religion

A video of Tom Cruise promoting Scientology that's been popping around the web the past few days like a whack-a-mole. He sort of reminds me of his Magnolia character in this. (4) #
1/15/2008

Latter-day Saints revere the Bible. They study it and believe it to be the word of God. However, they do not believe the Bible, as it is currently available, is without error. -LDS.org, an official Mormon website
The New York Times quotes the above, suggesting that the questioner who asked about Bible literalism in the YouTube/CNN Republican debate was targeting Mitt Romney. I never knew about this aspect of the LDS church until now. (via andrew sullivan) (4) #
12/1/2007

Xtreme Mormons. The funny thing is that if you toned down the parodic tone and dialogue, it could probably be fairly successful as LDS cinema. (0) #
8/2/2007

Scientology: not a cult? I agree with parts of this article, especially the implications of this quote:
Religions appear strange in inverse proportion to their age.
But I'm not convinced that Scientology isn't primarily a money-making scheme, at least among those at the highest levels. (19) #
7/31/2007

The Hamas version of Mickey Mouse. I've been aggressively told that this is "blogworthy." (26) #
5/9/2007

A group of 87 Christian students and their chaperones walked out in the middle of a theatrical performance at the Zero Arrow Theater in Cambridge, MA last Thursday, apparently protesting its use of foul language. While they were walking out, one member of the group poured a glass of water over the notes the monologue speaker, Mike Daisey, was using on stage. The link has the video. (via bb) (12) #
4/23/2007

The LA Weekly has an interesting interview with the sole survivor of the Heaven's Gate cult, known for their Hale-Bopp-inspired mass suicide of 39 members. The 10th anniversary of the suicide is this Monday, and he's still a believer. (10) #
3/24/2007

Studies show that circumcision reduces the risk of contracting HIV -- should it be used as a means for fighting AIDS in Africa?
"This is an extraordinary development," said Dr. Kevin de Cock, director of the World Health Organization's AIDS department.
Heheheh. I generally consider myself an intactivist, but this one gives me some pause. Still, I think I lean on the side of scaling back abstinence-only education, coupled with a large birth control public relations campaign, before resorting to body modification. (thx, lorelei) (10) #
2/28/2007

I've lived in three states with sitting Mormon governors (Utah, Massachusetts, Nevada) and now I might live in two states with governors who are convicted while on the job (John Rowland in Connecticut, and maybe Jim Gibbons in Nevada). Of course, the two are not related. (2) #
2/15/2007

Dan Savage has some harsh words for Mary Cheney.

Take it from me, Mary: Explaining to your child, after he heard something hateful on the radio, that his family is very much “real,” that it’s not an attack on anyone else’s family, and that his parents are, in fact, fit to be his parents is as distressing and emotionally exhausting as it is unnecessary. And I blame you.
I wouldn't have used the same words, but I think my sentiment is the same. (38) #
2/5/2007

Homosexuality in Iran is punishable by death, but what I didn't know is that the Iranian government religiously and financially supports sex changes for those who are not happy with their given gender. (thx, kobi) (2) #
1/8/2007

You knew it would come to this: Soy is the food of the devil, and it causes homosexuality! But the angelic process of fermentation makes soy sauce OK... (via sullivan) (7) #
12/12/2006

Slate's Explainer on brain imaging experiments of subjective experiences, such as speaking in tongues, dread, and yes, schadenfreude. He believes such experiments are biased towards positive results. (0) #
11/17/2006

Extreme church! Make sure to watch the intro. It kinda makes me want to join their congregation. (thx, emily) (5) #
9/26/2006

FLDS polygamists are moving to Las Vegas, in the form of one of their businesses. They aren't the first. (7) #
8/2/2006

Here's a cheesy cartoon supposedly put out by anti-Mormon Christians explaining the core beliefs of the LDS church. Somewhat exaggerated, methinks. Still, I like how they insist on using the term "the Mormon Jesus." (thx, gropo) (17) #
7/20/2006

A court is set to rule whether there is a medical justification for the circumcision of an 8-year-old boy suffering from a non-life-threatening infection. Anti-circumcision "intactivists" are hoping that the court rules against the medical necessity of the surgery, potentially setting a precedent in American law. I consider myself a sort of "intactivist," but the religious component is tremendously thorny. (thx, flea) (21) #
6/14/2006

A short interview about Big Love with a journalist who has written quite a bit on polygamy. The part that caught my eye was her claim that the show misrepresents mainstream Utah Mormons by portraying them as anti-polygamy:

Nearly every Mormon in Utah is either related to a polygamist, has hired a polygamist, has them for neighbors or is a polygamist wanna-be. The polygamists are defended and left alone, for the most part.
Even in SLC suburbia? (0) #
6/2/2006

Forty minute audio recording of the Jonestown Massacre. This is very much not for the faint of heart. If you want to know more, here's the Wikipedia entry on the massacre. (thx, d2k+1 & je) (11) #
5/31/2006

The New York Times on Da Vinci Christianity. I think every student should be taught the historical side of Early Christianity -- perhaps then they would realize that the central tenets of Christianity weren't really defined until the First Council of Nicaea in 325. It'd almost be like creating the US Constitution today based on oral and written stories of the Founding Fathers -- imagine the biases and disagreements. (5) #
5/21/2006

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