NewsTrust - Religion and Politics - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Mainstream)

santorum wants to impose "judeo-christian sharia

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

CNN - By Dean Obeidallah - Jan. 05 (Opinion) - There are two Rick Santorums: The first one I might not agree with, but the second one truly scares me.

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France, Islam and the banlieues: a debate on the place of Islam and class in the suburbs

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Michèle Tribalat, Gérard Mauger - Nov. 01 (Opinion) - In an effort to allay concerns about Islam in France, policymakers and analysts have either tried to play down its importance or sought to blend it into the landscape. Islam is often portrayed as an integral part of French history: its presence simply follows on from ancient history. The basis for this argument is shaky, for it refers to an era when Christendom – not yet referred to as the west – was in retreat, driven back by the force of Islamic arms.

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Apocalyptic GOP Is Dragging Us Into a Civil War

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Rolling Stone - By Matt Taibbi - Sep. 12 (Opinion) - Lofgren's piece raises fascinating and terrifying questions about the future of our political system and the increasing possibility that we are headed toward something like a civil war, or a constitutional crisis. Lofgren, in describing the reasons for his defection from the Republican party, describes a Republican camp that increasingly acts not like a traditional peacetime political organization, but more like an apocalyptic cult or one of the authoritarian movements from early 20th century European history.

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2 Dads, 2 Daughters, 1 Big Day

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Frank Bruni - Jul. 21 (Opinion) - Even in a city as diverse as New York and a neighborhood as progressive as the West Village, a little kid knows that having two dads is different. Eight-year-old Maeve certainly did.

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Religion strikes back at Brazil's gay culture

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Vincent Bevins - Jul. 02 (Opinion) - Brazilians tend to be fairly liberal on the issue of others' sexuality, but gay rights are threatened by a growing evangelical movement Despite a little sub-tropical rain, the world's largest gay pride parade, in São Paulo, went off spectacularly. It received broad public support, and no less a figure than Stephen Fry joined a colourful group of revellers who have much to celebrate. The supreme court had just officially recognised the rights of same-sex unions to the privileges held by heterosexual couples, and another judge soon after signed off on the country's first full-fledged gay marriage. One aspect of the celebrations, however, ignited controversy. The city's main avenue was decorated with posters , designed by an HIV prevention group, that featured 12 barely clothed male models, styled as Catholic saints, but with come-hither looks and the caption: "Not even a saint can save you. Use a condom." The group says the aim was education, but it was hard not to see the campaign as an ...

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Argument, Truth and the Social Side of Reasoning

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Gary Gutting - Jun. 30 (Opinion) - In a recent discussion about reasoning, one point was overlooked: Knowledge of the truth is a social process. Philosophers rightly think of themselves as experts on reasoning. After all, it was a philosopher, Aristotle, who developed the science of logic. But psychologists have also had some interesting things to say about the subject. A fascinating paper by Dan Sperber and Hugo Mercier has recently generated a lot of discussion.

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Shocking photo created a hero, but not to his family

Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

CNN - By John Blake - May. 17 (Review) - The mob was already waiting for James Zwerg by the time the Greyhound bus eased into the station in Montgomery, Alabama.

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Now that he’s dead, let’s end bin Laden’s grip on us

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Eugene Robinson - May. 13 (Opinion) - Years from now, I believe, we will look back and say the elimination of Osama bin Laden changed everything. To borrow Churchill’s assessment of the Nazi defeat at El Alamein, “Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

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Pakistan did its part

Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Asif Ali Zardari - May. 03 (Opinion) - Together, our nations have suffered and sacrificed. We have fought bravely and with passion and commitment. Ultimately we will prevail. For, in the words of my martyred wife Benazir Bhutto, “truth, justice and the forces of history are on our side.”

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What effect has the internet had on religion?

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Aleks Krotoski - Apr. 17 (Opinion) - Online, God has been released from traditional doctrine to become everything to everybody I remember several years ago, when the virtual world Second Life was the thing on the web, wandering in the embodiment of my avatar through a most extraordinary representation of a cathedral. The frescoes, stained glass and flying buttresses were replicated to a degree that would make even the most cynical architect weep. Also enjoying the experience were 30 other virtual people from around the world, dressed in all manner of outerwear, from 1950s party dresses to slinky black outfits with impossible heels to squirrel costumes. They, as it turned out, were gathered in this cyber-place to celebrate a religious service. I watched from the safe distance of a back-of-the-nave pew, listening to the officiant lead his digital flock through a very traditional Catholic ceremony. I left after transubstantiation, just as they were processing in a typically sombre way to receive the Eucharist. The concept of ...

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My Take: Jesus would believe in evolution and so should you

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

CNN - By Karl W. Giberson - Apr. 10 (Opinion) - Jesus once famously said, “I am the Truth.” Christianity at its best embodies this provocative idea and has long been committed to preserving, expanding and sharing truth. Most of the great universities of the world were founded by Christians committed to the truth—in all its forms—and to training new generations to carry it forward. When science began in the 17th century, Christians eagerly applied the new knowledge to alleviate suffering and improve living conditions. But when it comes to the truth of evolution, many Christians feel compelled to look the other way. They hold on to a particular interpretation of an ancient story in Genesis that they have fashioned into a modern account of origins - a story that began as an oral tradition for a wandering tribe of Jews thousands of years ago. This is the view on display in a $27 million dollar Creation Museum in Kentucky. It inspired the Institute for Creation Research, which purports to offer scientific support for creationism.

