Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
For Heaven’s Sake: The Role of “God” at the Democratic Convention
posted on September 20, 2012Hendrik Hertzberg of The New Yorker examines the role that religion played in both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Hertzberg considers the cat-and-mouse like game between Republicans and Democrats that led to an escalation of the use of the word ‘God,’ such as its placement in the 2012 Democratic platform, which initially lacked it. “[T]he platform turned out to be anything but a paean to irreligion,” writes Hertzberg. “Indeed, you didn’t have to be a follower of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens to find the plank entitled ‘Faith’ a little cloying.”
Is the Catholic Hierarchy Moving toward the GOP?
posted on September 20, 2012Religion News Service’s David Gibson investigates the shifting political attitude of the Catholic Church in the U.S. Gibson finds that the church is developing a considerably more conservative approach to traditional social matters, but also to the issue of social welfare. Gibson points to the fact that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently hired the conservative “Jonathan Reyes, as the new head of the bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development – in effect their chief lobbyist on domestic and international social justice issues” as a sign of the church’s rightward shift.
Thurston Howell Romney
posted on September 19, 2012At The New York Times, David Brooks argues that Mitt Romney’s description of Americans who receive government benefits as “freeloaders,” “suggests that [Romney] really doesn’t know much about the country he inhabits.” “Who are these freeloaders?” Brooks asks, “Is it the Iraq war veteran who goes to the V.A? Is it the student getting a loan to go to college? Is it the retiree on Social Security or Medicare?”
Scrap of Papyrus Suggests Some Early Christians Believed Jesus Was Married
posted on September 19, 2012At The Boston Globe, Lisa Wangsness reports that Harvard professor Karen King has discovered a scrap of fourth-century papyrus that contains the first known reference to Jesus as a married man. The fragment, which could spark a debate within the Catholic Church over priest celibacy, has been preliminarily authenticated but still must be tested further. “It contains echoes of other early Christian writings,” King suggests “It may have been part of a debate about the spiritual importance of celibacy versus marriage.”
Muslims, Mormons and Liberals
posted on September 19, 2012Bret Stevens of the The Wall Street Journal compares the Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon,” which mocks Mormonism, with the controversial film the “Innocence of Muslims.” “Innocence of Muslims” also mocks Islam but has produced a much more violent reaction than “The Book of Mormon.” “So let’s get this straight,” Stevens writes. “In the consensus view of modern American liberalism, it is hilarious to mock Mormons and Mormonism but outrageous to mock Muslims and Islam. Why? Maybe it’s because nobody has ever been harmed, much less killed, making fun of Mormons.”
Read at The Wall Street Journal
What We Can Learn From the Attacks on the U.S. Embassies
posted on September 19, 2012At Time, Tony Karon lists five lessons that Americans should take away from the recent attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Benghazi, Khartoum and Tunis. Karon writes that there is a power struggle occurring in Middle Eastern countries, especially Libya, Egypt, and Syria, following the revolutions of the Arab Spring. As for Syria, Karon writes, “those who most favor intervention are arguing that the Salafist surge elsewhere simply highlights the need to bring Syria’s conflict to an end by toppling the regime, mindful that extremist influence is more likely to grow in a prolonged war. Skeptics will see in the causes of the events of recent days a vindication of restraint.”
Obama Campaign Expands Faith Effort
posted on September 19, 2012At CNN, Eric Marrapodi writes about the Obama campaign’s new faith initiative, which emphasizes the importance that faith plays in Obama’s political decisions. The administration has been criticized over the HHS mandate requiring health insurance coverage for contraceptives. The campaign hopes to redirect attention to the auto bailout and passage of the Affordable Care Act, both of which play into Obama’s “we’re greater together than we are on our own” narrative, Marrapodi writes. “These shared moral obligations have guided me as president,” Obama recently said.
Akin Vows to Fight on in Missouri Senate Race
posted on September 19, 2012Dan Friedman writes for The Atlantic about Representative Todd Akin’s decision to remain in the Missouri Senate race, despite the uproar that his comments regarding “legitimate rape” have caused. While Democrats pour money into Senator McCaskill’s campaign, the National Republican Senatorial Committee refuses to spend money on Akin. “The candidate’s main problem now is that he cannot raise enough money, but his refusal to rack up debt worsens that disadvantage,” writes Friedman.
Secret Video: On Israel, Romney Trashes Two-State Solution
posted on September 19, 2012At Mother Jones, David Corn reports on video footage of Mitt Romney taken at a fundraiser dinner in May. According to Corn, the video reveals Romney’s lack of faith in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “The idea of pushing on the Israelis to give something up to get the Palestinians to act is the worst idea in the world,” Romney said in the video.
Germany Bars US Pastor Terry Jones
posted on September 19, 2012Spiegel reports that Pastor Terry Jones will not be allowed to enter Germany in order to “maintain public order,” said a spokesman for the German Interior Ministry. Jones has been supportive of the controversial anti-Muslim video, “Innocence of Muslims,” and became famous in 2010 when he threatened to burn a copy of the Quran. Even without Pastor Jones in attendance, far-right groups, such as Pro Deutschland, still plan to show the video. “For us, this about freedom of art and opinion,” said Manfred Rouhs of Pro Deutschland.