Politics Archive

As if the Sandy Hook shooting wasn’t tragic enough, many of the responses from religious leaders represented the worst in humanity. As a result, I wrote (somewhat therapeutically) “Why Do Some Theologians Blame The Victim?” for The Huffington Post religion section. There is not much I need to say to lead into this except that I hope

Surveys are done all the time, especially during election years, but there are a few election year surveys on religion that are showing some interesting changes in the American landscape. Today I’m looking at three studies that highlight some aspect of the transforming world of American religion, including the rising category of the the

My newest piece, “Why Blasphemy Laws Are Not About Religion,” is up at The Huffington Post. In it I look at what I consider the real reasons behind blasphemy laws: to preserve power. After the online film “Innocence of Muslims” mocked the Prophet Muhammad and led to violent and deadly protests internationally at U.S.

Updated: Would you vote for an atheist president? Some interesting numbers were released last week from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Gallup. The Pew Forum survey looked at religious identification and the presidency and shows that most voters want to have a president with strong religious beliefs. The survey also

A study by psychologists at the University of Lincoln shows that the concept of loving one’s neighbor might be “hard-wired” into the brain (ScienceDaily). In an effort to avoid the ethical concerns of the famous study done by Yale psychologist, Stanley Milgram, who demonstrated that individuals were less likely to deliver an electric shock

My newest piece, “Honoring the Golden Rule With the State of the Union Seating Arrangement,” is up at The Huffington Post. Civility begins with breaking old patterns, even the simplest ones. What if those that represent us could take one night off from confirming what we already know — that they do not agree? What