"Live links" to more info in the original, accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Sep 8, 2012 10:45 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is Sister Simone Campbell, perhaps best known for her role in the Nuns on the Bus national tour, who this week became a Nun at the Podium when she addressed the Democratic National Convention.


Campbell's opposition to the Republican budget plan, written by Paul Ryan and endorsed by Mitt Romney, is what motivated the Nuns on the Bus excursion in the first place, but at the Democrats' convention, the audience heard Campbell explain her perspective in detail.


To put it mildly, Campbell, as you can probably tell from the clip, was well received by Democratic convention goers, who gave her an enthusiastic standing ovation.

It was a rather beautiful reminder that when it comes religion and a debate over "moral" issues in national politics, a fight over sexual orientation and reproductive rights is far too narrow -- and that debating morality and public policy also means debating how the nation cares for struggling families.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Sun Myung Moon, a self-professed messiah and Korean cult leader, died this week at the age of 92. In American politics, Moon is well known for his role supporting conservative causes, including creating the conservative Washington Times newspaper.

* In Missouri this week, a Roman Catholic bishop, Robert W. Finn, was convicted this week of failing to report suspected child abuse, "becoming the first American bishop in the decades-long sexual abuse scandal to be convicted of shielding a pedophile priest." Finn faced up to a year in jail, but was instead sentenced to two years of court-supervised probation (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu, the retired Anglican Church's archbishop of South Africa, wrote an op-ed this week calling for Tony Blair and George Bush to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court for their role in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/08/13747043-this-week-in-god?lite

I read earlier and will post an item about this self-proclaimed "former terrorist" ~ I find it fascinating, in a warped kind of way, that all these what-ever-you-want-to-call-thems are embraced by the GOP/TP ~ ~ there are several "live links" to more info in the original, accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Sep 15, 2012 11:03 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a report on the Values Voter Summit, the nation's largest annual gathering for the religious right movement, which began yesterday in D.C. Despite the truly nutty organizers and guest list, the VVS welcomed a lengthy list of notable Republican speakers, including Paul Ryan and a video address from Mitt Romney.

Of particular interest, though, was a man who calls himself Kamal Saleem. The title he gave himself is "former terrorist."


He had all kinds of unique insights to share, but I found this one especially interesting. According to Saleem, whose real name is Khodor Shami, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently working with Islamic countries and the United Nations to "subjugate American people to be arrested and put to jail and their churches and synagogues shut down." All of this, he said, will happen early next year -- March, at the latest.

Values Voter Summit attendees, instead of turning to one another and asking, "What on earth is this strange man talking about?" actually cheered Saleem's bizarre conspiracy theories.

As Rachel noted on the show last night, this is the same right-wing activist who says President Obama is secretly praying Islamic prayers when it looks like he's pledging allegiance to the American flag; insists Americans will be "wearing rag heads" if immigration reform is approved; and argues that the Roe v. Wade precedent leads to "Sharia law."

Right Wing Watch added, "We have been covering the absurd, bizarre and paranoid rantings of phony ex-terrorist Kamal Saleem as he emerged on the Religious Right scene, and today he had his biggest platform yet at the Values Voter Summit, where he was preceded by Ohio congressman Jim Jordan and a video message by Mitt Romney."

Joining this fake former terrorist on the guest list is the Republican presidential nominee, the Republican vice presidential nominee, two sitting Republican governors, two sitting Republican U.S. senators, and six sitting Republican U.S. House members, including the House Majority Leader.

I hope I'm not the only one who finds this rather disconcerting.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Sister Pat Farrell, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, joined a group of 102 other faith leaders this week urging Republican governors to drop their opposition to the Affordable Care Act and accept the law's Medicaid expansion. "Depriving struggling families of healthcare is wholly incompatible with the teachings of our faiths and the ideals of our nation," the statement reads.

* Though historically the divisions between Christians and Muslims in Kenya have been minimal, the "veneer of tolerance" has been "ripped open recently," with at least five churches, including the Christian Salvation Army in the poor Muslim district of Majengo, facing attacks this year (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And President Obama released a new video this week recognizing Rosh Hashnah and Yom Kippur.



http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/15/13882411-this-week-in-god?lite

* And President Obama released a new video this week recognizing Rosh Hashnah and Yom Kippur.

Ha!
It's a coded message to all Muslims to rise up and kill the infidels.

