Donate to or support
Talk to Action






Talk To Action Speakers Bureau


Religious Right Organizations

Site Sections

The War on Reproductive Rights

Attacking Public Education

Shadow War: the battle for mainstream faith
the covert campaign against liberal chuches and the social justice tradition

War on Judicial Independence

Recommended Books
[above: click on image for YouTube video trailer]"Renewal or Ruin": New Video Documentary By Steve D. Martin Spotlights Secretive Rightwing Effort To Destroy Mainstream Protestant Churches


Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson


Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort
by Chip Berlet and Matthew N. Lyons
sample chapter

God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade For Values Voters
By Sarah Posner


Liars for Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History
By Chris Rodda


Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism
: by Michelle Goldberg


With God on Their Side: How Christian Fundamentalists Trampled Science, Policy, and Democracy in George W. Bush's White House.
by Esther Kaplan


Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement
Tanya Erzen


Special Features

Attack on The United Churches of Christ

Attack on The United Methodist Church

"The Christian Right, Dominionism, and Theocracy", by Chip Berlet

Parts OneTwoThreeFourFive

"Taking Over The Republican Party", a four part series by Joan Bokaer

The Woman in A Mink CoatWhile We Were sleepingAngels On a PinheadUnder Cover of Night

The Indian River Incident : What You Can Do

link > The "Stop the ACLU Coalition" Shaming Project
How you can help stop "Stop The ACLU" just by sending a few emails



'Left Behind' video game imageThe Shaming Project

does the violence of "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" bother you ? If so, what can you do ? Well, to begin with you can email Jonathan Hutson's stories to people you know. That will help to bring more public scrutiny of the game. Public shaming really works ! Just click on the "email" icon and link at the top or bottom of the story and you'll be taken to a form that will allow you email the first story, The Purpose Driven Life Takers or the latest installment without leaving this site. Thanks. 'Left Behind' video game image

Donate to or support
Talk to Action




Respecting the Right to Hold Religious Beliefs You Find Offensive (3)
By Chip Berlet Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 02:18:00 PM EST printable version print story
Review it on NewsTrust
Senior Analyst, Political Research Associates (author info)

This coming Friday in Chicago the Yearly Kos conference will feature a track of workshops looking at the Religious Right that slipped into the conference schedule. In preparation, I am posting a series of tips and guidelines for challenging the U.S. Political Right. I will be discussing this next one at the panel on "What to do About the Religious Right. Here is the focus of this week's tip:

Be careful to respect people’s  right to hold opinions and religious beliefs that you may find offensive. Everyone has an absolute right to seek redress of their grievances. This is equally true when those grievances are based on religious beliefs. In an open and democratic society, it is important to listen to the grievances of all members of  society and take them seriously, even when we might be vehemently opposed to them. They do not, however, have a right to impose those beliefs on others.

topic: All Topics

This advice is from a Political Research Associates (PRA) document titled "Ground Rules and Tips for Challenging the Right." There are three sections--Do Your Homework, Stay Cool in Public, and Keep Organizing--each with several suggestions.

Here are the two workshops in which I am a participant:

Is the Religious Right Really Dead?

Aug 3 2007 - 1:00pm - Aug 3 2007 - 2:15pm

Every election cycle--and in between--pundits have declared that the religious right is dead. This roundtable will discuss the current status of the religious right, its power and points of leverage, its strengths and its weaknesses. Looking historically and into the future, what can we expect to be the future of the religious right?

Presenters will include: Chip Berlet, Talk to Action contributor, and Senior Analyst, Political Research Associates; Frederick Clarkson, co-founder, Talk to Action; Susan Thistlethwaite, President, Chicago Theological Seminary   -- and perhaps a surprise guest!

What to do about the Religious Right

Aug 3 2007 - 2:30pm - Aug 3 2007 - 3:45pm

Let's get over it. The religious right will be around for a long, long time. Why is this, and how shall we get our minds around this stubborn political fact? What to do about the Religious Right? The Religious Right is one of the most successful political and religious movements in American history. What should we be doing differently in response?  

