of her global call to action, the Charter for Compassion.

Religion at Decade’s End

Louis A. Ruprecht — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:01 PST

In which we take the long view, considering the place of religion in the twenty-first century so far. What stands out is our confusion—about religion, about the secular sphere, and about the future of both as embodying forms of political commitment capable of peaceable coexistence.

A New Year’s Health Care Sobriety Test for Religious Progressives: It’s Not Obama

Peter Laarman — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:00:01 PST

Responsible religious leaders need to stay sober and stop cheerleading for the Democrats and for the Obama White House just because they’re not total Visigoths.

Is Joe Lieberman a Bad Jew?

Gordon D. Newby — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:01 PST

Depends whom you ask, these days. Either way, the senator’s obstructionist posture regarding health care reform has exposed him to a round of criticism in the press, including the theory, rapidly gaining traction, that he’s not all that smart.