(For the rightie retards: )

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:20 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine is a new video from President Obama, who released a message this week to "people of faith," coming at least in part in response to attacks from the the right against his faith and his commitment to religious liberty.



"I know faith is often used as a wedge in our politics, and with a new election year comes new attacks [but] the American people should know this: In a changing world, my commitment to protecting religious liberty is and always will be unwavering," Obama said. He also spoke directly about his own "Christian faith, which has guided me through my presidency and in my life."

But of particular interest, was the way in which the president connected his policy record to his faith, by stressing "shared moral obligations."

"When we took action to rescue the auto industry, we stood with workers, families, and communities that would have suffered had we allowed our auto companies to go bankrupt -- because a good job isn't just about a paycheck; it's about the dignity that work brings.

"On health care reform, we stood with the mother who no longer has to worry about whether her child will be able to get care because of a pre-existing condition.

"On issues like education, poverty, and immigration, I'm standing on the side of human dignity and a belief in the inherent work of all human beings."

The thematic significance is part of a larger Obama goal: expanding the scope of what counts as "moral" issues, away from sex and reproductive health, and towards a larger universe of issues involving what benefits families and communities. It's why, as far as the president is concerned, he can and should stress health care and the auto rescue when it comes to connecting with people of faith -- because he defines "shared moral obligations" more broadly than his critics do.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Did Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) suggest the separation of church and state has been used by "Satan" to drive "people of faith from the public arena"? Pretty much, yes.

* Well, that's interesting: "A historian of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School has identified a scrap of papyrus that she says was written in Coptic in the fourth century and contains a phrase never seen in any piece of Scripture: 'Jesus said to them, 'My wife...'"

* David Twede, a scientist, novelist, and fifth-generation Mormon, is facing possible excommunication from his church after publishing a series of articles critical of Mitt Romney on his MormonThink website.

* A scandal has rocked a 17,000-member Oklahoma megachurch, where five employees reportedly waited two weeks to report the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a campus stairwell, allegedly by a church worker (thanks to reader R.P for the tip).

* The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which had already been caught up in the international sex scandal involving the abuse of children, is facing another round of allegations, with eight men and a woman coming forward this week. The nine filed civil suits alleging the Archdiocese of "conspiring to conceal incidents of sex abuse, failing to address the problem and ignoring complaints about abusive clergy."

* And there was a fascinating and important Senate hearing this week on hate crimes and domestic terrorism, and members heard from Hapreet Singh Saini, a teenager who lost his mother last month when a white supremacist walked into the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and shot her while she was praying. Saini asked that the FBI update its hate-crime materials in order to recognize Sikh Americans, who currently do not have a "check box."

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/22/14032529-this-week-in-god?lite

Saini asked that the FBI update its hate-crime materials in order to recognize Sikh Americans, who currently do not have a "check box."

Eh?

Here's the answer to your question, oskar ~ Sooz

Sikhs Argue For ‘The Dignity Of Being A Statistic’ At Senate Hearing
By Guest Bloggers on Sep 21, 2012 at 6:15 pm

Our guest bloggers are Jack Jenkins and Aaron Shapiro.

As people gathered on Capitol Hill earlier this week for a Senate hearing on hate crimes and domestic terrorism, many expected it to be an emotional affair. The meeting, which focused on the broader issue of hate crimes in the United States, was convened largely in response to the tragic mass shooting in August at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and many of the family members of the victims were among those in attendance.

But despite the presence of grief and raw emotions, one of the most controversial issues of the hearing was seemingly the most mundane: the importance of a check-box. This significant detail was raised by Hapreet Singh Saini, 18, as he addressed Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who chaired the hearing for the Senate Judiciary subcommittee.

Saini, who lost his mother, Paramjit Kaur, just forty-five days prior after a white supremacist walked into the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and shot her while she was praying, delivered a moving and often tearful testimony about the importance of data representation.

“Senators, I came here today to ask the government to give my mother the dignity of being a statistic,” he said. “My mother and those shot that day will not even count on a federal form. We cannot solve a problem we refuse to recognize.”

Watch Saini’s powerful testimony below:


Saini’s request sounds simple, but is rooted in a troublesome reality: The FBI and the Department of Justice currently do not have a “check box” for Sikh Americans, meaning they don’t track hate crimes specifically perpetrated against Sikhs. They instead list attacks on Sikh Americans in the same category as Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Americans, meaning crimes committed against these groups are statistically – and therefore, often perceived to be – indistinguishable.