Presenters are the same cast as above: Susan Thistlethwaite, Fred Clarkson, and Chip Berlet.

Fred Clarkson has kindly posted all the workshop information.

Several groups that challenge the Religious Right have developed policies for respectful criticism.

Faith in Public Life envisions a country in which diverse religious voices for justice and the common good consistently impact public policy; and those who use religion as a tool of division and exclusion do not dominate public discourse.

The 2004 elections brought a resurgence in religious advocacy for social and economic justice. Yet the Religious Right continued to dominate public discourse on issues of faith -- primarily targeting issues of abortion and homosexuality -- and virtually ignoring issues of justice and the common good.

Our faith traditions share the call to work tirelessly for justice and the common good, to protect and care for the most vulnerable in our society. Final justice may come only from God, but we share a call to work toward that goal here and now. As the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children! Our shared call to pursue the common good is rooted in our shared humanity and our equality before God, regardless of religious affiliation

A Resource Center For Justice And The Common Good


Here is another example:

DefCon: Campaign to Defend The Constitution. Because The Religious Right Is Wrong

DefCon: Campaign to Defend The Constitution. Because The Religious Right Is Wrong

DefCon is an online grassroots movement combating the growing power of the religious right. We fight for the separation of church and state, individual freedom, scientific progress, pluralism and tolerance, while respecting people of faith and their right to express their beliefs.



And don't forget Talk to Action that has this policy statement:

Talk to Action is a platform for reporting on, learning about, and analyzing and discussing the religious right -- and what to do about it. It is not a forum for discussion, dialog or debate with those who sympathize with or belong to this movement. There is an editorial framework for this site that is different than you will find on other major blog sites, so please read this carefully: We are pro-religious equality and pro-separation of church and state. We are prochoice, and we support gay and lesbian civil rights -- including marriage equality. Therefore, debates about the validity of abortion and gay rights are off topic. We understand that some people who share our general concern about the politics of the Christian Right may not agree on all of these matters. That's fine. Anyone who agrees with the purpose of this site is welcome to participate -- but bearing this in mind. It is our intention to take the conversation forward, and not let it be held back by debating what, in our view are or should be, settled matters of human, civil and constitutional rights. Similarly, religious debates are off topic, especially debates between theism and atheism. Finally, we are nonpartisan. While political discussions are welcome, -- even central to the purpose of this site -- we do not wish the site itself to be a platform that is necessarily for or opposed to any particular party.

So here are four groups, Faith in Public Life, DefCon: Campaign to Defend The Constitution, Talk to Action, and Political Research Associates (where I work) that are struggling to find language to challenge the Religious Right while at the same time respecting a person’s  right to hold opinions and religious beliefs that many of us find offensive. We will' talk about it more at the Yearly Kos workshop.

Ground Rules and Tips for Challenging the Right

Making Distinctions - Seeing Possibilities (1)
Recognize that the Right is a Complex Movement (2)
Respecting the Right to Hold Religious Beliefs You Find Offensive (3)
Decode the Right's Agenda on Your Issue (4a)
Ideology, Frames, and Narratives in Right-Wing Social Movements (4b)
How do Social Movements Gain Political Power? (4c)
Chip Berlet, Senior Analyst, Political Research Associates
The Public Eye: Website of Political Research Associates--- Chip's Blog
Digg
del.icio.us
Newsvine
Reddit
stumbleupon
Facebook


To discuss this story, sign up for a free account

Display:
Respecting the Right to Hold Religious Beliefs You Find Offensive (3) | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)
A caveat (5.00 / 3)
Recognizing that the underlying assumption of this website is "reclaiming citizenship history and faith," you still need to consider the position of many non-believers.

As an American citizen, taxpayer and voter who happens to also be a strong atheist, I respect the right of others to believe in whatever fairy tales they wish. Contrary to popular belief, however, this does not mean that I must respect the fairy tales themselves. The right to hold any given belief and the belief itself are not the same thing at all, although the two are unendingly conflated.

