Samuel Huntington is interviewed by NPQ
posted by semmi on Feb 4, 2007 - 7 comments

Looking for a new religion? Something to save your soul? Do you like Elephants? Then consider becoming a Babarist, a new religion that is seeking to spread the word of Babar. Followers seek to influence and enhance every facet of their lives by asking "What would Babar do?"
posted by Effigy2000 on Oct 8, 2006 - 6 comments

Don't put a restraining order on God the toughest challenge of living in a democracy is to respect the freedom of other people to live according to values that are not your own. Real freedom, however, does not thrive in a moral vacuum (the ardent secularist) or a moral straightjacket (the ardent theocratic). What does my ideal of democracy look like? I can sum it up in a single sentence: A person arrives at faith freely, practices it openly, and uses dialogue with others about their own life path to deepen their understanding. another interesting read from the same webpage: God is not a Republican or a Democrat: the Religious Right does not speak for you. Remind America that Jesus taught us to be peacemakers, advocates for the poor, and defenders of justice.. this article is a little dated, but it is relevant for people who choose to accept Jesus as the Christ but do not want someone's political agenda attached to their belief system.
posted by Hands of Manos on Dec 9, 2004 - 127 comments

Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou. 'Vodou is Haiti's mirror. Its arts and rituals reflect the difficult, brilliant history of seven million people, whose ancestors were brought from Africa to the Caribbean in bondage. In 1791 these Africans began the only successful national slave revolt in history. In 1804 they succeeded in creating the world's first Black republic: the only one in this hemisphere where all the citizens were free. Their success inspired admiration, fear and scorn in the wider world. Cut off from Euro-American support, Haitians managed to created their own dynamic "Creole" society-one rooted in Africa but responsive to all that was encountered in their new island home.' History, theology and religious art.
Related :- an essay on the Vodou concept of soul, Voodoos and Obeahs on sacred-texts ('required reading if you want to understand the background of Haitian and Jamaican Vodun, and the profound influence of imperialism, slavery and racism on its development').
posted by plep on Jan 2, 2004 - 10 comments

An interesting read This guy seems to make some sense when lately nobody has been making sense at all... think we could get him to run in 2004? ;)

When religious institutions fail to provide moral leadership, when governmental institutions become dangerous to the nation they are tasked to serve, when politicians do not work for the people, or when they tremble at the possibility that standing alone in righteousness might cost them votes, when journalism becomes one long commercial, when votes are brokered against the party affiliation of a majority of powerful judges, it becomes necessary for the singular multitude that is the American people to stand and be counted.
posted by sparky on Jan 11, 2003 - 21 comments

Rulers.org is the semi-modest page with the task of listing every leader of every country ever. They have sections for Iraq, America, Greenland and every other country. [More inside]
posted by RobbieFal on Dec 21, 2002 - 7 comments

We did it! Jedi Knights achieve official recognition as a religion. OK, it's code is 896 with none coming in at 899, but still... be interesting to see how many of us there are out there
posted by twistedonion on Oct 9, 2001 - 20 comments