Study: Religious kids believe the Bible and other ‘fiction’

July 23, 2014 by

Is this Clutching at Straws Month? Because I don’t know how to dress or what to buy for it. I do know how to celebrate, though. Just publish a study that counters traditional beliefs. And don’t ask questions that might uncover flaws. The latest example emerged this week in the July issue of Cognitive Science. [Read More…]

Filed Under: Academia, Books, Catholicism, Education, Journalism, Judaism, Lutherans, Religion, Same-sex marriage, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Calvin the Fundamentalist and other General Synod myths

July 19, 2014 by

Monday’s vote by the General Synod to allow women bishops has put the Church of England onto the front pages of the world’s press. News reports and commentary from around the globe have weighed on this development giving voice to a variety of opinions. Some of this reporting has been quite good, most of it [Read More…]

Filed Under: Anglicanism, Journalism, World Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Did a British judge compel a child to have an abortion?

June 13, 2014 by

Reader beware. A story that is too good to be true is often that, not true. An article in the Huffington Post reporting that a British judge compelled a 13-year-old to undergo an abortion sparked outrage on pro-life blogs and news sites this week. Unfortunately the key claim of the story — what moved this from [Read More…]

Filed Under: Ethics, Journalism, Social Issues, World Tagged With: , , , , ,

Do skewed churches deserve skewed coverage?

March 22, 2014 by

Funny, isn’t it? So many people recoiled in horror at the judgmentalism of the Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church. Now that he’s dead and gone — but the church is still here to kick around — a lot of journalists seemingly can’t spew insults fast enough. One of the thickest volleys of [Read More…]

Filed Under: gays, Journalism, Mainline, Music, Religion, Social Issues, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Wives, submission, web traffic and Candace Cameron Bure

January 8, 2014 by

Candace Cameron Bure, darling of ’80s sitcom television, is all grown up. In case you’re mired in Nick at Nite reruns of “Full House” and hadn’t heard, the younger sister of fellow actor Kirk Cameron has been married for 17 years, has three teenage children and is on her second book tour. She calls herself [Read More…]

Filed Under: Books, Evangelicals, Film, Interviews, Journalism, Marriage & family, People, Pop Culture, Radio & TV, Religion, Same-sex marriage, Social Issues Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Media obsession dangers: Pope and gay priests edition

July 29, 2013 by

Ermagerd, everybody! The Pope has renounced all church teaching on everything! Stop the presses! Start them again! Freak out! That’s my impression of Twitter, online and broadcast and cable news today. From my morning read: CBSNews: Pope Francis: “Who am I to judge” gay clergy? http://cbsn.ws/14dnXJD BreakingNews: Pope Francis says he won’t judge priests for [Read More…]

Filed Under: Catholicism, Sex, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another religious holiday commercialized

July 9, 2013 by

I remember a sermon where a pastor pointed out that if it weren’t for commercialization of religious holidays, they’d be far less celebrated. This has stuck with me so much that it has changed my negative feelings about the commercialization of Christmas. Now I just wish Pentecost and Ascension were similarly “ruined” by capitalist entrepreneurs. [Read More…]

Filed Under: Business & Economy, Islam, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

AP not sweating details on stories

June 3, 2013 by

A reader passed along this gem from the Associated Press that begins: SAN FRANCISCO DE YARE, Venezuela — The descendants of African slaves donned masks and bright red costumes as they danced through the streets of this small Venezuelan town on Thursday for its annual commemoration of Corpus Cristi. Young men beat drums and shook [Read More…]

Filed Under: Catholicism, World, Worship Tagged With: , , , , , ,