Religion

Baptist Minister Rents Trouble

by Anne Landman — May 5, 2010 - 2:21pm

George Rekers, a Baptist minister who along with James Dobson co-founded the powerful Christian lobbying group Family Research Council, was spotted arriving at Miami I

Main Source: 
Times Online, May 5, 2010

50th Anniversary of The Pill: Triumph and Controversy

by Megha Desai — May 4, 2010 - 4:16pm
  • Topics: Religion, Social Justice, Women

    • In May of this year, the oral contraceptive known as "The Pill" turns 50 years old, and on this anniversary it is worth reflecting on the Pill's impact, and the obstacles women have faced in obtaining and using it.

    Virginia Rep: Disabled Kids are Punishment from God (Or Not)

    by Anne Landman — February 24, 2010 - 3:16pm

    House Representative Bob Marshall (R-Virginia), speaking at a press conference on February 18 to oppose funding for

    Main Source: 
    Richmond NewsLeader.com, February 22, 2010

    CREW Asks Obama to Avoid Scandal-Plagued Group's "National Prayer Breakfast"

    by Anne Landman — February 2, 2010 - 11:05pm

    The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is asking President Obama not to attend this year's National Prayer Breakfast, the signature annual event of a secretive, Washington, D.C.-based, conservative Christian organization known as "

    Main Source: 
    CREW Press Release, February 1, 2010

    Trijicon to Stop Putting Biblical References on Gun Sights

    by Anne Landman — January 21, 2010 - 5:17pm

    Trijicon, which manufactures gun sights used by the U.S. Military, responded to international outcry and Pentagon concerns by saying it will immediately stop engraving biblical references on gun sights it sells to the military, and will provide the military with 100 free kits to remove existing biblical codes from guns it has already purchased. Guns in the military that currently carry the religious inscriptions may number in the tens of thousands.

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, January 21, 2010

    Secret Jesus Codes on U.S. Military Weapons

    by Anne Landman — January 18, 2010 - 11:08pm

    ABC News revealed that Trijicon, the company that provides high-powered rifle sights to the U.S. military, inscribes the sights with coded references to biblical texts about Jesus Christ. The company inscribes the codes immediately after the model number, in the same font and type size.

    Main Source: 
    ABC News, January 18, 2010

    Mormon Homophobia: Up Close and Personal

    by Sheldon Rampton — December 2, 2008 - 10:49am
  • Topics: Gay / Lesbian, Politics, Religion

    • Jan Shipps, a historian who studies Mormonism, says the church campaign against gay rights has brought it a "perfect storm" of bad PR.

    I posted a brief item here recently about the PR nightmare facing the Mormon Church as a result of the prominent role it played this year promoting Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage in California. At the urging of church leaders, Mormons spent about $20 million on the effort, which probably provided the margin that enabled the proposition to pass.

    There is some irony in the fact that Mormon pollster Gary Lawrence, who led the Proposition 8 grassroots campaign for the church in California, has a gay son, Matthew, who publicly resigned from the church to protest its anti-gay campaign. Matthew says that after his father's participation in "two anti-gay initiatives in eight years, it's impossible not to feel attacked."

    Adding further to the irony, Gary Lawrence has a new book out, titled How Americans View Mormonism: Seven Steps to Improve Our Image. His advice to Mormons who want to be better liked is, "Simply be yourself" -- advice that drew a sharp response from one blogger, who pointed out that being yourself "is a poor prescription for winning friends when 'who you are' is someone willing to lead a campaign to strip your own child of his civil rights."

    Olympics Ideals Prove as Fragile as China

    by Diane Farsetta — July 30, 2008 - 2:24pm

    When China submitted its bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, it promised that journalists would have "complete freedom to report" from the country. However, "sites such as Amnesty International or any search for a site with Tibet in the address could not be opened at the Main Press Center [in Beijing], which will house about 5,000 print journalists when the games open Aug.

    Main Source: 
    Reuters, July 30, 2008

    The Answer to Smokers' Prayers?

    by Anne Landman — July 21, 2008 - 4:21pm

    Smoking was officially banned July 1 in Dutch bars and cafes. Since then, smokers have started flocking to a new religious movement in the Netherlands known as the "The Only and Universal Smokers Church of God," or the "Smokers Church." Michiel Eijsbouts, who founded the church in 2001, insists that the new smoking law does not apply to members of the Smokers Church.

    Main Source: 
    The Telegraph (UK), July 17, 2008
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