Category: Religion
Fight The New “Hobby Lobby” Religious Order: Get Ordained
In which I explain how joining up with your choice of online church can help overthrow the misconceptions about religion that led to the Hobby Lobby verdict.
Posted on July 24, 2014 by Brook – 
Leave a comment
Politics, Religion | Tagged articles, mylatest, Religion Dispatches
Reading A Thousand Lives
This weekend my review of Julia Scheeres’ A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception and Survival at Jonestown was published in The San Francisco Chronicle‘s book section. So far I’m reviewing books broadly related to religion, and specifically about those beliefs that most of us consider extreme and are therefore easy to sensationalize–Scientology… More →
Posted on October 10, 2011 by Brook – Comments closed
Is Valentine’s Day For Real?
I know, we all hate Valentine’s Day. If we’re single, there’s the pressure to find a date; if we’re in a relationship, there’s the pressure for extravagant dining and gifts. And for what? Single people are no more single on February 14th. Couples don’t really need an excuse for a date night, especially not one… More →
Posted on February 14, 2011 by Brook – Leave a comment
History, Religion | Tagged Jesus, Valentine's Day
On Blood Libel
So the blood libel myth is in the news again, thanks to you know who. It’s generally agreed that the ex-governor of Alaska struck the wrong note in her defensive statement after the Tucson tragedy. But interpretations vary widely as to why she said “blood libel” and what she meant by it. The phrase “blood… More →
Posted on January 17, 2011 by Brook – Leave a comment
Politics, Religion | Tagged blood libel, Giffords, Jews
Whatever Happened to Creation Care?
Before the election, the front-page New York Times story, “Climate Change Doubt is Tea Party Article of Faith,” quoted several supporters who claimed religious motivations for their climate skepticism: “Being a strong Christian,” said one, “I cannot help but believe the Lord placed a lot of minerals in our country and it’s not there to… More →
Posted on December 19, 2010 by Brook – 1 Comment
Politics, Religion | Tagged climate change, creation care, zombies
Garden of Eden–Found! Again!
It’s not every day that serious archaeologists make the Yahoo! news. Usually they get scooped by flashier pretenders, like those who claim to have found Noah’s Ark. So I was excited to read that a legitimate British scientist named Jeffrey Rose had a headline-worthy theory: “Veiled beneath the Persian Gulf, a once-fertile landmass may have… More →
Posted on December 14, 2010 by Brook – 4 Comments
History, Religion | Tagged flood, Garden of Eden, Iraq, Noah's Ark
The Myth of The One
How did I miss this? Lauren Collins’ article in the Thanksgiving issue of the New Yorker about the curious case of Raj Patel, international economist and, according to some, the Universal Messiah? Really: a combination of Christ, the Mahdi, the Buddha, etc., as concocted by one Benjamin Creme, founder of something called Share International. His… More →
Posted on December 01, 2010 by Brook – Leave a comment
Ground Zero, High and Low
I’ve avoided writing about this whole “ground zero mosque” fiasco simply because I was hoping it would drop out of public conversation. Seriously, you’re going to object to a house of worship in an American city? On patriotic grounds? Really? I hesitate even to link to these fearmongers, for fear of enhancing their cause. The… More →
Posted on August 17, 2010 by Brook – Leave a comment
Politics, Religion | Tagged Islam, Manhattan, Michael Bloomberg, pragmatism
MM Speaks of Faith, and Science
You’ve probably heard the NPR show “Speaking of Faith,” and you probably have an opinion on it. What you may not know is that the host of the show, Krista Tippett, just wrote a new book called Einstein’s God, a collection of interviews from the show, on the topic of science and religion, one of… More →
Posted on May 24, 2010 by Brook – Leave a comment
Phillip Pullman update
So author Phillip Pullman (of The Golden Compass fame) has a new novel out. Pullman, an avowed atheist, wrote The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ right in the middle of the controversy over the movie version of The Golden Compass, and whether it would turn our children into little avowed atheists–which it wouldn’t,… More →
Posted on May 14, 2010 by Brook – Leave a comment
