Can a state be religious and democratic?

It’s an excellent question asked in Israel’s Arab problem hits home | Salon.com. The writer is a Jew who is not quite as objective as he might be. He writes, for example, “Arabs living in what was to become the state of Israel either fled or were expelled (this depends on whose narrative you buy, [...]

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Colsher comments on Rome and Mithraism

Bill Colsher sent email that I’m posting here (with his permission). I’ll interrupt it to address a few points, but I thought the whole thing was worth sharing:
Words:
Pater Patratus - was a fetial priest whose job was to make sure the gods were properly informed of the reasons for war and then to formally declare [...]

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the root of all wrong is greed

The King James Bible, commissioned by a king who wanted a Bible that respected power, has this for Matthew 6:24:
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
The Geneva [...]

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odd things about Hanukkah

The core of the Hanukkah story is lovely: There was only enough consecrated olive oil to keep the sacred fire going in the Temple for a day, but it burned for the full eight days that were needed to prepare more oil. And so people say this is a story of faith. It’s inspired fine [...]

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In search of good state religions

As a Unitarian-Universalist, I take pride in this:
One of the unique legacies of Romanian history - specifically from the Transylvanian region - is a long history of religious toleration. Its origins trace back to the Edict of Turda (Romanian) or Torda (Hungarian) issued by King Sigismund in 1568, “a document which historians have proclaimed to [...]

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When religions have homelands

My Tibet posts have either been deleted or moved here.

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Judas Gospel: Why it matters, why it doesn’t

Why it matters: If Jesus’s death was not part of God’s plan, God is inept. If Jesus’s death was part of God’s plan, God is cruel.
Why it doesn’t matter: If Jesus’s message to share the world’s wealth is true, neither Judas’s betrayal or his faithful service can change that.

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the great nesting doll of God

What follows isn’t as unified as an essay. It’s a Monday morning rambling about religion, taxes, and wealth. It was triggered in part by an interesting article here, especially this:
If we are to deepen our understanding of the universe or of God, if we are to change our collective behavior and our destiny, Dowd and [...]

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If the Narnia movie was a Christian allegory

Warning: If you know nothing about Narnia or Christianity, the following contains spoilers.
1. Jesus would teach, “If you want to be perfect, kill my enemies, and I’ll make you kings.”
2. Father Christmas would show up in at least one gospel and give the disciples some cool weapons.
3. Jesus would teach, “If someone tries to strike [...]

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Intelligent Design: the theory that God does shoddy work

Two great links:
The Top 10 Useless Limbs (and Other Vestigial Organs)
Unintelligent Design
The first link is via John Scalzi. The second is the New York Times, so you gotta register to read.

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