Category Archives: culture

Helping Obama to Victory

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

If ever the GOP were to score points in the contraception wars it ought to have been at the beginning of the controversy, when it was easiest to frame the discussion in terms of religious freedom. Well, it hasn’t been … Continue reading →

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Adding to the Merriment of the Nation

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Gingrich never fails to deliver… Via Yahoo: From Newt Gingrich’s latest campaign release: “Speaker Newt Gingrich has unveiled his Faith Leaders Dream Team — rallying several fearless Christians including Don Wildmon, Tim and Beverly LaHaye, George Barna, JC Watts, Chuck … Continue reading →

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For Thee But Not For Me

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Amy Sullivan grumbles in the Atlantic: Without the work of women like Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, and Sister Simone Campbell of the Catholic social justice group NETWORK, there would be no health reform and therefore … Continue reading →

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Own Goal

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

So how will the politics of the great contraception wars pan out for the right? Badly, if I had to guess. Given time, the notion (true or false) that this is an argument about religious freedom will fade from the … Continue reading →

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Take Your Pick

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

The New York Times: During his lecture, Archbishop Dolan criticized people who postponed conception with “chemicals and latex,” calling them part of the “culture of death.” The Economist: There is a large body of evidence that shows contraception use has … Continue reading →

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Blasphemy & Identity Politics

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

This piece by Kenan Melik on the changing definition of blasphemy, at least in the UK (and, by extension, elsewhere in the west) is well worth reading. This, I think, is the key extract: In recent decades, faith has, in … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, law | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Okey Dokey

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Guardian: Plans to build a £1m “temple for atheists” among the international banks and medieval church spires of the City of London have sparked a clash between two of Britain’s most prominent non-believers. The philosopher and writer Alain … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Religion | Tagged | 3 Comments

A Test of Civilization

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Count me skeptical whether there is a ‘right’ to die, or a right to very much else for that matter, but a truly humane society would not force this helpless man to go to the courts for the relief he … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Religion, science, Science & Faith | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

More Guidance Needed?

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

The New Atheists are much too shrill for my decidedly agnostic tastes. In many respects, they are on a hiding to nothing. The religious impulse will always be with us and so will be a belief in the supernatural. But … Continue reading →

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72% of Egypt’s parliament is Islamist

Posted on January 22, 2012 by David Hume

Islamists Win 70% of Seats in the Egyptian Parliament: Egyptian authorities confirmed Saturday that a political coalition dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, the 84-year-old group that virtually invented political Islam, had won about 47 percent of the seats in the … Continue reading →

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