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   The Idomeneo Ordeal Bridget Purcell: Once again, the Muslims are raining on everyone’s parade. Yesterday’s New York Times reported that a German theater cancelled a production of “Idomeneo” after receiving an anonymous threat from an incensed Muslim. [ Continue reading: ]  Pandering to Dobson Greenfield: Max Blumenthal's account of this year's Value Voters Summit includes a red-faced George Allen, "The Four Horsemen," and a bunch of presidential hopefuls competeting for James Dobson's attention.... [ Continue reading: ]  "Scary" Evangelicals Greenfield: Ted Haggard condemns Jesus Camp, saying it makes evangelicals look "scary" and that "the filmmakers take the charismatic, evangelical jargon too literally and portray the children's and Fischer's 'war talk' as violent and extremist, when it's just allegorical."... [ Continue reading: ] Reasoned Dialogue Nicole Greenfield: Media Matters for America has done a good job of keeping track of Pat Robertson's reactions to the controversy over the Pope's remarks about Islam. [ Continue reading: ]  Ring of Fire Sharlet: Mike Papantonio, co-host with Robert F. Kennedy of Air America's "Ring of Fire" had me on the show this week to talk about my old gang The Family. Mike presents the liberal Christian counterpoint to fundamentalism in the new movie Jesus Camp. I might argue some points with him, but it's refreshing to hear a liberal Christian voice that speaks with as much force and conviction as that of the right. He's worth listening to. And he's put together a great program -- this week's guests also included Tim Dickinson, a Rolling Stone colleague who has put together one of the most thorough timelines to date on the lies that led the U.S. to war in Iraq for Mother Jones , William Greider, one of the grand old men of political journalism, and Laurie David on global warming. [ Continue reading: ] The Happiness of Alligators Meera Subramanian: On this December day, it is a comfortable sixty-five degrees in the shade and there are alligators to think about. How, exactly, do such man-eating creatures fit into the divine scheme of things according to God? [ Continue reading: ] Paranormal America Melanie Brooks: The recent study released by Baylor University titled "American Piety in the 21st Century: New Insights to the Depth and Complexity of Religion in the US" was the topic of news articles across the country in the last few weeks. While most of them had a common thread, a few dug through the findings to report on less prominent findings. [ Continue reading: ] A Christian Soldier Court-Martialed Prediction: George Allen, Virgina Senator, Republican presidential hopeful, is toast. Why? Because he used a bit of French slang, "macaca," the equivalent of "nigger," for an Indian-American volunteer in his opponent's campaign? Because of new revelations from his old football... [ Continue reading: ] Bad Moon Rising Jeff Sharlet "Bad Moon Rising” isn’t even the best Creedence Clearwater Revival song, and Creedence isn’t, technically, even a Southern band. They were from California. But their specialty was swamp rock and twang, big spooky beats and white-boy blues, whammy bars and caterwaul, all of it uncool and “classic rock” from the first day they recorded. “Bad Moon Rising” is just a foot-stomping jingle, really, jackhammer guitar and an earnest vocal, the lyric not really bluesy so much as churchy. Not pious, but scared, the sort of worry that knows this world is no good and bound to get worse, so you'd better stay indoors. The moon in this song isn’t a symbol of the nighttime, but of the darkness rising: “I fear rivers overflowin’,” Creedence sings. “I hear the voice of rage and ruin.” [ Continue reading: ]  Hilliary Clinton Worse Than The Devil Greenfield: "I hope she's the candidate. Beacuse nothing will energize my [constituency] like Hillary Clinton...If Lucifer ran, he wouldn't." -- Jerry Falwell at the Values Voter Summit hosted by prominent conservative Christians this weekend. Apparently Falwell missed Hugo Chavez's recent... [ Continue reading: ]  Monopoly On Reason In this week's Nation, two professors at the American University of Beirut question the potential for inter-religious dialogue when the Pope claims to have a monopoly on "reason."... [ Continue reading: ]  The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend Greenfield: Many have reported on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's comment that referred to President Bush as the devil. Some have reported on Chavez's recently declared intention to pursue nuclear technology. Few, however, have made explicit the newly formed alliance between... [ Continue reading: ] Whose Cross Is It? Beliefnet's Paul O'Donnell tells the story behind Madonna's controversial mock-crucifixion.... [ Continue reading: ] Jesus Camp Jeff Sharlet: Jesus Camp, a new documentary, opens in New York City this Friday. I've assigned a review of the film for The Revealer, but in the meantime, I can't recommend it strongly enough. Jesus Camp turns out to be perhaps the best work of journalism -- or art -- dealing with contemporary Christian conservatism. It's a film of bleak beauty, to borrow a phrase from the great photographer Danny Lyon, and like Lyon's work, Jesus Camp is both unsentimental and heartbreaking, harrowing and absurd at the same time. It's a movie about the Christian Right and that movement's political ambitions, but it's also a story about kids and what they believe and how they absorb the beliefs of the adults around them. Jesus Camp transcends its moment even as it reports on it with precision. This is a film of scriptural intensity; see it if you can. [ Continue reading: ]  Front-Page Privilege Greenfield: Apparently speed dating wasn't the only thing going on at this year's Islamic Society of North America convention. In a follow-up to yesterday's front-page story on matrimonial banquets at the convention, the NY Times decided to report the election... [ Continue reading: ] Faith on Film on Radio Sharlet: I'll be discussing FoxFaith's new evangelical film division live on BBC Four radio tonight, sometime between 5:30-6 tonight.... [ Continue reading: ] Divining The Brain "We may really need to develop a new kind of science -- or at least a new approach to science -- that would keep the strengths that science already has, but add a new layer to it that has to... [ Continue reading: ] Buzzards Circle Reagan's Roost By Meera Subramanian:A visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Southern California reveals the stone façade of a secular temple, a lot of blue blazers and a great big plane, but ultimately more is hidden than revealed. [ Continue reading: ] Sharlet in the Pulpit Jeff Sharlet: More like the church basement, I imagine. This Sunday, September 24th, I'll be speaking at Grace Church (802 Broadway at 11th, in New York City) at 10:00 am as part of the church's "Varieties of Evangelicalism" series. I'll be giving a preview of a Harper's piece I've forthcoming... [ Continue reading: ]  Don't Mess With Texas Bible Classes Blaire Molitor: It’s no surprise that Texans love their Bible as much as their country music, which is why Lisa Sandberg’s piece on the sectarian nature of Bible courses taught in Texas public high schools is anything but unexpected. What no one seems to mention, however, is if are any other religion courses are being offered. [ Continue reading: ] Unasked Questions for a Not-Quite Apology Lilly Fowler: Coverage of Pope Benedict XVI’s incendiary speech last Tuesday began almost immediately and refuses to fade away. By Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times’ Tracy Wilkinson had written an article covering the event with the headline, "Pope, Citing Islam, Criticizes Holy Wars and Fanaticism." Within a few days, the Holy Father had issued an apology, of sorts, and Reuters distributed "Pope Expresses Regret for Remarks." By Sunday, the pontiff, in a rare occurrence, had decided to impart a personal and public apology. Yet despite countless articles on the subject, the question of whether or not journalists have done their job is yet to be resolved. [ Continue reading: ] Speed Dating for Muslims Greenfield: The New York Times explores the world of Muslim speed dating at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention in Chicago.... [ Continue reading: ] FoxFaith Greenfield: The LA Times reports that Fox has created a new division that will focus solely on producing Christian films. FoxFaith plans to release at least a dozen films per year, each based on a Christian bestseller and with a... [ Continue reading: ] And When I Mention Religion... Brent Plate: Noted last week by CNN, NBC, NPR, and multiple newspapers, Baylor University's "Institute for Studies of Religion" has just released the findings of a major survey on religious beliefs in the United States. The full title of the report is "American Piety in the 21st Century: New Insights to the Depth and Complexity of Religion in the US." The introduction begins in a defensive mode... [ Continue reading: ]  Blogging the Bible Greenfield: Back in May, David Plotz at Slate.com took up the project of blogging the Bible. His goal: "to find out what happens when an ignorant person actually reads the book on which his religion is based." Well, he's still... [ Continue reading: ] Camp Out Greenfield: When Jesus Camp, a documentary which follows evangelical children to the Kids on Fire Summer Camp, opens this Friday in New York City, it's sure to receive even more press than it has already gotten. But there's another Bible... [ Continue reading: ] God Bless The "Others" Ibrahim N. Abusharif: I flipped through that Baylor study on American religion, which you cited on your website, and was very disappointed to see that the Muslim presence in America was reduced to anonymity, some nondescript part of the "other" in a pie chart. [ Continue reading: ] Pills Profit Protest Don't miss a screening of Pills Profit Protest: Chronicle of the Global AIDS Movement, a film by Center for Religion and Media Fellow Shanti Avigran, with Anne-christine d'Adesky and Ann T. Rossetti, at the CUNY Gradute Center this Wednesday, September 20, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. [ Continue reading: ]  Orianna Fallaci: She Hated, But She Was Hot Consider the words of a "provocative" woman, so-called by obituaries around the world: "Jews breed like rats." [ Continue reading: ]  Bringing Sex Out Of The Shadows Southern preacher Joe Beam's message to married evangelical Christians: have hotter sex.... [ Continue reading: ]  The Master Plan In case you missed it, Lawrence Wright had an excellent piece on Al Qaeda and the future of jihad in last week's New Yorker. You can read it here.... [ Continue reading: ] The Pope and Islam The UK-based Guardian Unlimited realizes that outrage over Pope Benedict XVI's comments about Islam is a big deal. They've put an update as the top story on their website today, they've included a transcript of the speech, they even have... [ Continue reading: ]  Hell House in New York City "Hell House," the evangelical version of a haunted house which portrays the consequences for sins like abortion and homosexuality to scare visitors, is coming to New York City this fall in the form of a theatrical production. Keenan Roberts, senior... [ Continue reading: ] Getting To Know Iran Nicole Greenfield: In the current issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, Bill Berkeley encourages us to really get to know Iran -- not through the American media, but rather through a new group of books by Persian-speaking journalists and scholars which "shed valuable light on a country that has long been prone to journalistic caricature." [ Continue reading: ] Bush Declares Third Awakening Speaking to a small group of conservative journalists on Tuesday, President Bush said that he senses a "Third Awakening" of Christian devotion currently happening in the United States. National Review's Rich Lowry and Kate O'Beirne were in the Oval Office... [ Continue reading: ]  Farrakhan and Parking Tickets Yesterday's Washington Post ran a story on Keith Ellison, a Democrat running for an open House seat in Minnesota's largely Democratic 5th Congressional district. If elected, he'd be the first Muslim elected to Congress. The article tiptoes around the issues... [ Continue reading: ]  Blind Faith and Gods Elect? NYU's Center for Religion and Media begins its fall schedule this week with two great events. [ Continue reading: ] Spiritual Elements The folks over at GetReligion have put out a call to help them track the "spiritual elements" in today's 9/11 anniversary coverage. Post a comment to send a URL link or just check out what they've uncovered so far. It'll... [ Continue reading: ] The Not-So-Secret Path to "The Path to 9-11" Diane Winston: Here’s a tip: Before filing a story, check the archives. Maybe someone else’s reporting will provide context for your own. Sounds like Journalism 101, much too basic for old hands at the nation’s top newspapers. Yet reporters and critics covering the brouhaha over “The Path to 9/11,” the ABC miniseries on the World Trade Center attacks, might have benefited from a June 26, 2005 New York Times article, “The Right Side of the Theatre.” [ Continue reading: ]  Saturday Morning Values Nicole Greenfield: Conservative media activist Brent Bozell III's diatribe at Townhall.com yesterday is the latest installment in the ongoing argument over censorship and religious content in television and film. His concern now is over VeggieTales, a straight-to-video Christian children's series in which computer animated vegetables act out Bible lessons that will become part of NBC's Saturday morning lineup this fall -- minus the explicit religious references. [ Continue reading: ] Terrorist Plot Foiled. Media Yawns. Jeff Sharlet: Seventeen soldiers in the armed forces of a Western European nation conspire to "destablize" the government that gave them their military training. They're crazed with the conviction that Jews are responsible for all their people's troubles. They make no distinction between Israel and the Zionist secret agents they believe run the rest of the non-Muslim world. Fortunately, police foil the sleeper cell with a dramatic raid on the army barracks the conspirators had infiltrated. Unfortunately, they discover that the group had a massive weapons stockpile and plans to use it... Sounds like a story, right? [ Continue reading: ] Myth of the Liberal Press, Pt. 47,876 Neoliberal, meet neocon: Two fine specimens of the respective breeds are mated in this week's New York Times Book Review, as Christopher Caldwell (neocon) reviews a new book by Ian Buruma on the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and... [ Continue reading: ]  Maintaining Order The AP reported today that a new Saudi proposal might ban women from praying at Mecca in order to "prevent overcrowding" and to "maintain order." Read the story here.... [ Continue reading: ] Survey Says By Cliff Helm: According to an LA Times report, the results of a few new surveys on Americans' religious identity say little that is unexpected. The surveys themselves, however, are a cause for concern. The surveys asked 2,003 adults such burning questions as "which should have more influence over the law of the country: the will of the people, or the Bible?" [ Continue reading: ]  The Architect James Moore and Wayne Slater reveal two very interesting details in their just-released book, The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan for Absolute Power. First, Karl Rove's father was gay and second, in 1998 Texas Governor Bush said that... [ Continue reading: ]  Canada Awakening The recent vandalization of ancient petroglyphs in Northern Canada has shed some light on the neo-Pentecostal movement happening among Quebec's Inuit. But so far only Bartholemew's Notes on Religion has taken advantage of the opportunity to explore this revival. A... [ Continue reading: ]  Children Are the Future "Let me explain the government to you. There’s God, then there’s the president and then there’s my father.” — Jack Roberts, 6-year-old son of Chief Justice John Roberts, overheard speaking to one of his young peers on the last day of summer camp. [ Continue reading: ] Scholastic Propaganda There's a bad buzz around the upcoming ABC docudrama mini-series, Path to 9/11. Writers at the Democratic mega-site Daily Kos and former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke say the movie, produced by conservative activists and strongly supported by conservative organizations, is... [ Continue reading: ]  Amoral Infection Nicole Greenfield: The media is continually fascinated by what is interpreted as the paradoxical lives of the religiously devout. Most stories center on Christians, mainly evangelicals, and ususally have something to do with their engagement with popular culture. Evangelical hipsters, skaters, sports stars, punk rockers--each has been the subject of countless profiles. [ Continue reading: ] |