The black Jewish hip-hop artist Yitz Jordan has struggled with his public image for years. Now he's ready to come out (as gay).
Nuns have largely embraced Vatican II, which asked religious orders to modernize. For nuns, that meant focusing strongly on social justice rather than religious doctrine. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (the umbrella group for most American nuns), which previously had a certain degree of independence, is now being monitored by Seattle's archbishop, due to a shift in a more conservative Vatican leadership.
An Israeli couple posted images of themselves and their children to Facebook, reaching out to Iranian citizens with the message "Iranians, we will never bomb your country, we [heart] you." The initiative caught on, and despite censorship and the threat of arrest by the Iranian government, the Iranian people are finding ways to respond. This is a powerful reminder that a government's actions do not necessarily speak for the people they claim to represent.
There are more images and messages from Israelis here http://www.israelovesiran.com/ and responses from Iranians here https://www.facebook.com/pushpin I recommend checking them out.
"After suing her high school — and winning — for displaying a religious mural in the auditorium, saying that it was a direct violation of the separation of church and state, 16-year-old Jessica Ahlquist of Rhode Island was attacked in the local media and vilified by her community." RI State Rep. Peter Palumbo (D) called her an “evil little thing.” A blogger at the Friendly Atheist founded a scholarship fund for her, and it currently amounts to $42,000.
This reasonable and thoughtful article is written from a Christian perspective.
The "blog comments" are the best part of this lovely irreverent silliness.
"Disagree with the haters out there who have a problem with man having dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, the cattle of the earth, and so on. However, I do think it’s worth considering giving the fowl of the air dominion over the cattle of the earth, because it would be really funny to see, like, a wildebeest or whatever getting bossed around by a baby duck."
Eleven religious leaders were arrested staging a sit-in in the Capitol rotunda to protest budget cuts, U.S. Capitol Police said. The Christian and Jewish leaders urged the administration and Congress not to "balance the budget on the backs of the poor"
Getting rid of phrases like "Son of Man" in favor of "the Human One", making the Bible more readable and friendlier to women and minorities...could a new translation of the Bible change how people view religion? My vote is yes.
An Austrian has won the right to be photographed wearing a pasta strainer for his driving licence on grounds of religious freedom.
A Chasidish newspaper based in Brooklyn edited Hilary Clinton and Audrey Tomason--the only two women--out of the iconic Osama raid Situation Room photo. Their religion prohibits them from printing photos of women, while the White House prohibits news organizations from altering their photos. And, as an interviewed Rabbi points out, censoring a historical photograph can be considered deceit, which is also prohibited.
