“Religious and Gay: A Catholic-Mormon Dialogue, Part 4”

Last updated on: July 18, 2015 at 1:16 pm By Eve Tushnet

lol someday I’ll post about something else: What have you found interesting about each others’ answers? What was unexpected, enlightening? How might you try to apply things you have learned in your life and/or faith community? EVE: I really want to hear more about the extended family and ritual adoption in Mormonism! Is there a movement to bring back ritual adoption? What obstacles might that face, what new problems might arise, how is Mormon ritual adoption different from adelphopoeisis and/or... Read more

“Religious and Gay: A Catholic-Mormon Dialogue,” Part 2

Last updated on: July 16, 2015 at 10:24 am By Eve Tushnet

posted: What cultural, theological, scriptural, or ritual elements of your faith have you found particularly helpful in your experience as a gay Catholic/Mormon? Have these faith-based resources helped you approach the underaddressed questions you’ve recently mentioned; if so, how? more (I’d talk a bit differently about models of celibacy if I were writing this now–as you may have noticed, monastic models have sort of simmered up in my mind lately) Read more

What We See: Some Thoughts on Julie Rodgers’s Resignation from Wheaton

Last updated on: July 15, 2015 at 11:07 am By Eve Tushnet

Earlier this week Julie Rodgers posted a characteristically forthright and gentle explanation of her shift in belief: “Though I’ve been slow to admit it to myself, I’ve quietly supported same-sex relationships for a while now.” This is why she’s just resigned from her post with evangelical Wheaton College’s chaplaincy. The post touches on some of the topics that have shadowed my conversation with Justin Lee, and which I plan to return to in my final post in our dialogue, including... Read more

“Love Is a Losing Game”: I review an Amy Winehouse documentary

Last updated on: July 15, 2015 at 9:44 am By Eve Tushnet

for AmCon: It’s impossible to describe Amy Winehouse’s voice. Crackly, crimson, fractured and sultry: That’s just the scratchy surface. “Amy,” the new documentary from director Asif Kapadia, delves into the jazz chanteuse’s troubled life and early death, but never forgets to show us Winehouse’s talent and craft—and her gentleness. “Amy” plays like a defense brief. There are villains: Winehouse’s father Mitchell, her husband Blake, and the paparazzi. The movie takes Winehouse’s own narrative at face value, and it’s a starkly... Read more

The Future of Gay Catholics

Last updated on: July 15, 2015 at 2:15 am By Eve Tushnet

I am not the best person to contribute to a symposium on “The Future of Catholicism” because while I believe in Catholicism, I don’t really believe in the future. I have the predictive ability of this Time magazine cover. So instead of doing predictions I’ll briefly sketch out my dream scenario, and my nightmare. I’M SORRY THIS IS SO LONG. The dream: The challenge of shepherding gay and same-sex attracted Catholics has forced us to rediscover hidden treasures of our... Read more

“Religious and Gay, A Catholic-Mormon Dialogue: Part One”

Last updated on: July 14, 2015 at 2:03 pm By Eve Tushnet

I’m in this! Sometime at church in the past two weeks, local Mormons leaders across the country read aloud a letter addressing the Church’s response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision on same-sex marriage. [fn1] In my own ward, one person asked a question that has become more and more salient: what about gay Mormons who wish to remain Mormon? Unfortunately, at present there are few good answers to this question. Today in my congregation, the answer given was that gay Mormons are... Read more

Photographs from Miracle Village, A Florida Town for Sex Offenders

Last updated on: July 14, 2015 at 1:39 pm By Eve Tushnet

The Guardian writes: …Sofia Valiente, a quietly spoken 24-year-old photographer who lives one hour’s drive from Miracle Village, came upon the community when she was photographing the small towns of south Florida. Intrigued, she started visiting the community and, having gained their trust, began documenting this enclosed world in portraits, landscapes and still lives. She even lived there for a time during the three months it took her to complete the project that has now become an intriguing photobook. “People,... Read more

Men, Women, Children and Humans: Some short movie reviews

Last updated on: July 14, 2015 at 12:46 pm By Eve Tushnet

What I’ve been watching. Mr Skeffington: Two and a half hours of epic Bette Davis. We start in the 1910s, with Davis as a Scarlett-like belle of the ball who ends up turning down all her suitors to marry the Jewish financier Job Skeffington. She married him only in order to save her beloved wastrel brother from ruin, so although Mr. Skeffington demonstrates his patience and loyalty to her and she does try to please him and work up some... Read more

“Thirteen Songs About Forgiveness”: Mockingbird

Last updated on: July 14, 2015 at 12:05 pm By Eve Tushnet

with some images of how to do it, when you need to: …Given its origin in the blues, rock n roll, and pop music more generally, comes by its emotional palette honestly: desire, frustration, hurt, despair, sadness, anger—these are the primary colors of the form. There are gazillions of songs that plead for a second chance (“I Want You Back”), gazillions of songs of repentance and regret. There are gazillions more about standing one’s ground, about enough being enough. But... Read more

“Infidelity, Love, And the New Shame”: David Zahl

Last updated on: July 13, 2015 at 12:03 pm By Eve Tushnet

at Mockingbird: Just dove into Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg’s Modern Romance, and have to say, it’s pretty great. Funny yet with a surprising amount of meat on its bones. As mentioned the other day, the book’s primary interest lies in exploring 1. the unspoken cultural imperative to find a ‘soul mate’ and 2. the resulting anxiety, frustration, and confusion that characterizes modern romance. I was particularly struck by how the word ‘soul mate’ has come to serve as a synonym for savior. A weight it clearly cannot bear:... Read more