Anxiety and Extremism – Religion’s Gift?

Last updated on: June 19, 2015 at 1:07 pm By Robert Hunt

Jewish extremists torch a famous Christian shrine on the Sea of Galilee. Of course the Israeli government and Jewish leaders worldwide condemn them. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/jewish-extremists-suspected-of-torching-sea-of-galilee-loaves-and-fishes-church-in-tabgha-10329998.html. ISIS destroys ancient religious shrines and communities in Syria and Iraq. Of course government leaders in the Middle East and Islamic leaders worldwide condemn them. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/06/islamic-state-destroys-church_n_7009072.html. An young white terrorist kills 9 people in an American church. From the US President down to every Christian leader there is condemnation of his action. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/17/charleston-south-carolina-shooting/28902017/. These three cases, different as... Read more

Religious Advocacy Vs. Freedom of Speech

Last updated on: June 18, 2015 at 10:24 am By Robert Hunt

Freedom of speech is under attack, but perhaps not from the direction you might imagine. A few vignettes. 1. Muslim university students protest the showing of “American Sniper” on campus because it promotes negative images of Arabs and Muslims. 2. Hillel, a Jewish campus ministry forbids its local campus affiliates from inviting certain pro-Palestinian (they would say anti-Israel) speakers. 3. University students object to lectures and even classroom discussion that may “trigger” the return of memories of traumatic events. 4.... Read more

Extremists versus Free Speech

Last updated on: May 5, 2015 at 3:12 pm By Robert Hunt

Recently the American Freedom Defense Initiative (http://freedomdefense.typepad.com/) led by the famous bikini blogger Pamela Geller, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHBEYgfW5kA) organized an “art contest” of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad. The ostensible reason was to defend free speech against its terrorist enemies in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings. The idea was to be provocative, drawing a violent response, and thus the organizers spent a fortune on security, according to reports having more than 40 officers on hand. First – Holding an event that is... Read more

Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)- Restoring Tribalism to US Law.

Last updated on: April 10, 2015 at 2:46 pm By Robert Hunt

What is the freedom of religion that religion needs? In recent years some Evangelical Christians, represented in court by Hobby Lobby and its political allies, have asserted that their revealed religion is the comprehensive framework of moral behavior. Every decision is an ethical decision, and religion is an incessant drumbeat of moral demands. It touches every aspect of belief and action, and thus embraces the types of insurance they provide employees, the services their business offer and the customers that they... Read more

Muslims on the Rise? Misreading the Pew Report

Last updated on: April 8, 2015 at 2:37 pm By Robert Hunt

AHHHHHH! The Muslims are coming the Muslims are coming. I’d barely seen the headlines before a reporter from Houston called me to comment. A new report by the Pew Charitable Trusts says “that the number of Muslims would exceed the number of Christians in the world by 2070!” At least that was the headline for NPR, CBS and the Daily Mail. Politico led with “Muslims to Outnumber Jews by 2015.” Only the last of these was accurate. The Pew Report projects that in... Read more

Anti-Semitism Raises its Ugly Head in Irving TX

Last updated on: March 22, 2015 at 1:19 pm By Robert Hunt

Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne has succeeded in getting the Irving City Council to vote its support of a bill by Texas state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, that would forbid judges from using foreign law in their rulings. The reason, according to the mayor, and apparently Rep. Leach was to block the actions of religious courts. So I went looking for religious courts in the DFW Area and the first thing I found was the Beth Din of the Magen... Read more

The Danger of Islam?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 8:07 pm By Robert Hunt

Well, I’ve been bombarded this week with email about the danger of Islam and Islamism. The recent Atlantic Monthly article that asserts unequivocally that ISIS is “Islamic, very Islamic” has stirred up the Islamophobes and given justification to their fears. Let’s start with some facts. Yes, both the Qur’an and traditions of the prophet valorize violence in some circumstances, notably in wars against perceived enemies of Islam and Muslims. And yes, Islam has inspired an imperialism whose intention was clearly... Read more

Iconoclast or Jackass

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 8:07 pm By Robert Hunt

It really depends. One of my favorite characters in fiction, Commissioner Brunetti in Donna Leon’s novels, is an ardent humanist. Faced with claims that sacred symbols and institutions trump human need Burnetti says, “nothing is sacred but humans.” I resonate with this belief. As do many other Christians. And the reason is obvious. The claim that people, institutions, and icons of all sorts are intrinsically sacred has, down through history, led to the demeaning of individuals and societies, often with fatal consequences.... Read more

Outrage and Anxiety

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 8:07 pm By Robert Hunt

A couple of weeks ago there was a brief outbreak of good ole American outrage here in Texas. It was well behind the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks, but of course this is Dallas, where Milan 2012 is only now being seen on the streets and in the malls. First a couple of protesters decided to stand outside a mosque and harass worshippers. Then protesters showed up to picket a Muslim fund-raising event while waving various vitriolic signs. And then,... Read more

Civil Dialogue

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 8:07 pm By Robert Hunt

The problem with the columnists, commentators, politicians, pundits, and pastors is that they honestly believe that they are the linchpins of civilization. It is amazing how quickly the intelligensia of the left and right moved from an attack on a satirical magazine by militant Islamists to the end of civilization as we know it. The forces destroying us were quickly enumerated: 1. Religious fundamentalist fanatics who want to establish one of a variety of misogynist theocracies. 2. Hyper-assertive post-modernists so vicious and... Read more