Why Christian Terrorism is an Oxymoron While Islamic Terrorism is a Truism

In the wake of the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting, many political commentators have been quick to criticize Republicans for being unwilling to call Robert Lewis Dear a “Christian terrorist” though those same Republicans want to call ISIS and its agents “Islamic terrorists.” Here’s a representative example of this argument from (of course) Think Progress: But […]

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Donald Trump Wants to do What with American Muslims?

So in another Twilight Zone episode of history repeating itself, Donald Trump is not ruling out tagging, logging, and tracking every Muslim in the US just in case one might be a terrorist: “Some people are going to be upset about it, but I think that now everybody is feeling that security is going to […]

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Pastafarian Woman Forces Massachusetts RMV to Let Her Wear Colander for Driver’s License Photo

The American Humanist Foundation considers it a win that they were able to legally force a government institution to officially recognize the fictional practices of a fictional religion. Because it proves an important point somehow: Lindsay Miller identifies as a Pastafarian, also known as members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a secular […]

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Is Obama Trying to Test the Tolerance Limits of Pope Francis?

Pope Francis is set to visit the White House, and Obama is apparently seeing just how far the Pope’s famous tolerance can go. Obama has invited quite a few people to meet Pope Francis at the White House, and few of them fall squarely into any category one could consider “orthodox”: In a stunning show […]

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Are We Witnessing the End of the Church’s Tax-Exempt Status?

For all the talk of separation of church and state, it seems most people don’t understand that concept cuts both ways. Most people think it means that the church should have no influence on the state, not vice versa. And in the wake of the same-sex marriage ruling, some commentators are calling for the end of […]

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The Diversity vs. Equality Paradox and the Branding of America

I just read an interesting article on the ambivalent feelings some homosexuals have had toward the recent Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage. According to some homosexuals, especially the older ones, the normalization of homosexuality has eroded the uniqueness of the homosexual identity: Rainbow-hued “Just Be You” messages have been flashing across Chase A.T.M. screens in […]

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Religious Freedom, Hypothetical Hate, and “Legitimate” Bigotry

The situation in Indiana over so-called religious freedom is completely ridiculous. Let’s just overlook the fact that the Indiana religious freedom act is just a more local version of the national RFRA signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993. That in itself should indicate that the current hatred is contrived at best. But let’s […]

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Catholic Church in San Francisco Was Pouring Cold Water on the Homeless

St. Mary’s Catholic Church in San Francisco had an odd way of making sure homeless people didn’t sleep in front of its doors—it had a timed sprinkler system that dumped cold water in its doorways: . . . The principal church of the San Francisco Roman Catholic Archdiocese used the watering system to keep the homeless […]

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Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) Protects Wife Abusers?

A new act in the Georgia legislature, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), was designed to protect the right of religious people to exercise their beliefs without molestation from the government. But some critics are condemning the act, saying its wording would actually protect any behavior a person claimed was connected to his religion—like child […]

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