Indeed, Sikhs, which number anywhere from 200,000 to 700,000 in the US, have been the victim of increased violence since September 11th, 2001, in part because their tradition of wearing turbans is sometimes mistaken for Muslim dress. A bi-partisan letter sent last month to Attorney General Eric Holder from 19 senators underscored the importance of collecting data specifically committed against Sikhs, saying it was important because it can “identify specific trends and help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies properly allocate resources”

By way of example, at the hearing Durbin highlighted the coordinated efforts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Jewish community to protect Jewish synagogues, community centers, and schools, which are subject to a disproportionate number of hate crimes every year. Durbin offered these efforts as a possible model for the Sikh community, noting how the DHS works closely with the Secure Community Network, a non-profit organization which functions as the “central address to serve and advise the American Jewish community concerning matters of communal safety, security and preparedness,” to increase security awareness and more effectively protect the Jewish community. In fact, Durbin explained that “this year Jewish organizations received almost ten million dollars in funding” from the DHS Non-Profit Security Grant to secure the community’s infrastructure.

By contrast, Sikhs have been asking for a Sikh-specific hate crime statistic for more than two years.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/09/21/892871/sikhs-argue-for-the-dignity-of-being-a-statistic-at-senate-hearing/

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:19 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the efforts of some religious leaders to influence U.S. voters as Election Day draws closer. Of particular interest was this clip from Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, who issued a remarkable warning on video this week: voting for Democratic candidates he disagrees with, Paprocki said, puts voters' salvation "in serious jeopardy."


As Brian Tashman explained:


It's worth noting that federal tax law prohibits tax-exempt religious institutions from intervening in campaigns for political office, which is no doubt why Paprocki said he isn't telling people how to vote. That said, warning Catholics -- many of whom support reproductive rights and marriage equality -- are putting their souls at risk if they vote in ways Paprocki doesn't like comes close to the legal line, if it doesn't cross it.

For what it's worth, threats like Paprocki's don't appear to be having much of an effect this year, as many Roman Catholic voters embrace a more progressive vision -- a Pew Research Center poll found President Obama leads Mitt Romney among Catholics, 54% to 39%. The margin is larger than Obama's advantage over John McCain four years ago.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Last week, a scandal rocked a 17,000-member Oklahoma megachurch, where five employees reportedly waited two weeks to report the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a campus stairwell, allegedly by a church worker. This week, the story became even more serious as additional victims came forward (thanks to reader R.P for the tip).

* The American Family Association's Bryan Fischer thinks President Obama might be the Antichrist, but he's not positive. "It's too early to say," he told his radio audience this week.

* In Congress this week, Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) introduced a resolution intended to "reaffirm the importance of religion in the lives of United States citizens." Unfortunately, Fincher's measure, in apparent opposition to the separation of church and state, includes a series of inaccurate historical claims.

* And a piece of ancient papyrus that suggests Jesus had a wife was rejected this week as "a clumsy forgery" by the Vatican. The church's official newspaper ran an editorial this week calling the fragment "a fake." However, AnneMarie Luijendijk, associate professor of religion at Princeton University, said she concluded that the fragment, made famous by Harvard Professor Karen King, is an authentic, ancient text, written by a scribe in antiquity.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/29/14150715-this-week-in-god?lite

In the Catholic Times, the official newspaper of the Springfield diocese, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki uses the manufactured controversy about mentioning “God” in the Democratic Platform to argue that the Democrats are hostile to faith, and went on to attack Democrats for endorsing gay rights and opposing the criminalization of abortion. He said those two planks demonstrate that the Democrats “explicitly endorse intrinsic evils,” while noting that he has “read the Republican Party Platform and there is nothing in it that supports or promotes an intrinsic evil or a serious sin.”


Well yeah. We all know that wanting the poor to starve to death and the sick to go without care is not an "intrinsic evil or a serious sin". It's just the Christian/conservative/American way

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Oct 6, 2012 10:50 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is something called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," which is scheduled for tomorrow, and which intends to test religio-political boundaries in interesting ways.

To briefly summarize federal tax law, tax-exempt houses of worship and religious ministration are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns, either in support of or opposition to a candidate or a party. Those who violate the law run the risk of IRS penalties, up to and including the loss of their tax-exempt status.

