Although he’s something of a Jan. 6 hero in some people’s eyes (actually, he only refused to be a coup lotter), Mike Pence is what he’s always been: A religious right conservative. Televangelist John Hagee (photo, left; profile here) is one of the most repulsive figures of the reli[...]
Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category
January 22nd, 2023 - 8:30 pm § in America, Christianity, Democrats, Donald Trump, Politics, Religion, Republicans
Americans are leaving religion behind
Organized religion in America is grappling with dwindling congregations and church closures (read story here). That’s less than shocking. The old churchgoing generations are dying off, and people who stopped attending during the pandemic have been slow to return. But there’s a bigger re[...]
Should this teacher be fired?
Vivian Geraghty was an English teacher at a Masillon, Ohio, middle school. The school adopted a new policy requiring teachers to address students by their preferred pronouns. NBC News says (here), “About a week before she resigned, two of Geraghty’s students requested that she use names [...]
December 15th, 2022 - 12:18 am § in Law and Courts, Religion
“Pastor” doesn’t always mean godliness
A Florida pastor and his son have been arrested for “fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in federal Covid relief funds and attempting to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Walt Disney World,” NBC News reported on Wednesday December 14, 2022 (read story here). Hey, I [...]
The New Right’s dangerous idea
The New Right, Vox writer Zach Beauchamp says (here), is “a loose grouping of conservative thinkers who advocate aggressively wielding state power to promote a more conservative culture.” One of their apostles is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has presidential ambitions. He has aggressiv[...]
White Christian nationalism and the false consensus effect
“False consensus effect” is a term sociologists use to describe “when people tend to wrongly think their own views are held by the majority.” An article by two sociology professors in Time magazine says (here), “This happens most often when people are surrounded only by[...]
What to do when prayers aren’t answered
Maybe God wants you to try harder, and in a different way. Doug Mastriano was on a Mission From God™ to ensure Trump gets Pennsylvania’s electoral votes in 2024, regardless of what voters want. His rallies resembled religious revivals; people bowed their heads, closed their eyes, raised thei[...]
How the GOP’s theocratic fringe sees America
Doug Mastriano, the GOP nominee for Pennsylvania governor, is the tip of the theocratic movement’s political spear for now. He’ll probably be soundly beaten in Tuesday’s election, if polls are believed, and if that happens his future status in the movement is unclear. Americans lov[...]
October 29th, 2022 - 11:30 am § in Law and Courts, Religion
Another homeless feeding ban is challenged in court
This isn’t a new issue; cities and towns have been passing ordinances against giving food to homeless people for years. There are valid health reasons to regulate food distribution (see story here), but should it be legal to ban food-sharing even when it’s safe, if the intent is to run h[...]
Can “leftists” be Christians?
Depends on what is meant by “leftists.” Derrick Van Orden, 53, a former Navy SEAL, likely will be elected to Congress from Wisconsin this fall. He’s running for an open seat that leans Republican in current polls; the incumbent, Ron Kind (D-WI), is retiring. Van Orden stirred contr[...]