a review of religion and media
By Ann Neumann Is a revisionist history of abortion rights being used–by journalists, supporters, and lawyers–to curtail Supreme Court rulings on other rights like same sex marriage. Is “fear of the backlash” just a stubborn frame? Continue Reading →
Becky Garrison: What will a United States Supreme Court decision do for public opinion regarding same-sex marriage? Continue Reading →
From Tim Muldoon’s article at WaPo’s On Faith blog, “Faltering and Leading: The Conservative Moment,” in which Muldoon assesses David French’s fawning assessment of the state of the Conservative movement (only evangelicals need work harder!) and finds it almost very satisfactory:
If there is a hopeful note in this ancient and new story of the relationship between faith and culture, it is this: no longer is the story limited to a single narrative. There are three strands (Catholic, Evangelical, and Mormon) that French points to in his article, but there are surely others. Many contemporary Jews and Muslims, for example, are equally concerned that American laissez-faire attitudes toward sex, and therefore toward abortion, marriage, and many other social issues are toxic to a society. Further, the convergence of these narratives around social issues offers fruitful directions for interfaith conversation, when once upon a time those conversations foundered on the rocks of doctrinal disagreement.
Changing the Script: An Authentically Faithful and Authentically Progressive Political Theology for the 21st Century, by Daniel Schultz. Ig Publishing (2010) $15.95
Reviewed by Brent A. R. Hege
For as long as there has been a religious right barging its way into Americans’ lives, bedrooms, pocketbooks and polling places, there have been religious progressives wondering how perceptions of their faith had been hijacked and twisted into something virtually unrecognizable. The record of the religious right is as long as it is upsetting: from creationism in public schools ( the Scopes “Monkey” Trial of 1925 to the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case of 2005) to Judge Roy Moore and efforts to eliminate the wall between church and state; from the Terri Schiavo fiasco to Proposition 8, the tendrils of Christian conservatism have reached into virtually every corner of American life. Many critics ask, often with exasperation and even resignation, where is the religious left? Where is the alternative vision, the principled opposition, the united voice of a sane and progressive religious movement raised in righteous protest?
Yet the voice of the religious left is present; in the church, in the academy, and in the public square. Continue Reading →
The Philadelphia Enquirer reports that after months of touting a shared tradition of religious tolerance with Philadelphia and after an extended struggle over potential sites, the Mormon Church has finally secured location for a 68,000 square foot temple in downtown. Philly’s mayor has proclaimed the project an effort to beautify the selected boulevard; the area is home to Saints’ Peter and Paul Cathedral, the future Barnes Collection and the Free Library. It is estimated that the temple will serve 40,000 visitors and provide the community with 50 permanent jobs, though church services will be accessible to members only.
Tucked into the story is this little-reported statistic: “One of the fastest growing denominations in the United States, and the fourth largest, the LDS Church claims 5.5 million members nationwide and 13 million worldwide.”
Meanwhile, Bush-appointed Judge Vaughn Walker is expected to announce his ruling today on Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The decision will determine the constitutionality of Proposition 8, a ballot initiative, primarily funded by the Mormon church, that made same-sex marriage illegal in California. In anticipation of a ruling to overturn Prop 8, opponents of same-sex marriage have filed a stay in order to appeal. Members of the Church of Latter Day Saints reportedly contributed $24 million to promote the passage of Prop 8. Continue Reading →
Out & About interviews director Reed Cowan about his new documentary film on the Mormon Church’s efforts to pass Proposition 8 in California, a law which makes same-sex marriage illegal. Cowan says his documentary is more about separation of church and state than it is gay rights and predicts that the church’s blatant political participation will come back to haunt them just as their racial discrimination in the 70’s caused an investigation of their tax-exempt status by the IRS. Continue Reading →
Out & About interviews director Reed Cowan about his new documentary film on the Mormon Church’s efforts to pass Proposition 8 in California, a law which makes same-sex marriage illegal. Cowan says his documentary is more about separation of church and state than it is gay rights and predicts that the church’s blatant political participation will come back to haunt them just as their racial discrimination in the 70’s caused an investigation of their tax-exempt status by the IRS. Continue Reading →