When atheists are accorded the same respect that believers in ludicrous bronze-age hero myths are (including the right to run for the highest office in the land), maybe things will change.



by Len on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 07:41:27 PM EST
Len (5.00 / 2)
On this site, faith, as used in the sub-title, simply means the right to individual conscience, as clearly prescribed in article 6 of the constitution and the first amendment. Atheists, and anyone who shares our concerns are welcome here.

That said, the site guidelines also call for people to treat one another with respect around here. To facilitate this, side-debates between religions; and between religion and no religion are off topic here. Characterizing the beliefs of others as fairy tales or "ludicrous bronze age hero myths" is pretty far from the spirit and the letter of what we clearly intend -- and are franky bannable offenses.  

Atheists are not the only ones who have strong views about the religious views of others,  as you know if you read this site.

Learning how to share information and analysis about the religious right and what to do about it in a respectfulf fashion is part of the purpose of this site. We recognize it is not always easy. We are discussing matters about which people have strong views -- and often even stronger feelings.  Sometimes people also need to learn to get over themselves as well.

That said, people who are unable to participate in a respectful fashion or stay reasonably on topic, eventually find that they are no longer able to post here.

part of showing respect to people on this site, is not to engage in religion baiting.

by Frederick Clarkson on Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 04:14:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]



RESPECT (5.00 / 1)
Respect is all well and good if you are truly dealing as equals. But the "'Religious' Right" is a political party that came out of the success of the civil rights movement that took away their open scapegoating of blacks to make up for their own sorry circumstances. Faux religious leaders decided to copy that success by gloming onto Gay's & woman's rights (they are too successful and may be even having too much fun) and the science underlying such progress. To those at the top of this movement it is political in fact but religious in fiction. The promotion of political goals are beyond mainstream religions who are lacking in customers, currently, and they are probably too rich compared to the religious right miserables, too (although Anton Scalia & his Opus Dei-ilk are rich & right wing). At any rate it is not an equal situation and in my view respect is not capable of bringing about a consensus-- this orange can't be compared to a lemon. Those that don't play fair win against those who do and, as in money, the bad drives out the good. dci
off
by lackawack on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 08:20:26 PM EST

Respect... (5.00 / 2)
is a form of behavior. Avoid shouting over them, or otherwise emoting. If they won't let you get a word in edgewise, just excuse yourself politely, saying that the other person apparently doesn't want a conversation, and you don't want a lecture, so let's call it quits. You should avoid name-calling, avoid expressions like "you people", avoid automatically assuming that they have a political or religious position "X" (eg, not all conservative evangelicals are wanting to bring on the end-times by military intervention in the mideast).

You should behave as if a third, neutral person is watching and judging manners of both parties. Remember, losing your cool and getting rude just perpetuates a stereotype of "Liberals just waiting to take away your Bible". You aren't bound to respect the content of their convictions, but you are bound to respect the other person as a person who has the right to convictions, however mistaken you believe those to be.

by NancyP on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 09:20:21 PM EST

People on the defensive (5.00 / 2)
don't think, in direct proportion to the degree of perceived threat. If you don't look and sound (tone, not content) like their stereotype of a Crazed Hellbound Liberal, but look and sound like an average neighbor or fellow congregant, they are more likely to hear what you say, and perhaps think about it.

Yes, it is difficult to be heard by many conservative Christians - the radio/TV preachers and their own pastors foster the concept of personal persecution , as does the intensely individualistic theology. The people who take the persecution trope seriously start out defensive and only get worse. Some of these people are likely unreachable. The less panicked may listen if approached with the behaviors of respect.

by NancyP on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 09:29:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]



respect (5.00 / 2)
I always make this distinction:  Respect(and/or tolerance) is directed at people, not their ideas.

