Posts Tagged ‘ christianity ’

Challenging Prop 8: Can Heterosexism Ever Die?

February 10, 2012
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Don’t get me wrong: I’m very happy about the Proposition 8 decision. Assuming the Court agrees to hear the case (which it probably will), to have same-sex marriage go to the Supreme Court will be momentous. But there’s a lot of merit in Mr. Gunn’s analysis of the situation: even if a ban on same-sex marriage is found to be unconstitutional, what does that do for LGBTQ teenagers who are victims of bullying? The fight is not about the right to marry, it is about heterosexism in all facets of our society.

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Pay Attention, Activists: “Insulting Religion” Still Crime in Egypt

January 18, 2012
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Ever heard of Naguib Sawiris? I hadn’t, until hearing that he was having charges brought against him in Egypt for an “insulting” tweet. Sawiris is the chairman of Egypt’s largest cell phone provider, Mobinil, and is known for having a hand in politics. According to his Twitter bio, he’s a founding member of Egypt’s Al Masreyeen Al Ahrrar party, which emphasizes civil rights and making a society free of religious persecution. Last June, Sawiris allegedly tweeted a cartoon of Mickey and Minnie Mouse wearing traditional Islamic attire – with Minnie wearing a niqab and Mickey sporting a beard, according to the BBC News article. He later apologized, but the damage was done: conservative groups called for a boycott of his company, and now charges are being brought against him in court.

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Should Christians be worked up about “Happy Holidays”?

December 17, 2011
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When I was younger, I sympathized with fellow Christians who argued for “putting the Christ back into Christmas” and boycotting stores that omitted references to Christmas. It made sense to me then that since Christmas was the main reason for corporate profits that time of year, those businesses shouldn’t go out of their way to censor the “reason for the season.” But then I grew up.

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Introduction: Loud-Mouthed, Politically Incorrect and Christian

December 5, 2011
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At a time when economic and social justice movements seem to be growing louder than ever, it’s high time to reexamine religion’s role in dissent. Ask many activists at a left-wing rally about their religion, and, in my experience, you’ll get mostly ‘agnostic’ or ‘atheist’, with the odd religious individuals thrown in. This creates an interesting situation for myself, a right-wing Christian turned progressive Christian, who still uses swear words but avoids using God’s name in an improper context, and struggles to find a church that adheres to my progressive worldviews. I get mixed reactions when I tell other activists I identify as Christian; sometimes they’re good at hiding their surprise or even seem almost happy, and at other times their sudden misgivings are obvious. I don’t blame them. After all, we live in times in which most young...

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