Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
The GOP’s Rape Apologist Caucus Did Not Fare Well Tonight
posted on November 8, 2012At The Atlantic, Elspeth Reeve reviews the losses of candidates who made controversial statements on rape during their campaigns. Reeve lists the statements of the candidates, and the subsequent result in Tuesday’s election. Reeve writes, “In 2012, there are severe costs for sounding like you’re a little bit of a rape apologist.”
Religious Freedom in Europe – When Both Sides Go Too Far
posted on November 8, 2012At The Guardian, Linda Woodhead considers the opposing viewpoints of secularists and libertarians on the subject of religious freedom in Europe, which has recently developed into a high-profile issue. Woodhead believes that the positions of both sides are overreaching. Woodhead writes, “When they take their approaches to their logical conclusion, then, both the libertarian and secularist positions go too far. One pushes individual liberty, and sometimes group autonomy, so hard that it denies state and society any space at all.”
‘Mormon Moment’ Ends with a Loss, but His Religion Still Won
posted on November 8, 2012Peggy Fletcher Sack of The Salt Lake Tribune considers the importance of Romney’s candidacy for Mormonism. Despite his loss, the majority of Mormons believe that the publicity towards the religion was overall positive, managing to change public perception. Stuart Reid, a Mormon and a Republican state senator, said, “He’s done more than any single person in recent church history to share with the general public what a Mormon is, putting up a very positive image about Mormons and creating interest in our faith that was unprecedented.”
Michigan Judge Temporarily Blocks Health Law Mandate on Birth Control
posted on November 7, 2012In Detroit, a federal judge ruled that the requirement in the Affordable Care Act that requires employers to provide coverage for contraceptives is an infringement on “the sincere exercise of religious beliefs,” reports Robert Pear of The New York Times. The Obama administration responded to this ruling by saying that Daniel Weingartz, the plaintiff, should not be able to “impose his religious beliefs on the corporation’s group health plan or its 170 employees.”
Faith in the Face of Destruction
posted on November 7, 2012At The Wall Street Journal, E.A. Carmean Jr. reports on the resilience of a sculpture of the Virgin Mary that survived Hurricane Sandy in Breezy Point, New York. “The idea of the holy being imperishable to fire or other forces has deep roots within the Judeo-Christian tradition. In the Book of Exodus, Moses encounters God speaking from the Burning Bush, which although it is on fire, ‘is not consumed,’” writes Carmean. This symbol may provide believers with a reaffirmation of their faith in this hard time, Carmean suggests.
Read at The Wall Street Journal
Ryan Says Prayer, Rosary Sustained Him Through Campaign
posted on November 7, 2012At the Los Angeles Times, Alana Semuels reports on the important role that religion has played for Paul Ryan on the campaign trail. “As you can imagine, we pray throughout the day … It keeps us humble, it keeps us strong, it keeps us in a good place,” Ryan recently said. “I’m one of those people who don’t think you can separate your faith from your public life as a public official and your private life.” Ryan is known for his strong positions on issues regarding religion, including support for anti-abortion bills, and he has been praised by many on the religious right who were concerned with Mitt Romney’s less conservative stances on social issues.
Buddhists Aim to Bring Mindfulness to the Ballot Box
posted on November 7, 2012Daniel Burke of Religion News Service reports on a new movement called MindfulVotes, a nonpartisan campaign that is attempting to mobilize mindfulness meditators to vote. Mindfulness focuses on breathing in order to create a clear and nonjudgmental awareness, which creates conscious and engaged voters. “Mindfulness practices are maturing in our country and entering the mainstream, but if it’s not applied in our lives, it doesn’t matter. It’s time for our community to go beyond its own navels,” says Rev. Angel Kyodo William, the a leader of the movement.
At Obama’s Old Church, Pastor Declares 2008 Controversy Closed
posted on November 7, 2012Mitch Smith of The Chicago Tribune profiles Trinity United Church of Christ, four years after the video of the church’s former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., declaring “God damn America,” rocked the 2008 presidential election. While nationally the church received negative attention, locally the church has grown. “There was a period when I think the church was under attack,” says Dwight N. Hopkins, a Trinity member and theology professor at the University of Chicago. “The church became tighter, closer in that period.”
My Take: Stop Using Churches as Polling Places
posted on November 7, 2012The Reverend Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, writes for CNN about his beliefs that voting should not take place at churches, “especially those festooned with political signs.” Rev. Lynn references two surveys that found that voters were more influenced by church doctrine when voting at churches “I’ve talked with people who describe their unease voting on an abortion-related referendum in a Catholic church, where they may be surrounded by posters depicting abortion as a grisly holocaust. No public library … would display such material next to the voting machines,” writes Lynn.
After the Flood, Election Fears
posted on November 7, 2012Clancy Nolan writes for Tablet about the devastation Hurricane Sandy has caused Rockaway, Queens. Harriet and Irving Fiebert have lived in this area for 30 years and they have never seen devastation like this. The unusual devastation caused by Sandy has left many questioning how the voting process would be affected. “Normally we work the polls, but there was no coordination after the hurricane,” said Harriet. “They announced that one that one of the schools is open, and they’re going to have all the polling in that place … I know it’s going to be a disaster.”