MetaFilter posts tagged with religion and society

"There was no return from apostasy."

zarq — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:11:10 -0800

Leaving the Witness. "In one of the most restrictive, totalitarian countries in the world, for the first time in my life, I had the freedom to think." The author is Amber Scorah.

On a path to liberation....

zarq — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:01:16 -0800

Over a thousand monks and laymen are revered in Tibetan Buddhism as the incarnations of past teachers who convey enlightenment to their followers from one lifetime to the next. Some of the most respected are known by the honorific "rinpoche." For eight centuries, rinpoches were traditionally identified by other monks and then locked inside monasteries ringed by mountains, far from worldly distractions. Their reincarnation lineages were easily tracked across successive lives. Then the Chinese Red Army invaded Tibet in 1950 and drove the religion's adherents into exile. Now, the younger rinpoches of the Tibetan diaspora are being exposed to all of the twenty-first century’s dazzling temptations. So, even as Tibetan Buddhism is gaining more followers around the world, an increasing number of rinpoches are abandoning their monastic vows. Reincarnation in Exile. Mentioned in the article: Osel Hita Torres, also known as Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche. He was profiled by the BBC with a 30-minute radio documentary this past September. Related article.

"I went from God loves everybody to God saves everybody to God is in everybody."

zarq — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:47:58 -0800

From Bible-Belt Pastor to Atheist Leader. Jerry DeWitt is a former Pentecostal pastor in the evangelical parish of DeRidder, Louisiana who slowly lost his religious faith. Last Fall, he went public with his atheism, committing what he calls "identity suicide," and instantly becoming "the most disliked person in town." Since then, Mr. DeWitt's lost his job, his wife, his community and may be losing his house, but is still persevering and working to help others who find themselves in similar circumstances. Mr. DeWitt is the executive director of Recovering From Religion, who also run The Secular Therapist Project, which connects people in need to therapists who do not "allow their religious, spiritual or supernatural beliefs to inform their therapeutic approach." He is also the first openly-declared atheist "graduate" of The Clergy Project, (previously) a confidential online community for active and former clergy who do not hold supernatural beliefs. More on Mr. DeWitt from the Washington Post: "Pastor’s loss of faith started with loss of hell." Podcast Interviews * Living After Faith * The Angry Atheist. Videos of his Appearances * On his transition from Pastor to Atheist * At the Gathering of the Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas, 12/11: Thanksgiving vs. Tebowing * At the Oklahoma Atheists and the UCO Skeptics, 2/15/12, Parts 1, 2, 3 * Another talk from 2/7/12.

Just a handshake.

zarq — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:10:03 -0800

"Confessions of an Ex-Mormon: A personal history of America’s most misunderstood religion." by Walter Kirn, author of Up in the Air and Lost in the Meritocracy. (Via)

Straight guy for gay marriage

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:42:10 -0800

Why A Heterosexual, Married, North Carolinian Father Of Three Cares About LGBT Equality. Married father of three boys writes eloquently about the reasons why he opposes the proposed constitutional amendment banning any legal relationship recognition for same-sex couples. The amendment goes before voters in May primary election, when heavy Republican turnout is expected. Meanwhile Senator Goolsby says that it is all about "empowering voters" "so no activist judge is able to decide on his or her own what marriage is." [original]

One Religion coming up. Would you like God with that?

Gyan — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:50:27 -0800

Varieties of irreligious experience - modern believers "may not accept the idea of God as an actually existing entity, so arguments for atheism will not disturb them"

I have great faith. Obviously, I've been a Mets fan for forty years.

graphnerd — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:26:45 -0800

Jon Stewart hosts a three part debate with Mike Huckabee about religion, society, and policy. To be fair, The Daily Show isn't neutral ground. Stewart does grill Huckabee on David Barton (previously, a controversial evangelical Christian pastor who writes about American history. The extended interview is worth watching, and part of the reason I'm posting is that Comedy Central has an atrocious user interface that makes it difficult to find the extended interview. Although many MeFites (myself very much included) disagree with Huckabee vigorously, the three clips are worth watching for the civility of two intelligent people who clearly vehemently disagree with one another.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Humanity

Rhaomi — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:00:08 -0800

Everybody knows TVTropes is the best and most time-killing-est way to learn about the clichés and archetypes that permeate modern media. But dear reader, there is so much more. Enter Useful Notes. Originally created as a place for tropers to pool factual information as a writing aid, the subsite has quietly grown into a small wiki of its own -- a compendium of crowdsourced wisdom on a staggering array of topics, all written in the site's signature brand of lighthearted snark. Though it reads like an irreverent and informal Wikipedia, its articles act as genuinely useful primers to complex and obscure topics alike, all in service of the project's five goals: "To debunk common media stereotypes; to help you understand some media better; to educate, inform and sometimes entertain; to promote peace and understanding (maybe); and... to facilitate world domination." Sounds about right. Click inside for bountiful highlights... if you dare. [note: not all articles are hosted in the /UsefulNotes/ subfolder, but all grew out of the original page and are indexed there. If you find any material that's messy, weak, or inaccurate, remember: it's a wiki!] Main UsefulNotes Index A small sampling from the major categories: Geography: (including detailed subcategories for most major nations) The Americas - Europe - Asia - Africa - Oceania - Major World Cities

