Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
The Mormon Masterpiece
posted on October 18, 2012At The Salt Lake City Weekly, Mike Furness describes Joseph Smith’s establishment of Mormonism as an artistic endeavor. Furniss writes, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the religion—is a brilliant conceptual art piece … [T]he vast display of faith shown by Smith’s millions of followers is proof of his talent in shaping this incredibly powerful composition.”
Obama Flays the Religion Card
posted on October 18, 2012At The Washington Post, Jacques Berlinerblau examines President Obama’s decision to avoid religion this election year. Berlinerblau asserts that Obama is attempting to recast what were once considered religious issues as economic ones. Berlinerblau writes, “[Obama’s] strategy seems clear: lay low of the religion stuff and wherever possible reframe the hazardous ‘religious freedom’ debate as one about economics and women’s health.”
Buddhist Monks March in Myanmar to Thwart Islamic Office Plan
posted on October 18, 2012On Monday, thousands of Buddhist monks in Myanmar protested against efforts by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to establish a liaison office in the northwest Rakhine state, reports Reuters. Recently “deadly communal clashes” occurred between Myanmar’s majority Buddhist population and the Muslim Rohingyas, an often persecuted religious minority. “Anger and fear still smoulder between Rohingyas and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists after the spree of arson and machete attacks that killed at least 77 people and displaced tens of thousands.”
Mitt’s Jesus, Barack’s Jesus, and Why Christ’s Color Matters
posted on October 18, 2012At Religion Dispatches, Anthea Butler, Edward J. Blum, Paul Harvey, Andre E. Johnson, and Joanna Brooks participated in a roundtable discussion on the importance of religion and race in the upcoming election. Harvey, who recent co-authored with Blum, The Color of Christ, highlights the paradox of ubiquitous images of Jesus as white in a supposedly “post-racial society.” Harvey writes that the deeply ingrained concept of a white Jesus in the United States has helped drive the “religiously-fueled sentiment directed against [President] Obama.”
Why We Need More Religion in Politics, Not Less
posted on October 18, 2012For Patheos, Timothy Dalrymple examines the role that religion has played in both the Democratic and Republican parties. Finding fault with “Christians on the Left” as well as “conservative Christians on the Right,” Dalyrymple argues, “[w]e require a religion in politics that is not reflexively partisan … We require more thoughtful ways of bringing the fullness of who we are, religious vision included, into the political arena.”
What the Islamists Get Right
posted on October 18, 2012Michael Moynihan at Tablet critiques laws in many European countries that criminalize speech denying the Holocaust. Moynihan agrees with some “Islamists” who argue that these laws create a double standard, and do more harm than good. “If the goal of free-speech restrictions is to prevent the rise of right-wing extremism, such legal measures have been largely unsuccessful,” writes Moynihan.
King’s Crisis
posted on October 18, 2012At World Magazine, Warren Cole Smith examines the controversial marital status of Dinesh D’Souza, president of The King’s College in New York City. A vocal critic of President Obama, D’Souza has gained considerable popularity among evangelicals and other social conservatives. However, D’Souza newest relationship with a woman not his wife “is a strange twist in D’Souza’s otherwise meteoric rise in the evangelical world,” writes Smith.
Attack on Pakistani Schoolgirl Galvanizes Anti-Taliban Feeling
posted on October 17, 2012At CNN, Reza Sayah and Jethro Mullen report on Malala Yousufazi, the Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by the Taliban after she spoke out against the terrorist organization in support of education for girls. While she is recovering in a British hospital, the Pakistani public seems to be united in protesting the attack. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar says, “Pakistan, at the diplomatic, political and every level, has been asking … to take this matter seriously, to not let [the Taliban] have a safe haven.”
U.S. to Help Create an Elite Libyan Force to Combat Islamic Extremists
posted on October 17, 2012Eric Schmitt of The New York Times reports on efforts by the Pentagon and State Department to begin building an elite Libyan force which, as the State Department explained in an internal memo, would serve to enhance “Libya’s ability to combat and defend against threats from Al Qaeda and its affiliates.” The program, they argue, is needed in an unstable post-Qaddafi Libya and has the potential to seek out Islamic extremists. However, it’s expensive and will be challenged on “how to get the powerful militias to buy into it while taming their influence,” writes Schmitt.
Bhutan Bans Religious Activities Ahead of Elections
posted on October 17, 2012At Religion News Service, Vishal Arora reports on a six-month ban on all public religious activities in preparation for the upcoming election in Bhutan. The ban is derived from a declaration in the constitution that calls for religion to be above politics. In the past, the government has banned religious clergy from voting to maintain that separation. However, some including filmmaker Tashi Gyeltshen think the ban will be confusing. “In Bhutan, it can be tricky. It’s a very religious country, Buddhism even provides for a Buddhist king,” Gyeltshen says. “So what’s the problem with clergy’s participation in politics?”