With this in mind, groups like American United for Separation of Church and State, hoping to prevent the religious right from creating a church-based political machine, reminds religious leaders every four years of the law, urging them to reject the advances of parties and candidates.

Some on the right are trying a very different strategy -- conservative activists acknowledge the law, but are urging conservative Christian pastors to break the law, deliberately.

On Sunday, October 7, pastors around the country will try to bait the federal government into investigating them by preaching explicitly partisan sermons. As part of a conservative movement organizers call "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," some religious leaders will endorse Mitt Romney from the pulpit. Others may refrain from an endorsement but vigorously criticize President Obama. And some will tell their congregations that a good Christian can only vote for a candidate who opposes gay marriage and abortion. Then they'll send tapes of their sermons to the Internal Revenue Service in the hopes of being audited.

Mike Huckabee and Glenn Beck have both used their media platforms recently to help promote the event.

There are a few angles to this. First, the organizers of "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" generally believe the IRS is bluffing and won't actually crack down on churches that intervene in elections. If the law isn't going to be enforced, the argument goes, then there's no reason conservative pastors shouldn't use their pulpits to help elect a Republican presidential candidate.

Second, if the IRS isn't bluffing and it cracks down on churches that knowingly flout the law, then there will be litigation the right thinks it can win. By forcing test cases, conservatives believe they can have the existing law overturned altogether.

And third, if the IRS takes any action at all, conservative churches will play the martyr card -- the big bad Obama administration is waging a "war on religion" by going after innocent churches.

For the record, the law is only limited to partisan campaigns -- religious leaders who want to use their pulpits to preach for or against marriage rights, abortion, the death penalty, or any other issues are free to do so. The trouble kicks in when pastors start telling their congregations who to vote for, and scrapping the law really isn't a good idea.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* The "Red Mass" was last week, an annual tradition in which several sitting Supreme Court justices -- in this instance, six of the nine -- attend a Roman Catholic mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington the Sunday before the Supreme Court begins its new term. The practice began in 1953.

* The Washington Post's Sally Quinn suggested in print this week that Americans' identity is intertwined with religiosity. Raising atheists' eyebrows, Quinn argued, "Part of claiming your citizenship is claiming a belief in God, even if you are not Christian."

* Radical TV preacher Pat Robertson and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins helped headline "The America for Jesus 2012" prayer rally at Independence Mall in Philadelphia last weekend.

* And speaking of Robertson, the televangelist told supporters this week that God may "take down the wall of protection around this nation" unless America starts agreeing with him on gay rights, reproductive freedom, and secular government.


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/06/14261077-this-week-in-god?lite

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Oct 13, 2012 10:05 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a striking shift in the number of Americans who no longer identify themselves as religious -- a trend that may well carry political implications in the near future.


The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life published these results earlier in the week.


The percentage of Americans who consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or unaffiliated has nearly tripled over the last generation.

In terms of political impact, it's widely recognized that the Republican Party faces serious demographic challenges in the coming years. Americans are increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, and the GOP has become heavily reliant on white male voters to win elections. As Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) recently conceded, "The demographics race we're losing badly. We're not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term."

What's less recognized is the trend the Pew Forum is pointing to in this new report: Republicans are losing the race on religious diversity, too. Those Americans who choose no religious identity are the fastest-growing segment of the nation's spiritual landscape, and these voters are overwhelmingly self-identified Democrats and liberals, far more so than the population at large.

Making matters slightly worse for the GOP, they also tend to be much younger than their older, more religious counterparts, with decades of voting ahead of them.

There's not much the Republican Party can do about this in the short term -- it's far too reliant on the religious right movement to serve as a huge chunk of the GOP base -- but it's another long-term challenge that may shape elections in the years ahead.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* "Nuns on the Bus" have hit the road again, launching a 1,000-mile tour of Ohio that will wrap up next week. "As Catholic Sisters, we work together with vulnerable people to enrich their lives and their communities. We want to remind our fellow Ohioans that voting is a chance for all of us to serve our communities and change lives," said Sister Monica McGloin, of Cincinnati, who is organizing the tour with local sisters, including Sister Mary Wendeln and Sister Fran Repka.

* Pennsylvania's House of Representatives approved a resolution this year declaring 2012 the "Year of the Bible," leading to a lawsuit from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. This week, U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner said the resolution was legally permissible, though the federal judge nevertheless chastised lawmakers for passing a measure that was "proselytizing and exclusionary." Conner added that the resolution was "pandering designed to provide a re-election sound bite" and resources would be better used in "meaningful legislative efforts" (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And Right Wing Watch reported this week that the National Organization for Marriage's religious liaison, William Owens, said the Democratic Party is a "demonic party" that must be stopped. The National Organization for Marriage claims to be non-partisan.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/13/14415241-this-week-in-god?lite

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:43 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week are startling remarks from a religious right leader about women in society, just as women voters become the central focus of both presidential campaigns.

As my friend Kyle Mantyla reported at Right Wing Watch, the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer used his radio show earlier in the week to argue against women serving in leadership positions anywhere in society.


According to Fischer, "masculine leadership in society over the nation" is "God's basic plan for today," and "political leadership ought to be ... reserved for the hands of males." Anticipating criticism, the religious right leader added that those who believe in gender equality won't offer a "reasoned" response to his shameless misogyny.

Yes, this guy considers himself a credible arbiter of what is and isn't "reasoned" discourse.

It's almost as if Fischer, a Mitt Romney supporter, is trying to give the left a little additional motivation to turn out on Election Day.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* In Kountze, Texas: "A judge on Thursday gave a group of cheerleaders here a temporary victory in their fight to display Bible verses on banners at public school football games, allowing them to continue to use the signs for the rest of the season."

* Less than a year after prominent Southern Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress condemned Romney's faith -- he said the candidate is "a member of a cult" -- Jeffress now says he's "made peace" with Romney's Mormonism because he opposes President Obama more.

* On a related note, a reference to Mormonism as a cult was scrubbed from the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association after Graham met privately with Romney.

* Another church-based sex scandal, this time involving Sovereign Grace Ministries: "Three female plaintiffs claim an evangelical church group covered up allegations of sexual abuse against children, failed to report accusations to the police and discouraged its members from cooperating with law enforcement, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday" (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And a week after Dinesh D'Souza accused President Obama of "attacking the traditional values agenda" and "traditional morality," the conservative pseudo-intellectual activist reportedly shared a hotel room with a woman who was not his wife at a religious conference. On Thursday, he resigned as president of an evangelical Christian college in New York.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/20/14577839-this-week-in-god

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:50 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at some remarkable comments from a religious right activist named Gary Cass, a former Republican Party official in San Diego who now heads a group called the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission.

In this clip, Cass shares his vision at a Texas conference called "Deliver Us From Evil" where he was a featured speaker.


My friend Kyle Mantyla summarized:

Cass, who normally spends most of his time attacking President Obama, Muslims, gays, and Mormons, spent an hour and a half blasting America for having a "broken moral compass" for electing politicians who support things like reproductive choice and marriage equality. Cass went on to declare that the nation's colleges and universities have "now become perverted factories of unfaithfulness," especially Harvard which is now "animated by the spirit of Antichrist," before attacking "progressive Christians" as ones who "have murdered their own souls, destroyed their own churches, and have undermined our nation."

Finally, Cass explained to the audience that "you can't be a Christian if you don't own a gun."

For the record, that last part wasn't a joke. Cass' read on the New Testament leads him to believe Christianity and firearm ownership are inextricably linked.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* As if Florida voters didn't have enough important races to consider, there will also be an initiative on the ballot on whether to change the state constitution to allow public funding of religious ministries. The right considers this critically important to the larger goal of privatizing public education.

* Evangelical author Rachel Held Evans' new book, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, is due to reach shelves this week, detailing her year-long experience trying to closely follow the Bible's rules for women. She's having trouble with some Christian bookstores, however, who refuse to sell a book that includes the word "vagina" (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* The Public Religion Research Institute published an interesting report this week on the religious coalitions supporting President Obama and Mitt Romney.

* Following up on an item we recently discussed, Mormon blogger David Twede has resigned his membership in his faith, rather than wait for possible excommunication. Twede was accused of apostasy for writing critical online essays about LDS traditions.

* And the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami was hit this week with a new round of sexual-abuse allegations including Father Rolando Garcia, who was the target of related charges from other alleged victims in 2009.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/27/14742868-this-week-in-god?lite

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Nov 3, 2012 10:54 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at Daniel Jenky, the bishop for the Roman Catholic diocese of Peoria, Illinois, who seems a little too eager to intervene in the 2012 presidential election.

We were first introduced to Jenky back in April when the Catholic bishop likened President Obama to Hitler and Stalin, adding that contraception access might lead the federal government to shut down all Catholic institutions nationwide. Jenky has been less publicly hysterical since, but he has very clear plans for this weekend.


The letter sidesteps the concerns raised by other bishops over the punitive Romney/Ryan budget plan, and focuses solely on reproductive rights and contraception access. Jenky's mandatory voting instructions tells Roman Catholics in his diocese "to vote," while remaining "faithful" to his beliefs.

For the record, there's ample polling evidence that most American Catholics support contraception access -- and aren't especially fond of their church giving them voting instructions.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Predictably, there were some far-right religious figures arguing that this week's deadly superstorm was a divine creation, intended to punish us for our sinful ways. Among these figures was John McTernan, founder of Defend and Proclaim the Faith Ministries and an amateur "end times" Bible analyst.

* Religious diversity on Capitol Hill tends to grow very slowly, but it appears Hawaii is poised to elect the nation's first-ever Hindu American member of Congress (thanks to R.P. for the tip).

* Following up on an ongoing story out of Oklahoma, a former employee of a Tulsa megachurch accused of raping a 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty this week. The question of whether officials at the Victory Christian Center tried to cover up the attack is still under investigation.

* And NPR had an interesting report this week on research that shows that Americans "significantly over-report their church attendance." Roughly 45% of American adherents say they attend church services every week, but in reality, there's reason to believe "only about half" that number actually do.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/11/03/14904061-this-week-in-god?lite

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:25 AM EST

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the 2012 presidential election, and the differences along religious lines. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life published a report this week based on exit polling data, and I put together a chart based on its findings.


There's a fair amount of interesting data here, though the results among Roman Catholic voters are arguably the most electorally significant. In every recent cycle, Catholics have been considered a key swing constituency, particularly throughout Midwest battleground states, and President Obama narrowly won their support, 50% to 48%. It suggests Republicans' efforts to focus on contraception and reproductive rights had limited success, and the Bishops' lobbying largely fell on deaf ears.

Also note, while many on the right hoped 2012 would be the year that Jewish voters abandoned Democrats, that didn't come close to happening. Though Obama fared slightly worse among Jewish voters as compared to 2008, he still enjoyed overwhelming support.

For the purposes of classification, "Other faiths" became a catch-all for a variety of minority religious traditions -- Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sihks, and others -- which on their own represent a very small percentage of the voting population. Their support for the GOP remains dismal.

And continue to keep an eye on the religiously unaffiliated -- one of the fastest growing segments of the faith population -- which includes atheists, agnostics, and theists who choose not to associate with any specific tradition. Their lopsided support for Obama reinforces yet another demographic problem for Republicans in the coming years.

As for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), it's not surprising that they would strongly support Mitt Romney -- he was the first Mormon ever to appear on a national ticket -- but there was one curiosity in the results: Romney did slightly worse among Mormon voters this year than George W. Bush did in 2004.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Congress only had one openly atheist member, Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), who lost his re-election bid this week. However, Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who describes herself as a "non-theist," appears likely to prevail in her congressional bid (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* Hawaii elected Congress' first-ever Hindu American, Tulsi Gabbard, a 31-year-old Iraq war veteran, a woman widely seen as a rising star in Democratic politics. Hawaii also elected Mazie Hirono (D) to the U.S. Senate, where she will be the chamber's first-ever Buddhist senator.

* And I'd be remiss if I failed to mention this jarring video of radical TV preacher Pat Robertson, reflecting on "Fifty Shades of Grey" and the fact that he finds porn "boring."


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/11/10/15073187-this-week-in-god?lite

"radical TV preacher Pat Robertson, reflecting on "Fifty Shades of Grey" and the fact that he finds porn "boring." "

He needs to switch hands.

ROFL
He can't... he mixed up the crazy glue with the lube.
Old age, ya know.

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:13 AM EST

First up from the God Machine this week is a religio-political story out of Oklahoma that's more amusing than most.


Obviously, the Ten Commandments monument is itself problematic as a matter of constitutional law and the separation of church and state. Though the religious display was financed with private funds, its placement on the grounds of the state Capitol suggests officials are endorsing one faith's religious text over all others -- and legally, government is supposed to be neutral on matters of religion, not playing favorites.

What's more, note that Oklahoma's state-endorsed religious display uses the Protestant version of the Ten Commandments, not the Catholic or Jewish versions, and no other tradition's tenets will receive equal treatment.

But even putting the legality aside, it didn't occur to folks to check the spelling of the Ten Commandments? It's one thing to fail to read the Constitution or court rulings on church-state separation, but it's another to fail to read the sacred text you're trying to promote.

Those responsible for the granite monument have promised to fix the errors.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* A discouraging court ruling last night: "A federal judge Friday night sided with a Christian publishing company in a lawsuit against the requirement included in Obamacare to provide co-pay free contraception to employees. US District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton issued a temporary stay on the rule. The company, Tyndale House Publishers, sued to be exempt from providing any contraception it equated with abortion, including Plan B and intrauterine devices (neither is actually an abortifacient)."

* The Rev. Franklin Graham claimed this week that President Obama only won because "evangelicals did not go to the polls." In reality, evangelical turnout went up as compared to 2008, and they voted Republican in greater numbers than four years ago.

* As if Oklahoma's Ten Commandments display weren't troubling enough, a state judge this week ordered a teenager accused of manslaughter to attend church services every Sunday for 10 years (thanks to reader E.W. for the tip).

* Voters in Florida crushed Amendment 8, a ballot measure that would have allowed state officials to use public funds to subsidize religious ministries. Despite the enthusiastic support of the religious right and Roman Catholic leaders, the measure lost 61 of the state's 67 counties en route to an 11-point defeat.

* Note to those using "Jesus" as an online password: it's one of the "most frequently used and easily guessable log-in phrases" (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And radical TV preacher Pat Robertson excused David Petraeus' sex scandal this week, arguing that the former CIA director is "a man" who was overcome by "a good-looking lady throwing herself at him."



http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/11/17/15240757-this-week-in-god?lite

Christianists are as whacko as Islamists but more hypocritical.

And radical TV preacher Pat Robertson excused David Petraeus' sex scandal this week, arguing that the former CIA director is "a man" who was overcome by "a good-looking lady throwing herself at him."

And if you watch the clip he says it with such quiet matter of factness that you pretty much have to believe he speaks from experience.

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Nov 24, 2012 9:23 AM EST

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at TV preacher -- and prominent GOP activist -- Pat Robertson, who assured his followers that Republicans would win the White House and Congress in 2012. Robertson knew this with certainty, he said, because God himself told the televangelist what would happen.

This week, Robertson suggested there may have been a divine miscommunication.


For those who can't watch clips online, Robertson conceded, "So many of us miss God. I won't get into great detail about elections but I sure did miss it. I thought I heard from God; I thought I had heard clearly from God. What happened? "You ask God, 'How did I miss it?' Well, we all do and I've had a lot of practice."

The next time Robertson claims to speak for God, and to receive special messages about the future directly from Heaven, the televangelist's followers may want to keep this incident in mind.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* A federal judge reached a tentative ruling this week, blocking officials in Santa Monica, California, from incorporating Nativity scenes in state-sponsored holiday displays this winter. Nativity scenes will, of course, remain legal on private property.

* It took longer than expected, but in Tennessee, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro opened its doors last weekend. Local anti-Muslim activists had gone to court in the hopes of blocking its construction.

* With Thanksgiving having come and gone, it's time once again for conservatives to complain incessantly about a "war on Christmas."

* Leaders of the Church of England this week rejected an effort to allow women bishops, despite the fact that women already represent a third of the church's clergy, and hold senior positions within the church, including canon and archdeacon.

* And a Florida woman was caught this week going 100 mph in a 30-mph zone, but the motorist defended herself saying she was speeding "because I was letting the Lord spirit guide me." For some reason, that didn't prove persuasive and she was arrested anyway (thanks to R.P for the tip).

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/11/24/15409439-this-week-in-god?lite

* Leaders of the Church of England this week rejected an effort to allow women bishops, despite the fact that women already represent a third of the church's clergy, and hold senior positions within the church, including canon and archdeacon.

The head of the Church of England is a woman.
Ironic, eh?

Robertson conceded, "So many of us miss God. I won't get into great detail about elections but I sure did miss it. I thought I heard from God; I thought I had heard clearly from God. What happened? "You ask God, 'How did I miss it?' Well, we all do and I've had a lot of practice."

Maybe God just messing with his mind.

Mind?

