Now that we know the Norwegian killer was a Christian and a white male, which storyline are we more likely to see in the media?
Option one: Lots of stories asking, "Is Christianity inherently violent? Is Christianity compatible with democracy and civil society?"
Option two: Lots of descriptions of the killer's pathological tendencies, violent inclinations, and eccentric habits, showing that he was a dangerous madman from the beginning (and that he acted alone).
Thanks to Russ McCutcheon and Craig Martin for framing the issue this way for me.
The European human rights tribunal rules that Italy may display crucifixes in public school classrooms
Link: http://ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/crucifix-case-victory-open-doo...
- Posted from Phoenixville, PA
Someone should be able to get a conference paper just out of the first sentence of this publisher's advertisement for the new edition of Living Religions
"The eternal verities of religion never change, but academic
perspectives on them are in constant flux, and so are the political
and cultural contexts within which people practice their religions.
Therefore there is a constant need for updating my textbook Living
Religions so that students will have the most recent information
available for understanding what religions are about and how people
are trying to live by them in the contemporary world."
Three things I'd like to ask the Rev. Terry Jones
In case you're not following the news, Terry Jones, pastor of an evangelical Christian church in Florida with a history of taking highly public anti-Islam stances, is planning to burn a stack of Qur'ans on this coming Sept. 11. This has received a great deal of attention around the world. Most recently, Gen. Petraeus, commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has stated that he believes the event will probably result in American casualties in the rioting and reprisals that will almost certainly come in its wake.
So, here are a few things I'd like to ask Pastor Jones.
(1) Is there anything you'd like to say to the parents, children, spouses and other family members of the US servicemen and -women who, according to Gen. Petraeus, will most likely lose their lives in the aftermath of "International Burn a Koran Day"? Do you have any words for the Christians in Indonesia and elsewhere who have asked you to call off the event out of fear of the reprisals they expect to suffer?
(2) Some friends of mine and I have raised enough money* to send you personally to Peshawar, where your planned event would make a much more powerful and courageous statement than it possibly could in Gainesville. Surely you are interested in moving the event there?
(3) In Germany, in 1821, writer Heinrich Heine said, "Where one begins by burning books, one will end by burning people." (Incidentally, he too was thinking of incidents of Qur'an-burning, during the Spanish Inquisition.) What kind of sorry fucker "sends a message" by burning books in 2010?
*Full disclosure: this is not, strictly speaking, true, about the money. But I still think it's a good idea, and I bet people would contribute.
Dear crowd of sources, what names most vividly conjure up for you the intellectual world of the late 18th century?
Television spot advertising Harpic toilet bowl cleaner, parodying Hindu religious imagery
View it at TellyAds.com if you can't see it here. First seen at a budding grove.
Happy Good Friday (from ThisIsIndexed.com)
Holly and Philip Wagner, GodChicks and the Men They Love (Regal, 2010)
Becoming a GodChick—a woman who understands her value, enjoys her relationship with God and loves others (while having fun on this journey called life!) doesn’t happen overnight . . . and it can’t happen without support from those around you. If you are married or hope to be someday, it’s time to consider your closest traveling companion on the quest: your husband! In GodChicks and the Men They Love, Holly and Philip Wagner (pastors of The Oasis Church in Los Angeles) share their experiences through more than 25 years of marriage and show how you can create an extraordinary, fulfilling relationship . . . not the imaginary stuff of fairy tales, but a real and remarkable everyday love that will stand the test of time. Each chapter wraps up with a short “Just for the Men” section that briefly summarizes (in man-friendly bullet points) what your guy needs to know about loving you well. When you learn how to become allies instead of adversaries by respecting each other’s unique gifts, abilities and perspectives, you will be unstoppable in your God-centered life together!
