Oct
12Baylor University released its latest survey of religion in America last month. As always, there’s plenty to digest. The findings about competing beliefs in heaven and hell especially caught my eye.
Oct
05After Osama bin Laden was killed, we talked about whether, drawing from your religious perspective, you would have sanctioned his death if you had been an adviser to the president. Most of you, in one way or another, said that you thought his death should not be celebrated, but that it would fit under the just war theory.
Sep
28When Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson told a caller on his TV show that a married man dating another woman because his wife was suffering from Alzheimer’s “should divorce and start all over,” it caused a predictable reaction. Even his co-host reminded Robertson that couples vow to remain together “for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer.” But Robertson did not back off: “I hate Alzheimer’s. It is one of the most awful things because, here is a loved one, this is the woman or man that you have loved for 20, 30, 40 years, and suddenly, that person is gone. They’re gone. They are gone.” Alzheimer’s, he said, “is a kind of death.” And he said he would not put a “guilt trip on someone who divorced for such a reason.”
Sep
21The three Abrahamic faiths are known for being monotheistic religions. They worship one Deity, even though they may leave room for several concepts of the Divine. For example, Christians believe in the Trinity.
Sep
15With the drought creating havoc across Texas, including leading to brutal fires in Central Texas, it’s not uncommon to hear people either jokingly or seriously assert that they are going to pray for rain. Gov. Rick Perry even issued a proclamation last April asking Texans to pray for rain over a 72-hour period. Part of the proclamation read this way:
Sep
08Since September 11, 2001, many conversations have taken place among Muslims, Jews and Christians. There are official interfaith conversations occurring all over the globe, where participants dig into each other’s texts. And numerous personal dialogues have been established over the last decade. Many of us have learned more about the three Abrahamic faiths since September 11, 2001 than perhaps we knew before that day.
Aug
31Bill Keller writes this week in the New York Times Magazine that this year’s Republican primary season offers an important opportunity “to confront our scruples about the privacy of faith in public life – and to get over them.” Questions have been raised about Mitt Romney’s faith and Jon Huntsman’s, both Mormons. Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann are making an explicit appeal to Christian conservatives. Perry’s prayer rally in Houston included people who want religious faith to have a more prominent place in public policy.
Aug
24Gov. Rick Perry made plenty of news last week, including offering the observation that creationism is taught alongside evolution in Texas schools.
Aug
17Despite the economy, it’s likely that many Americans still toured Europe this summer. While there, they surely went into some of Europe’s great cathedrals to view their towering architecture, stained glass windows and ornate statues. And they likely took in one or more of Europe’s impressive museums, viewing works of art that often had a religious connection.
Aug
11What does feminism mean to you?
That question is the subject of a growing discussion given that Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann both claim to be feminists. Except their feminism differs from the days of Gloria Steinem. Lisa Miller, a religion writer for Washington Post.com and On Faith, describes Bachmann’s feminism this way: