Newsletter 06-27-05

News items from the past week include a school that forced a girl to submit to a pregnancy test because of rumors running around the school, a summary of what's involved in "gay rights," an explanation of the state of atheism in Ireland, and more.

Ten Commandments as Treaty
It has been suggested by some scholars that the Ten Commandments is best understood by comparing it to some of the treaties written during the same time period. Rather than a list of laws, the commandments are in this view actually an agreement between God and his chosen people, the Hebrews. A number of interesting features of the Ten Commandments become more understandable when we adopt such a perspective.

Christian Existentialism
The existentialism we see today is rooted most prominently in the writings of Soren Kierkegaard, and as a consequence, it might be argued that modern existentialism started out as being fundamentally Christian in nature, only later diverging into other forms. It is thus important to understand Christian existentialism in order to understand existentialism at all.

Women + Religion News: Women, Sexism, Feminism in Religion
It's frequently the case that religions treat women as inferior to men - women have been denied leadership roles, they are told to be submissive, and religious doctrines are used to control them both in society and the family. Here you will find recent news and information about the relationship between women and religion, the ways religion can be repressive to women, and how some women are fighting back.

School Forces Girl to Take Pregnancy Test
No parental involvement...

Atheism in Ireland
A reader writes in

What Are Gay Rights?
Nice summary of the issues

Crucifixion Used for Exorcism, Leads to Death
People defend the murderers

Culture War in Europe: Sex & Islam
Sex and gender are the real issues

Air Force Chaplain Resigns
Others allowed to stay, though

Conservative Anglicans' Plans
Church Within a Church

 

Book Reviews:

1) The Ecumenical Cruise and Other Philosophy Tales
Most books on philosophy and theology either take the historical approach by explaining ideas as they developed chronologically, or they take a topical approach by explaining ideas in specific groups. Both approaches have a strong tendency towards being dry, as can be the case in any attempt to explain or explore abstract ideas. Every once in a while, though, someone comes along who does things differently.

2) God's Rule: The Politics of World Religions
Many people may feel that religion and politics do not or should not mix, but the reality of the situation is that they usually do become mixed: religion influences politics while politics in turn influences religion. If the two cannot be wholly disentangled, the question becomes just what sort of relationship they do have and how that relationship can be prevented from becoming dangerous.

3) Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
Secularism and freethought have played important roles in the development of American society, culture, and politics, yet they are roles which have been largely forgotten and ignored. Americans tend to hear about and be familiar with the role of religion in their nation's history while freethinkers and skeptics are unjustly marginalized. This is both a tragedy and a travesty which desperately needs to be corrected.