Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Truth in Mormonism
posted on August 13, 2012At The Salt Lake Tribune, Ed Firmage Jr. writes about the truth claims that each religion makes and how these truth claims are put into action. “The truth of religion, if it has any truth, must always be a truth of transformation, an existential rather than epistemological truth,” writes Firmage. “The ultimate truth of Mormonism or Catholicism or Judaism is not what you believe but what you do.”
Romney Ad: Obama Waging ‘War on Religion’
posted on August 10, 2012Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign released a new ad on Thursday, which claims that President Obama has declared war on religion, writes Rachel Weiner for The Washington Post. The ad’s narrator asks, “Who shares your values? President Obama used his health care plan to declare war on religion, forcing religious institutions to go against their faith.” Weiner writes, with this ad, “Romney makes an appeal to the Catholic vote … moving away from the economy to talk about health care and contraception.”
Opposing Sides Preview Strategies in Kidnapping Trial
posted on August 10, 2012At The New York Times, Erik Eckholm chronicles a kidnapping trial that involves “same-sex marriage, conservative Christianity and a bitter custody battle.” According to the criminal statute, an Amish-Mennonite pastor is being charged “with intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights.” The pastor allegedly helped Lisa Miller flee “the country with her 7-year-old daughter in 2009 to evade the girl’s court-ordered visits with Ms. Miller’s former partner,” writes Eckholm.
Aly Raisman, Olympic Gymnast, Honors ‘Munich 11’ and Her Jewish Heritage after Winning Gold
posted on August 10, 2012Jewish American gymnast, Aly Raisman, said she would have supported a moment of silence at the Olympic Games for the victims of the 1972 Munich Olympic terrorist attacks, Meredith Bennett-Smith reports for The Huffington Post. A Palestinian militant group killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches during the 1972 games. “International Olympic Committee President Jaques Roggue refused to allow any such remembrance,” Bennett-Smith writes.
Occupation, Not ‘Culture,’ Holds Back Palestinians
posted on August 10, 2012Writing for the Jewish Daily Forward, Sari Bashi refutes Mitt Romney’s claim that “culture” is the difference between the economic health of Israel and Palestine. Bashi argues that Israel is the reason for Palestine’s weak economic growth. “It is impossible to discuss the economy of the Palestinian territory … without discussing Israeli policies and especially restrictions on freedom of movement,” Bashi writes.
Does Mormonism Encourage LDS People to Lie?
posted on August 10, 2012Religion Dispatches’ Joanna Brooks discusses why Mormons, and other minority groups, have developed their “own way of talking to outsiders.” Brooks notes that many Mormons assert polygamy is no longer practiced, while some “mainstream Mormons dutifully anticipate polygamy in heaven.” “Given this complicated and conflicted situation, what should a Mormon say when she is asked whether we practice polygamy?” Brooks asks.
Susan G. Komen President Resigns; Founder Shifts Roles
posted on August 10, 2012Liz Thompson, the president of the breast cancer foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is resigning, and the founder of the group, Nancy Brinker, “is shifting away from … day-to-day management,” reports The Associated Press. “The high-profile departures come amid continuing fallout from Komen’s decision earlier this year to briefly end funding for Planned Parenthood.” Brinker stated, “I want now to focus on Susan G. Komen’s global mission and raising resources to bring our promise to women all around the world.”
A Devil of a Row
posted on August 10, 2012German Olympian oarswoman, Nadja Drygalla, left the London Olympics following questions “about her boyfriend’s links with right-wing extremism,” The Economist reports. The German interior ministry is reportedly working on a “democratic declaration,” which elite athletes would be required to sign before competing on national teams. But some German politicians warn that such a policy might “sniff out and punish people for their private thoughts.”
Opposing Gay Marriage Is Rational, Not Religious
posted on August 10, 2012At First Things, Leroy Huizenga disputes the claim that opposing gay marriage “is a matter of religion alone.” Even though “our culture assumes a fundamental split between faith and reason,” Huizenga argues that the “broader Christian tradition has seen faith and reason operating in harmony.” Huizenga writes, “[W]e will continue to make arguments in the public square about the public goods of marriage, for no society or person can long thrive kicking against the goads of reason and nature.”
‘Right to Pray’ Measure Passes by Wide Margin
posted on August 9, 2012On Tuesday, Missouri voters approved a state constitutional amendment, which supporters call the “right to pray” amendment, reports St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tim Townsend. Among other provisions, the amendment will allow public school students the “right to pray and acknowledge God voluntarily in their schools.” Alex Luchenitser, associate legal director for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, says, “This is going to be a nightmare for school districts, which will end up getting sued by individuals on both sides of church-state debate.”
Read at St. Louis Post-Dispatch