Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Egypt’s Bitter Elections Boil to a Close Contest
posted on June 18, 2012The Guardian’s Jack Shenker reports that Egypt’s presidential election runoff this past weekend marked a turning point in the future of the Arab world’s most populous nation. Yet according to Shenker, few Egyptians seem enthusiastic about this future. “Relentless fear-mongering and negative campaigning on both sides of the contest,” Shenker writes, has led to nearly empty polling stations “for much of the two-day ballot–with potential voters seemingly put off by scorching temperatures … and the increasingly oppressive political climate of military-led manipulation and national division that has gripped the country a year-and-a-half after the start of its ongoing revolution.”
Stolen First Edition of the Book of Mormon Recovered in D.C. Suburb
posted on June 18, 2012The Washington Post’s Michelle Boorstein reports on the recovery of a rare, first edition of the Book of Mormon, which was stolen last month from a Phoenix-area bookseller. Last week, federal marshals raided a Herndon, Virginia apartment where they found the book, first printed in 1830 by Mormonism’s founder Joseph Smith Jr., and today worth between $50,000 to $100,000. Boorstein writes that the theft “spotlighted the market for ‘Mormonia’–memorabilia about Mormonism–that has been thriving as Mitt Romney’s presidential candidacy, television shows and a Broadway play have stoked interest in the faith.”
Faith and Our Fathers
posted on June 18, 2012At First Things, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, José H. Gomez, describes the meaning that he finds in Father’s Day 2012. According to Gomez, this year Father’s Day is a time to celebrate “the beautiful reality of fatherhood.” Yet, it is also a time to lament the changes to this reality, writes Gomez, changes that “are part of a broader skepticism in our society toward traditional ideas of the family and the human person.”
The Bishops & Religious Liberty
posted on June 15, 2012At Commonweal, the editors have created a special series, asking “distinguished scholars and commentators” to discuss the U.S. Catholic bishops’ response to the contraception mandate and other religious liberty issues. The prominent contributors include William Galston, Peter Steinfels, Michael P. Moreland, Mark Silk, Douglas Laycock, and Cathleen Kaveny.
Study: Liberal Anti-Mormonism On The Rise
posted on June 15, 2012A new study by David Smith, a researcher at the University of Sydney, found that “the people most wary of Mormon candidates are not Evangelicals, but rather political liberals and non-religious voters,” reports Buzzfeed’s McKay Coppins. The paper suggests the anti-Mormon attitudes seen among liberals stem from “the continuing candidacy of Mitt Romney and Mormon activism against same-sex marriage.”
Church Battles Efforts to Ease Sex Abuse Suits
posted on June 15, 2012Sexual abuse victims and their advocates are pushing legislators around the country to loosen the statutes of limitations for child abuse crimes, reports The New York Times’ Laurie Goodstein. Catholic officials are pushing back against the changes. Patrick Brannigan, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, argues, “How can an institution conceivably defend itself against a claim that is 40, 50 or 60 years old? … This bill would not protect a single child.”
Can You Be Both Mormon and Gay?
posted on June 15, 2012At Slate, Max Perry Mueller, associate editor here at Religion and Politics, writes about Josh Weed, a married Mormon with three daughters, who recently announced he is gay. Weed states he is “very happily married to a woman” and “a devout and believing Mormon.” Mueller writes, “Until recently, many Mormons probably would have rejected the notion that you can define yourself as gay and still be a truly devout and fully committed member of the LDS Church.” But the church’s acceptance of Weed’s announcement signifies that, “if only in small ways, a religion notorious for its role in the fight against gay rights seems to be ‘evolving.’”
A “Hostile Takeover” of Women Religious
posted on June 15, 2012At Sojourners, Joan Chittister criticizes the Vatican’s decision to place the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), under the control of three bishops. Chittister is a former president of LCWR, which represents the majority of American nuns. According to her, the Vatican’s arrangement will stifle an organization that engages in a variety of humanitarian work. She writes, “To sap the LCWR’s vision and spirit, risktaking and courage—the same qualities that over the years have opened convents in the wastelands, the badlands, and the marginalized ethnic communities of the United States—will drain the church of both presence and impact.”
It’s Mormon In America
posted on June 15, 2012In Newsweek, David Frum argues Romney’s religion can be a valuable asset to his campaign, and if understood better, “may be the best offset to the isolation from ordinary people imposed by his wealth.” Frum concludes: “[A]ll told, the influence of Mormonism on Mitt Romney’s attitude and outlook is far more positive than negative—and far more positive than millions of anti-Mormon voters seem to understand.”
Faith Groups Endorse ENDA Bill Prohibiting LGBT Workplace Discrimination
posted on June 15, 2012On Tuesday, 35 religious leaders, led by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, released a letter supporting the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would “prohibit discrimination against LGBT Americans at work.” Faith in Public Life’s Nick Sementelli reports on the letter, which stated, “It is indefensible that, while sharing every American’s concerns about the health of our economy, LGBT workers must also fear job security because of prejudice.”