It is helpful to remember this especially when in a discussion that could get heated.  Show respect for the person even when they are espousing a despicable point of view.  I had to do this recently when a co-worker of mine who I admire in many respects expressed his opinion that we need to level the entire Middle East and start over.  He also expressed the opinion that we need to scrap the Constitution, bring in martial law and crack down on 'terrorists' because the current method is not working.  These are his opinions even though he is a retired military officer who took an oath to protect and defend the constitution.

I responded with shock and horror and rebutted his positions as best I could at the same time respecting him as a friend.  We continue to be good friends.

by jjengele on Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 01:46:32 PM EST


Respect is fine. (4.50 / 2)
What I notice, however, in extremely conservative religious broadcasting, is a complete inability to perceive respect. For many in the Christian dominionist subculture, disagreement equals persecution and results in maximum self-congratulation and high-volume howling.

by nogodsnomasters on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 05:03:37 PM EST

Religious and totalitarian different. (none / 0)
If a person wishes to believe anything for themselves from kissing cobras to a simple life of no mechanical gadgets, a life of rigid discipline, or a life of daily group sex, and communal farms. I have no problem with any of it, as long as they do not impose their life on mine.

They can kiss all the cobras they want, but if they want them to be free to roam the neighborhood as well, I have a problem. They can live a life of rigid rules for every waking moment, but if they insist that I follow those rules I have a problem.

One thing that society has not dealt with well at all is in defining just what in society is secular and agree that secular be the default for operating the society. We have done this in a sloppy half hearted way because the problems have mostly not been more than a bit of aggravation, but the sharp edge of that thinking has arrived and we must be less sloppy or lose a free and open society totally.

This web site has worked hard to make a distinction between a Christianity that can live well in a secular society, and one (however unchristian it might actually be) that cannot tolerate the presence, or even knowledge of, any alternative ideas.

The difference is not Theological, but a deep threat to the very nature of Society. If you wish to live among free range cobras there are places to do that, but America is not among them. The same is true for totalitarian government. You are entitled to believe anything, but there is a range of things that you can do acting on your beliefs is restrained, if it adversely affects those who do not share your beliefs.

I would very much like to see a document evolve that could define that. Advocating the overthrow of the American government is already a no-no in some directions, yet there are organizations that have that as their central thesis for years without so much as a comment in the MSM anyway, much less in District Attorneys offices.

However even beyond what should be criminal, if for no other reason than to preserve the non-criminality of all other possibilities, the many shades of gray need to be more generally understood and agreed upon in a more formal matter to preserve against such vigorous border shifting as is the agenda of those who would force everything to their totalitarian agenda.

Everyone has more tolerance for what they agree with than what they don't, so landmarks that anyone could recognize would seem to be in order.

by FreeDem on Wed Aug 01, 2007 at 11:32:15 PM EST


Lots of great comments (none / 0)
It gives me an idea...

= = = The Public Eye: Website of Political Research Associates
Chip's Blog = = =

by Chip Berlet on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 07:20:24 PM EST

Respecting the Right to Hold Religious Beliefs You Find Offensive (3) | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)

