NEWS: First Family Seder and Digital Seders for All!

Families can now read their own personalized Haggadah during their Passover Seder meal by simply going online and ordering one custom-made from Behrman House. To promote the project, Berhman House made a personalized Haggadah for the Obama family that tells, as the LA Times reported, “the story of freedom from slavery to the American civil rights … Continue reading →

NEWS: Religion in Review

As 2009 comes to an end media outlets review the highlights of the past year and decade. USA Today concluded that “God, politics, and pop culture intertwined in ’09.” Contributor Cathy Lynn Grossman included the renewed vigor of Catholic lobbyists, the death of Oral Roberts, the increasing popularity of Rick Warren and President Barack Obama’s … Continue reading →

Islam: A “Dangerous” Religion?

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans have become increasingly interested in the religion of Islam and in the politics of the Muslim world. 2009 has been a year full of news regarding American/Muslim relations, from President Obama’s June address to the worldwide Islamic community to the shootings at Fort Hood in November. Although … Continue reading →

NEWS: Are Scientists allowed to have Faith?

(Cross-posted in The Philosopher’s Eye) The recent debate about Barack Obama’s nominee Dr. Francis Collins as the next director of the National Institutes of Health highlights a problem that is seldom discussed within philosophy of science. One leading opinion within the philosophy of science seems to be that in order for someone to be a … Continue reading →

NEWS: Obama Assures Pope of Commitment to Reducing Abortions

President Barack Obama expressed his commitment to reducing the number of U.S. abortions in a private meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this Friday. Obama has vocally supported the legality of abortion and the importance of a woman’s right to choose. In meeting with Benedict, however, the president also stressed the importance of improving social and … Continue reading →

NEWS: Sotomayor, Catholicism and the U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Senate Confirmation Hearings are set to begin July 13, 2009 for Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor. President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor last month, emphasizing that her personal and professional experience qualify her to be a Supreme Court Justice. Arising from humble beginnings in the Bronx, Puerto Rican Sotomayor graduated from Princeton University and … Continue reading →

NEWS: Barack Obama Addresses ‘the Muslim World’

U.S. President Barack Obama will address Muslims worldwide today, at a university in Cairo. The speech is seen by many to be a necessary and long-awaited exercise in reconciliation, and also a daunting challenge. The policies and wars of Obama’s predecessor, George Bush, are still a source of much resentment to many in Muslim communities … Continue reading →

NEWS: The Inauguration of President Obama: An Opportunity for Interfaith Dialogue?

Today, America will witness the inauguration of her 44th President, Barack Obama. Arguably, the media frenzy that has accompanied Obama’s campaign trail and subsequent election will not abate just yet. Hidden among all of the column inches is a recent article by Eboo Patel, who attempts to answer the question, set by The Guardian: ‘Will … Continue reading →

NEWS: Same-Sex Marriage: A Question of Religious or Civil Rights?

Proposition 8 has been a constant in news headlines over the past few months. For many, from both secular and religious backgrounds, same-sex marriages are seen as a highly divisive issue, with committed supporters on both sides. However, Matthew Harwood (The Guardian) has recently suggested such divisions may be softening, particularly amongst young, religious Americans. … Continue reading →

DIGEST: Liberating the Founders and Doubting Obama

Liberating the Founders October 30, 2008 NPR’s Speaking of Faith Podcast, with Krista Tippett With the presidential election approaching, we return to an evocative, relevant conversation from earlier this year with journalist Steven Waldman. He’s done an unusual study investigating how the culture wars have skewed contemporary Americans’ sense of how we came to have … Continue reading →

DIGEST: Obama, the Church Vote, and Post-Religious America

Photos taken on November 4th, Chicago: The Politics We Deserve November 11, 2008 By Jason C. Bivins Religious politics in America have been dominated by discourses of fear, violence and triumphalism in recent decades. It may be that after this election, although warnings of doom will issue forth as loudly as ever, other conversations about … Continue reading →

NEWS: Obama the Antichrist: Politics and Religion in the Presidential Campaign

In the run up to the US presidential elections, religion has been used as a means to demonise Obama by the Republican campaign, claims article in Time Magazine. The ad ‘The One’, which has recently been released online, implies that Barack is an anti-Christ figure, outraging many of his Christian supporters. The creation of ‘The … Continue reading →