Latest Articles
What war does to warriors
Karl Marlantes's new book is not fiction, but it develops the idea of his novel Matterhorn: that war provides a
sense of transcendence that can be found nowhere else.
Scorched earth
How is it possible to read the first chapter of the Bible and not be an environmentalist?
The reason for the season?
Several years ago I received from a parishioner a "Jesus Is the Reason for the Season" cookie tin. Every time I reached for a piece of Doris's divinity, I had to read that cheery-angry motto of Christian moralism.
Other people's freedom
When conflicts come up between religious beliefs and the law, religious progressives should support certain religious exemptions--even if they disagree with the beliefs in question.
Renowned writer and polemicist Christopher Hitchens dies at age 62
New York, December 16 (ENInews)--Both opponents and advocates of religious faith are mourning the death of author, polemicist, and atheist Christopher Hitchens, who died 15 December after a long ba...
In Canada, Jewish, Muslim comedians joke about Christmas
Toronto, December 16 (ENInews)--Christmas can be a lonely time for non-Christians in North America. Jews have Hanukkah -- and traditionally go to Chinese restaurants on Christmas Day....
On Dec. 25, atheists celebrate a different birthday
c. 2011 Religion News Service
(RNS) Deck those halls with boughs of apples and top that tree with a finger puppet of Sir Isaac Newton.
...
Religious freedom panel wins 11th-hour reprieve
With a last-minute vote in mid-December, Congress saved an
independent religious freedom watchdog commission that was about to
shut down....
How we’re poisoning our children: An interview with ecologist Sandra Steingraber
"Chemical trespass and climate change are often dealt with by two separate groups of environmentalists. I am interested in bringing these two together."
Are food drives worthwhile?
Are good deeds primarily about the good done for others or the good the doing does for the do-gooder?...
Let’s talk about toxins
It's time for the talk, says Sandra Steingraber: the talk about the pollutants that are
infiltrating our lives and threatening the health of all of us,
especially our children.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
This first feature by writer-director Sean Durkin, a big hit at the 2011
Sundance Film Festival, centers on an enigmatic character with a
minimal backstory. Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) is a 22-year-old who has
spent the past two years living in a cult community in upstate New York.
2011: A year of taking it to the streets
c. 2011 Religion News Service
(RNS) 2011 was supposed to be the year the world ended. Twice....
Holy listening: The spiritual direction movement
In philosophy and practice, spiritual
direction suggests that the individual self is insufficient as a locus
of meaning. No one can "do" spiritual direction alone.