WWW Talk To Action


The Fog is Lifting over Common Ground on Abortion
President Obama has made much about finding common ground on abortion, and Democratic oriented think tanks like Third Way and Faith in Public Life......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Short Takes
Examiner.com:  A few years ago, Talk to Action exposed the convert or die ideology of the video game based on Tim LaHaye's Left Behind......
By Frederick Clarkson (6 comments)
Sally Kern, Unpatriot: Why Does Oklahoma's Looney Lawmaker Hate America?
Everyone's favorite raging theocrat, Oklahoma House member Sally Kern, is at it again. Numerous reports indicate that Kern and her supporters plan to publicly......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
Camp David Chaplain: "First we get the military, then we get the nation"
For a few hours today it seemed, according to a new Time Magazine story by Amy Sullivan, released Monday morning, that US President Barack......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Obama's [Reported] New Pastor: "First we get the military, then we get the nation"
UPDATE: The White House has denied the report that Obama has chosen the chapel at Camp David as his church. This, however, does not......
By Chris Rodda (2 comments)
CBS's Go To (Rightwing) Catholic Guy
The go to guy at CBS News for all-things Catholic is one Father Thomas D. Williams.  Never heard of him?  Well, if you watch......
By Frank Cocozzelli (2 comments)
MRFF Demands DoD Revoke Authority of Chaplain Endorser Who Suggested Democrats Should Be Executed
As I wrote back in May, the antics of disgraced former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt, and his retaliation against the Military Religious Freedom Foundation......
By Chris Rodda (4 comments)
Al Jazeera Special Report Covers Advance of Fundamentalism in US Military
A June 23, 2009 report from Al Jazeera (English) by Josh Rushing, "Fault Lines - Religion in the Military", expertly covers a topic the......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Ann Coulter Justifies The Tiller Assasination
Ann Coulter is skilled at saying what she really believes while building in a certain plausible deniability, and that is what she has repeatedly......
By Frederick Clarkson (5 comments)
More on the Pre-Netroots Nation Pie Fight
The other day, I reported about the pies launched in response to the description of one of the first sessions to be announced for......
By Frederick Clarkson (3 comments)
Ralph's Resurrection?: Former Christian Coalition Honcho Reed Seeks To Rise From The Crypt
Last month I wrote a story for Church & State speculating about possible new leaders for the Religious Right. I focused on Mike Huckabee,......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
Liberty Learns A Lesson: Falwell School Accepts AU Advice On Political Clubs
Americans United for Separation of Church and State reacted quickly when word spread recently that officials at Liberty University had revoked university recognition of......
By Rob Boston (0 comments)
Defense Department-Certified Agency Newsletter Suggests Killing Democrats
"In 2008, Ammerman implied that four presidential candidates should be "arrested, quickly tried and hanged" for not voting to designate English America's official language,......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Col. Jim Ammerman, Apostle & New World Order Conspiracy Theorist
Part Two - Conspiracy as Prophecy New World Order Conspiracy is not disseminated by white supremacist groups alone. New World Order conspiracy is a......
By Ruth (2 comments)
Common Ground Sink Hole at RH Reality Check
There is an odd new section to the prochoice site, RH Reality Check devoted to discussion of common ground on abortion, and featuring some......
By Frederick Clarkson (3 comments)

