Opinions/Editorials

What do Christian protests about Harry Potter books teach us? | Religion News Service

June 28, 2017
(The Conversation) On Monday (June 26), Harry James Potter — the world’s most famous wizard — will celebrate his 20th birthday. His many fans will likely mark the occasion by rereading a favorite Harry Potter novel or rewatching one of the blockbuster films. Some may even raise a butterbeer toast in Harry’s honor at one of three Harry Potter-themed amusement parks. But not everyone will be celebrating Harry’s big day. In fact, a vocal group of Christians – ... Read more about What do Christian protests about Harry Potter books teach us? | Religion News Service

How religious literacy can save lives | Religion News Service

June 21, 2017
(RNS) While on clinical rotations, I helped treat a patient who seemed to be fainting every other day from hypoglycemia. Ms. K. had been diagnosed with diabetes over a year ago but had only started to have this problem recently. After learning more about her social history and background, I discovered that she was a practicing Muslim and was fasting because of the holy month of Ramadan. Source: How religious literacy can save lives | Religion News Service

Muslims, Jews work together to help central Ohio refugees

January 1, 2017
When Charlie Breyfogle saw an image of Aylan Kurdi, a dead Syrian boy lying on a beach, something clicked for the Bexley 13-year-old. "I thought, 'This could have been me,'" Charlie said. That thought is part of what prompted him take his Bar Mitzvah Torah reading a few steps beyond just relating it to a real-life event. He began working to help Syrian refugees in the Columbus area.

Source: Muslims, Jews work together to help central...

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Muslim 'Twoness': Fearful Of Some, Feared By Others : Code Switch : NPR

October 30, 2016
He leaned against the subway doors in a faded denim jacket, camo cargo pants, combat boots and, to top it off, a black ski mask. I wondered if he had a gun. I wondered if he was a white supremacist. I wondered if he had seen my friend and me, with our brown skin and black hair. Our Islamic faith and immigrant parents — could he somehow see that, too?

Source: Muslim 'Twoness': Fearful Of Some, Feared By Others : Code Switch : NPR

Does “Religious Freedom” Deserve Scare Quotes? | Religion Dispatches

October 21, 2016
As a seasoned editor and journalist who spent her career reporting on marginalized communities, I’m generally wary about the use of so-called scare quotes in writing intended for a broad audience. Placing a legitimate phrase or concept in quotes is the textual equivalent of adding air quotes and rolling one’s eyes—like when we talk about Donald Trump’s support for so-called traditional marriage. (He’s such a proponent of the Biblical definition of marriage he’s been married three times, after all!)

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Religion and Resistance at the New National Museum of African American History and Culture | Religion Dispatches

September 30, 2016
This Saturday, priceless religious relics from black history like Nat Turner’s Bible, Harriet Tubman’s hymnal and antique pews from AME churches across the country will be on view at the grand opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Source: Religion and Resistance at the New National Museum of African American History and Culture | Religion Dispatches