There are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Dec 1, 2012 10:59 AM EST

First up from the God Machine this week is an unexpected twist in a tiresome annual exercise -- the time of year in which the right says the left is waging a "war on Christmas." This week, one of the leading culture warriors on the subject, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, presented an argument I hadn't heard before.


The conservative host added that those who believe Christianity is a religion "are so stupid, it's painful."

Putting aside the fact that our constitutional tenets are entirely secular, what's striking here is that it's highly unusual for a socially conservative culture warrior to insist, proudly on national television in pre-written remarks, that Christianity is not a religion.

Every year, I think this annual exercise can't get sillier. And every year, it gets a little worse.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* TV preacher Pat Robertson this week came out against young-earth creationism, putting him to the left of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

* Just as the Ugandan parliament again mulls a draconian law that would brutally punish gay people, the country's leadership is drawing praise from Family Research Council leader Tony Perkins.

* In Northern Mali, religious fundamentalists have banned all music and exiles have described "a shattering of their culture, in which playing music brings lashes with whips, even prison time, and MP3 and cassette players are seized and destroyed" (via reader R.B.).

* A federal judge this week dismissed "a lawsuit filed by a church coalition seeking to challenge Santa Monica's ban on nativity and other seasonal displays in public spaces" (via reader R.P.).

* And the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer said this week that if Americans use fewer fossil fuels, it's an insult to God.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/12/01/15597368-this-week-in-god?lite

He's baaaaaaaaack ~ this is a favorite recurring thread for me, so I missed it while Steve was on vacation last week ~ there are "live links" in the original, accessible via the end link, to more/corroborating info ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:27 AM EST

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the deeply unfortunate reaction from some prominent religious right leaders to yesterday's school massacre in Connecticut.

The American Family Association's Bryan Fischer blamed the horrific violence on public schools' neutrality towards religion. God could have protected the gunman's victims, Fischer said, but chose not to because "God is not going to go where he is not wanted." Around the same time, Mike Huckabee made a similar argument on Fox News.



For those who can't watch clips online, Neil Cavuto said that many invariably ask after tragedies like this, "How could God let this happen?" Huckabee responded:


So, by Huckabee's reasoning, the separation of church and state is at least partially responsible for a gunman killing 26 people, including 20 children. There are a few problems with such a perspective.

Theologically, many Christians believe God is omnipresent, and can't be "systematically removed" from anything. For that matter, there's very little in the Christian tradition that suggests God punishes children when constitutional law hurts His feelings.

Politically, Huckabee's comments -- seeking to exploit a violent tragedy to push a bogus culture war agenda -- are a reminder that the former Arkansas governor and failed presidential candidate occasionally just isn't a nice guy.

And legally, Huckabee doesn't have the foggiest idea what he's talking about.

For the Republican pundit, Americans "have systematically removed God from our schools," presumably a reference to Supreme Court rulings prohibiting state-sponsored, government-endorsed religion in public schools.

What Huckabee may not appreciate is just how many religious rights public school students currently enjoy. Contrary to myth, students can pray before, during, and after school, so long as it's not disruptive to class. They can say grace before meals in the cafeteria, they can invite classmates to religious services, and they can form after-school religious clubs. All of this is legal right now, under existing law and court precedents, suggesting if anyone has tried to "systematically remove" religion from public schools, they've failed.

The only thing the law prohibits is schools and school officials interfering. Government, in other words, must remain neutral, leaving religious lessons in the hands of families and faith leaders.

Huckabee may find this offensive, and may prefer big government step in to promote religion. That's certainly his right. But to blame horrific violence on his confusion about church-state separation is, at a minimum, deeply unfortunate.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) declared last Saturday a "Day of Restoration" in his state, and called on his constituents to "collectively repent of distancing ourselves from God and ask for His mercy on us."

* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, generally known as the Mormon Church, has shifted its teachings, and now believes sexuality is not a personal choice. The church continues to believe, however, that it is sinful to "act on" homosexuality.

* A Milwaukee-area Roman Catholic priest was stripped of his priestly duties last week after he presided over a Mass with a woman priest.

* And in Texas, a chain email prompted Dallas-area school officials to launch an investigation into "Islamic bias" in the district's curriculum. Ironically, the probe reached the opposite conclusion: there's a Christian bias in schools, not a Muslim one.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/12/15/15928590-this-week-in-god?lite