One Utah

If you think things can’t get any worse in Iraq, think again. The Associated Press reports that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has issued fatwas encouraging armed resistance against the U.S. occupation. Assuming this is true (and it fits what we know of Sistani and the current situation), at the very least it ends [...]

The Bush administration’s myriad failures are connected to long term trends in social organizing and the loss of social capital.  In adopting a “go it alone” policy, the Bush administration and its neo-con theorists have taken an ideology of radical individualism and applied it at the level of national policy.
Radical individualism -beloved by Americans - holds that a person acting [...]

This morning’s Trib contained an op-ed from Maggie Jessop, that began with the not so provocative opening line:
So, you want to hear from the FLDS women, huh? OK, you asked for it.
Normally, “You asked for it” is followed by a good rant. Not in this case. The op-ed itself is semi-coherent - [...]

Last night was the annual meeting of the Coalition of Religious Communities (CORC).  The Coalition represents 20+ denominations thoughout Utah.  Members of CORC work on a broad array of social justice issues, primarily issues of economic justice - although we were also one of the leading groups supporting effective hate crimes legislation.  CORC’s leadership is drawn [...]

I’ve just heard the finest sermon or speech I’ve ever heard in my life, given by The Reverend Jeremiah Wright. I’m old enough to have heard great speakers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt after a shaky start in that venue; Hugh B. Brown, Harry Truman standing on the platform of the caboose in [...]

The science behind evolution denialism is junk, and in many cases, it’s not just junk science, it anti-science. The textbooks at question in the UC case I talked about the other day were published, in one notable case, by Bob Jones University. The book itself proclaimed that any where that science disagreed with [...]

Easter this year is the earliest easter since 1913.  Easter won’t be this early again for something like two centuries.  What that means is that we are nearing the end of Holy Week.  Holy Week is not an easy journey; it is a journey from Palm Sunday into the Passion; a journey from celebration to brutality [...]

When I was a young Army officer, we had a sarcastic saying to describe a troublesome, unavoidable, and possibly career-suicide assignment: “it’s an opportunity to excel.”
Up to now, Senator Barack Obama’s campaign has been pretty good at dealing with a barrage of hypocritical accusations. Thanks to the right-wing noise machine and their [...]

One thing that has always fascinated me about the LDS Church is the concept of apostasy in the context of revivalist America.

After the deaths of the Savior and His Apostles, men corrupted the principles of the gospel and made unauthorized changes in Church organization and priesthood ordinances. Because of this widespread apostasy, the Lord withdrew [...]

As published in the Tribune
I am impressed with the central message of the faith communities in our area in speaking out for compassion and reflective fairness on the issues of immigration and the rights of aliens in this country. Compassionate care for the “stranger amongst us” is central to biblical teachings of the prophets and [...]

This frightening map highlights 8 major Christian denominations, showing where they represent a plurality (and in counties marked with a + at least 50%) of the relevant counties’ population.

This shows that there are quite a few remarkably contiguous religious blocks in the US. That is what Al-Qaeda will call “integrated” neighborhoods when they occupy us. [...]

I am so pleased with my response to Ken on McCain, I thought I would top post it if only to shake things up around here.
What you are seeing Ken is Republican Buyer’s Remorse for Bush. You see, Bush — being the worst fuckup in the history of America — has virtually ended any chance [...]