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Liberty University sure is skilled at sucking on the government teat

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

ScienceBlogs.com - By PZ Myers - Apr. 06 (Opinion) - Liberty University gets half a billion dollars a year in federal aid.

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The Palestinian narrative has won

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Haaretz - By Oudeh Basharat - Mar. 24 (Opinion) - When the Knesset approves legislation banning the Nakba commemoration, it seems surreal. Yet, there is also something good in this commotion. At least, there's no denial of the Nakba.

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Islamism has lost its monopoly on dissent

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The Guardian - By Richard Phelps - Feb. 17 (Opinion) - The uprisings in the Middle East have shown that viable political opposition is no longer the preserve of Islamists alone.

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Why fear the Arab revolutionary spirit?

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The Guardian - By Slavoj Žižek - Feb. 01 (Opinion) - The western liberal reaction to the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia frequently shows hypocrisy and cynicism.

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Jewish prayers for Egypt's uprising

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Aljazeera - By Michael Lerner - Feb. 01 (Opinion) - Many Jews from around the world support Egyptian self-determination because of Judaism's own historic past with Egypt.

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Obama's gay rights challenge

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Washington Post - By Kerry Eleveld - Jan. 21 (Interview) - Less than a month after President Obama repealed "don't ask, don't tell," his Justice Department filed its latest brief defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act - the law that makes gay Americans second-class citizens by outlawing federal recognition of their legal marriages. This action underscores the point that the battle over gay rights is just beginning.

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Pakistan's increasing radicalisation: Staring into the abyss

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Economist - Jan. 09 (Editorial) - There is a small space in which a liberal vision of Pakistan hangs on. It shrank a lot further with the murder on January 4th of a notable progressive politician and critic of religious extremism, Salman Taseer. Even before the assassination, the leading liberal-minded political party, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which heads the government in Islamabad and counted Mr Taseer as an activist since the 1970s, was in deep trouble. On January 2nd the PPP lost its majority in parliament when the second-biggest party in the government coalition, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), walked out. The PPP has been rocked by Mr Taseer’s murder, which brings back memories of the ghastly assassination by extremists of the party’s leader, Benazir Bhutto, in 2007. Pakistan’s problems, including an economy in a tailspin and a raging Islamist insurgency, are unlikely to get the attention they need while the government struggles for survival.

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Faith and Modernity

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Alan Wolfe - Dec. 25 (Review) - Yule as we celebrate it today owes more to Charles Dickens than to Thomas Aquinas. Our major solstice holiday is what Roy calls a “cultural construct” rather than a sectarian ceremony, which explains why Muslims buy halal turkeys and Jews transformed Hanukkah into a gift-giving occasion. Mistakenly believing that Christmas is sacred, those who defend it find themselves propping up the profane. The Christ they want in Christmas is a product not of Nazareth but of Madison Avenue.

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In God-fearing USA, where is the decency?

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

USA Today - By Tom Krattenmaker - Oct. 24 (Opinion) - Shouldn't a public square teeming with so many religious people and religiously derived principles display a little more decency?

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The Tolerance Canard

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Denver Post - By David Harsanyi - Oct. 22 (Opinion) - Today, even broaching the topic of religious affiliation can send (almost all) the dolts on "The View" scattering for cover. To some folks, any whiff of critical discussion on the religious angle is tantamount to narrow-mindedness. And now, apparently, religious bigotry includes the dissemination of truth.

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Does It Matter that the Constitution Doesn't Say "The Separation of Church and State"?

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

FindLaw - By Vikram David Amar, Alan Brownstein - Oct. 22 (Opinion) - The phrase "the separation of church and state" is a shorthand description of a much more complicated interpretation of the constitutional text. As such, whether it appears literally in the Constitution's text is not terribly important. What is important is whether this metaphor accurately captures the meaning of the constitutional guarantee of the First Amendment.

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'American Taliban' wrapped in the flag

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

San Francisco Chronicle - By Markos Moulitsas - Sep. 27 (Opinion) - Conservatives are fond of saying that "liberals want the terrorists to win." In fact, that has been a staple attack line since 9/11. But that has always been a ludicrous notion.

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'This Week' Transcript: Axelrod, McConnell and Queen Rania

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

This Week - By Christiane Amanpour - Sep. 26 (Interview) - MCCONNELL: What most Americans think is extreme is the kind of government we've been running for the last year-and-a-half. We've seen the government taken over banks, insurance companies, car companies, nationalizing the student loan business. We're on a path to double the national debt in five years and triple it in 10.

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We are the Tea Party

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By John Mark Reynolds - Sep. 21 (Opinion) - Americans have never been fond of taxes: ask the British. Parliament passed a tiny tax on tea and touched off a titanic tax rebellion. Americans may like some government social programs, but they don't like paying for them. Ronald Reagan once summed up our attitude by saying: "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree."

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