Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Joe Lieberman’s Sad Send-off
posted on December 14, 2012For The Washington Post, Dana Millbank recounts Senator Joe Lieberman’s parting address on Wednesday. At the address were only a handful of senators, indicative of Lieberman’s controversial political career. Millbank writes, “And so it was a man with few political allies who bid the chamber farewell … Lieberman’s career shows the perils of resisting the polarity.”
Poll: More than One-third of Americans See Signs of End Times in Extreme Weather
posted on December 14, 2012For Religion News Service, Lauren Markoe reports that a recent poll by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) suggests that more than a third of Americans consider the severity of recent natural disasters as a signal of the “end times” described in the New Testament. However, another poll conducted by PRRI finds that the majority of Americans connect the extreme weather to climate change. Daniel Cox, research director for PRRI, said, “They’re experiencing the same weather, but how they perceive it is very different.”
Cairo Court Sentences Man to 3 Years for Insulting Religion
posted on December 14, 2012As Egypt prepares to vote on an Islamist-backed draft constitution, a Cairo court sentenced an atheist to three years in prison for “insulting religion,” David D. Kirkpatrick of The New York Times reports. Kirkpatrick writes that the ruling has increased “fears about the future of freedom of expression.” Heba Morayef, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, said, “Expect to see many more blasphemy prosecutions in the future now that it’s embedded as a crime in the constitution.”
Will Churches be Forced to Conduct Gay Weddings?
posted on December 14, 2012For Slate, Emily Bazelon dispels the notion that churches in the United States will be required to conduct gay marriage ceremonies. She believes that the fear is part of a “scare tactic” used by organizations to alter the public’s opinion on the issue. Bazelon writes, “It’s just wrong to spook voters about gay rights by arguing that gay people are coming for their churches. It’s not gonna happen. Not just as a tactical matter, but also as a legal one.”
France Steps Up Struggle Against Religious Radicals
posted on December 14, 2012A new surveillance policy in France allows the deportation of foreign-born imams, as well as the disbanding of radical faith-based groups, reports Tom Heneghan at Reuters. The policy is meant to preemptively stop violence from radical religious groups, a problem the country has faced in the past. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said, “The objective is to identify when it’s suitable to intervene to treat what has become a religious pathology.”
Threat Level
posted on December 13, 2012At N+1, Richard Beck considers the television show Homeland from a political perspective. Beck argues that the show is representative of the Democratic Party’s stance on terror issues: “Homeland is a perfect dramatization of the rhetorical moves and political self-deceptions that made this now semi-permanent and very deadly war on terror possible, and it is important to see these things dramatized, to see them laid out in terms of affect and demeanor and style.”
The God Glut
posted on December 13, 2012At The New York Times, Frank Bruni considers the relationship between Christianity and American politics. Despite claims that the government is infringing upon religious freedom, Bruni finds that Christianity’s presence in politics is still too large. He writes, “In a country that supposedly draws a line between church and state, we allow the former to intrude flagrantly on the latter. “
Seeing God in the Third Millennium
posted on December 13, 2012At The Atlantic, Oliver Sacks explains the science behind religious epiphanies. He looks at different peoples’ experiences with this phenomena, explaining that each one has a scientific basis. Sacks writes, “Hallucinations, whether revelatory or banal, are not of supernatural origin; they are part of the normal range of human consciousness and experience … They provide evidence only of the brain’s power to create them.”
New Congress Will Be Missing Some of Its Longtime Pro-Israel Pillars
posted on December 13, 2012Ron Kampeas at JTA examines the implications of the losses of prominent pro-Israel members in the next Congress. Some believe their departure signals a significant shift, while others believes that Congress will continue to be devoted to Israel. Douglas Boomfield, former legistlative director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said, “The generation that’s leaving—and there are ones who are leaving, like Howard [Berman] and Gary [Ackerman]—these are guys who grew up in the formative years of Israel and understand what the struggle was.”
Sikh Soldier Makes History as He Guards Buckingham Palace Wearing Turban Instead of Traditional Bearskin
posted on December 13, 2012Rebecca English at the Daily Mail reports that a guardsman at Buckingham Palace wears a turban instead of bearskin, breaking a 180-year tradition. English believes that the event shows a “glimpse into the changing face of Britain.” The Sikh guardsman, Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar, said, “Conducting public duties while being a practising Sikh and wearing my turban is a great honour for me …The regiment is full of history, as is my religion.”