Excerpts from an example subcategory: The United States: "The general feeling among Americans about these parties is that one of them is evil, and the other is incompetent. Which is which depends on whom you ask. " Main Index - American Political System - U.S. Presidents - U.S. States - U.S. Military - Legal System - Educational System - Newspapers - Holidays - Weights and Measures - Accents Other major national pages: Canada - Mexico - Brazil - United Kingdom - Germany - France - Spain - Italy - Russia - South Africa - India - China - Japan - Indonesia - Australia

Media: Mainstream Media - Video Games - Subcultures - Irony - Heavy Metal - History of Hollywood - History of Animation - The 50 Greatest Cartoons History: Classical Mythology - Trojan War - Pre-Columbian Civilizations - Economics - American Revolution - Russian Revolution - Cold War - Arab-Israeli Conflict - World War II - 1950s - 1990s Famous People: William Shakespeare - The 47 Ronin - Marie Antoinette - Mark Twain - Theodore Roosevelt - Adolf Hitler - Albert Einstein - Joseph Stalin - Barack Obama Military: Militaries by Nation - Nuclear Weapons - Naval Warfare - Military Aviation - Modern Battlefield Weapons - The Laws of War Religion: Christianity - Islam - Buddhism - Hinduism - Judaism - Atheism - Gnosticism Sports: Football - Baseball - Basketball - Soccer (And that's just scratching the surface...)

France denies citizenship to man who failed to assimilate into French society

reenum — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:10:00 -0800

A Moroccan man whose wife wears a veil has been denied citizenship on the basis that he has failed to assimilate into French society. This is not the first time France's anti-burqa stance has drawn attention. The U.N. chose to condemn this stance earlier this year.

Navigating the Post-Secular

superiorchicken — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:40:09 -0800

John Milbank and Katherine Pickstock are interviewed about Radical Orthodoxy I was surprised near the beginning when the narrator started talking about theology being referred to all over the place in newspapers. What don't I understand about the U.K.? Anyway, this is a very interesting look into one of the hotter trends happening in Christian theology today. Radical Orthodoxy has some import on work in the social sciences, and its critique of modernity is, I think, especially important. If you want to look further, I recommend picking up Jamie Smith's book "Introducing Radical Orthodoxy", a tough but rewarding read.

God, Memes and Steel

Artw — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:34:29 -0800

Jared Diamond on the Evolution of Religions. (SLYT)

Humanism

plexi — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:59:22 -0800

The Virtues of Godlessness. "It is not the most religious nations in our world today, but rather the most secular, that have been able to create the most civil, just, safe, equitable, humane, and prosperous societies."

... in keeping with the Reform movement's tradition of liberal positions on human sexuality.

amberglow — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:00:23 -0800

Official transgender blessings -- Kulanu -- the newly-revised manual for LGBT issues and ceremonies put out by the Union for Reform Judaism (1.5 million US Jews are Reform) now includes 2 blessings (written by a Rabbi now male) for those transitioning and who have completed the change, alongside the already existing same sex marriage liturgy and other documents and procedures. A first? (blessings text inside)

"But there was no cheese. Jeeves died a little inside"

amberglow — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:11:35 -0800

Monkey Fluids --20th century book and magazine illustrations with new text. ; >

guess who comes off as more angry (and more insulting)?

amberglow — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:28:17 -0800

Jewcy asks The Big Question-- Why Are Atheists So Angry? with Sam Harris and Dennis Prager. Email exchanges on the topic--and if you can get past the incredibly loaded and one-sided question, really interesting.

Is Jesus a solution or an excuse?

0bvious — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 19:34:47 -0800

Faith based prisons... Can Gov. Jeb Bush's new drive to introduce God to the inmates make a difference, or was Jesus 'dying for our sins' not enough already? Is Jesus a solution or an excuse?

"Night has fallen. He has died now. A fly crawls over the still flesh. Of what use is it to me that this man suffered, If I am suffering now?" - Jorge Luis Borges

Beginnings

plep — Sat, 03 May 2003 12:17:58 -0800

Beginnings at the Library of Congress. The origins of the Universe, humanity and society as viewed by different cultural and religious traditions; and their attempts to explain it all.
The Talk.Origins Archive presents a more scientific view of physical and biological beginnings.

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Us

MiguelCardoso — Fri, 18 Apr 2003 20:44:08 -0800

How Important Is Religious Belief In The Definition Of Our Personality? I would say not at all, but Bernard Lewis's essay gave me pause. Bringing it all back home and wondering about MetaFilter's religious breakdown, does the fact that there are far more atheists, Jews (like me) and Mormons here than in the Western population at large, make any difference? Christians get a hard time here, in my opinion. Is it because, as Lewis says: "Tolerance was a much more difficult question for Christians"? Atheists, Jews and Buddhists seem to have a disproportionately large influence. Whereas Muslims, sadly, hardly get a look-in. What does this mean? That is, if it means anything?

Charting the unchurched in America

onegoodmove — Thu, 07 Mar 2002 16:53:03 -0800

Charting the unchurched in America "Americans almost all say religion matters, yet more people than ever are opting out. " I thought the trend was in the other direction What's Up