Radio host: We're only united through Christianity
Most of you in Indiana may know about Peter Heck, who hosts a daily radio show in Kokomo and puts out a column that appears in several newspapers across the state and in OneNewsNow.......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Cindy Jacobs--the new leader of the NAR
You may remember that Lou Engle has made moves of late to position himself as the new power in the religious right.  He's a member of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, a group......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
James F. Linzey Espouses anti-Semitic, White Racialist Conspiracy Theory
James F. Linzey is a prominent, active duty chaplain in the United States military. Linzey has stated that he was the command chaplain for the Operation Iraqi Freedom troop mobilization prior to the US......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
White Supremacist named as Holocaust Museum Shooter
An 89 year old, vehemently antiSemitic  Ron Paul supporter has been named by police as the gunman who opened fire in the Holocaust Museum shortly after noon today: Gunman, guard shot at Holocaust museum......
By CynthiaGee (0 comments)
From Focus On The Family to La Familia Michoacana
I didn't think my work on the religous right would converge with what I'm doing on the narcoguerra in Mexico...but here it is: the Faith-Based Cartel. ......
By julydogs (1 comment)
A Pagan Among the Mainstream Churches in Boise
The participation by an "out" Pagan in the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force proves that some religions will accept and welcome help from all quarters, in recognition that we are all human.  The glaring......
By Chiawana (0 comments)
Clarkson on CounterSpin
Hear me discuss the Tiller assasination this week on the nationally syndicated radio program CounterSpin, the progressive media criticism show produced by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR).  You can also listen via Mp3......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Liberty Counsel tries to SLAPP Americans United
In what can charitably be described as an act of desperation, Liberty Counsel is asking the IRS to investigate Americans United's tax-exempt status.  This comes only days after AU asked the IRS to investigate......
By Christian Dem in NC (0 comments)
Strange how things bring the nutcases out
I read today that Westboro Baptist staged a protest at a vigil held for Dr. Tiller in Wichita.   I'm not surprised, but what did surprise me was that they had 20 people there......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
Southern Baptists may be abandoning public schools
Via OneNewsNow, I discovered a story by former Southern Baptist Convention president Morris Chapman that appears to call for SBC churches to begin setting up Christian schools. I now wonder if our focus in......
By Christian Dem in NC (0 comments)
Footnote about Ammerman / Palin / Wagner Linkage
Colonel "Jim" Ammerman was listed as being an apostle in C. Peter Wagner's International Coalition of Apostles [see ICA prospectus] from the organization's inception in 2001 through to December 2008. The ICA is one......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
The Singapore Struggle, after AWARE
An introductory post on steeplejacking in Singapore after the attempted takeover of a woman's NGO and a summary of recent updates. ......
By Sniper (2 comments)
What Does Bobby Jindal Really Want to Do To Louisiana Higher Education?
In recent weeks, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has stood back and watched while both the Louisiana House and Senate wrestled with his original budget proposal to cut $219 million from Louisiana public higher education.......
By ulyankee (3 comments)
Yank Dominionists are considering taking over....New Zealand?????
No, it's not a plot for a bad sci-fi movie, it's.... "The Three Greatest Issues Facing the Men of New Zealand" ....and the first wave of the "invasion" has already hit the island, just......
By CynthiaGee (1 comment)
The AWARE steeplejackers and their deep connections to Joel's Army and American dominionists
Thanks to a few Singaporean friends (who shall remain anonymous), I had become aware of a disturbing development--an attempted hijack of a major women's NGO. Through those same folks and Fred Clarkson's post on......
By dogemperor (0 comments)
Common Enemies: LGBT, Abortion Share Foes
by Pam Chamberlain [On The Issues Magazine] When I was in college, a group of radical women dressed as witches ran around major U.S. cities doing zap actions, placing hexes on male-dominated institutions like......
By On The Issues Magazine (0 comments)
Florida Theocrats at it again.
There are two news articles in today's Ledger that are of concern. http://www.theledger.com/article/20090424/NEWS/904259979/1003/NEW S00?Title=Jesus-License-Plate-Could-Come The new license plates come up for a vote this year. http://www.theledger.com/article/20090423/NEWS/904235098/1005/NEW S02?Title=Bill-Would-Strengthen-Voucher-Program This bill, also possibly up for a......
By ArchaeoBob (4 comments)
Is Humanism Arrogant?
Much to the dismay of theocratic Christians, humanists claim that ethics can be understood without resorting to the supernatural or alleged divine authority from religious texts.  Christian theocrats say this is hubris. ......
By TMurray (8 comments)
Terry Schaivo back in the news
http://www.theledger.com/article/20090330/NEWS/903305040/1003/NEW S00?Title=Schiavo-Anniversary-Mass-Planned Another move by the religious right- rather than letting Terry go (after an autopsy PROVED that she had severe and irreversible brain damage), they're dragging her up again. ......
By ArchaeoBob (5 comments)
no ark no temple
how can you build a new temple in jerusalem if there is no ark of the covanent to put in it? book of jerimiah states that the ark will not be reconstructed. what does......
By keyknow (5 comments)
WND.com Cashes In on "Birther" Conspiracy Theories
WorldNetDaily has been spinning ridiculous yarns about Barack Obama since last year's presidential campaign, particularly about the idea that he's a foreign-born usurper to the Oval Office. Now you can own a peice of......
By Scoutstr295 (0 comments)
Did you know NC's constitution bars atheists from holding office?
When I found out that an Arkansas state rep is trying to repeal a provision in his state constitution that bars atheists from holding office, I remembered that, sadly, North Carolina's constitution has a......
By Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
AP helping religious right again--this time in Arkansas
I'm starting to wonder if the American Family Association has a moleat the Associated Press. That's the only plausible explanation for an AP story about a possible referendum about removing constitutional restrictions on atheists......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Creationists' new angle--it's in the name of academic freedom
(cross-posted at dKos) Looks like the creationist crowd is trying a new tack to try and get a toe in the evolution debate. Apparently shutting out discussion of creation amounts to a denial of......
By Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Religious right threatens lawsuit over provision of stimulus bill
cross-posted at dKos The American Center for Law and Justice is threatening a lawsuit over the stimulus package. At issue? A provision that it claims may force colleges receiving funds to renovate their facilities......
By Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)
Fundies raising stink about prospective gay appointment
cross-posted at dKosI had a funny feeling the religious right would find something about Obama to get worked up about, and wouldn't you know, it looks like they have.  Apparently the prospect of Obama--horrors!--appointing......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
The Churches may need Redefining
       John Aravosis www.americablog.com/ has reported that Archbishop Rino Fisichella is commenting on the arrogance of newly elected President Obama as someone who is opening the door to abortion and thus the......
By tangodaddy (1 comment)
Blackwater: Guns for Hire or Trojan Horsemen?
The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that  Blackwater security may be forced out of Iraq: "Blackwater Worldwide,the security firm that allegedly used excessive force to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq, will soon be......
By CynthiaGee (0 comments)
If Abortion is Murder what do you do with the Killers?
This is a video I found today of a guy who interviewed pro-life activists at an anti-abortion rally. The interviewer asked the question, "What do you do with all of the women who commit......
By inlikeflint (0 comments)
Boston Globe Notes Warren's Hitler Cites, Misses "Africa Problem"
As a new Boston Globe article, "Effort to surmount polarizing debates backfires on pastor", by Michael Paulson, noticed, "The Huffington Post, noting that Warren has cited the success Hitler, Lenin and Mao had at......
By Bruce Wilson (4 comments)

More Diaries...


Donate to or support
Talk to Action
Left Behind: Eternal Forces: Installments of Jonathan Hutson's Talk To Action expose series on the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game have been viewed by up to 1/2 million people. See our site section featuring Over 35 original articles covering the controversial "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game that has provoked a boycott by a coalition of religious groups and a letter writing campaign urging Walmart to stop selling the game. Media inquiries click here
(image: detail from Francoise Dubois' rendition of the Bartholomew's Day Massacre reveals the actual nature of religious warfare)







Blogs

Bartholomew's Notes On ReligionChip BerletMax BlumenthalThe Panda's ThumbFrederick Clarkson Chuck Currie DefCon father Jake Stops The World John Gorenfeld Religion Clause Chris Mooney Religious Right Watch The Revealer Jesus Politics Majority Report Radio Blog Mainstream Baptist Orcinus Dispatches from the Culture Wars Ex-Gay Watch The Wall of Separation Blog From The Capital:a blog on religious liberty issues and the separation of church and state

CrossLeft: Organizing The Christian Left Dark Christianity The Daily Kos Booman TribuneePluribus Media My Left Wing Political Cortex Street Prophets

Organizations

American Booksellers Foundation for Freedom of ExpressionACLUAnti-Defamation LeagueAmerican Library AssociationChristian Alliance for ProgressCitizens ProjectDefCon: Campaign to Defend The ConstitutionFaithful America People For the American wayInstitute For Democracy StudiesInterfaith AllianceJews On First: Defending the First AmendmentAmerican Fundamentalists Americans United for Separation of Church and StateBaptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty The Clergy and laity Network Political Research Associates Theocracy Watch Media Matters for AmericaMilitary Religious Freedom FoundationMontana Human Rights NetworkNational Center For Science EducationReligious Coalition for Reproductive ChoiceThe RevealerSouthern Poverty Law CenterTexas Freedom NetworkCrossLeft: Organizing the Christian LeftTheocracy WatchTruth Wins Out"