One Utah

A disturbing report. Hate crimes reported in Utah jumped from 35 in 2006 to 55 in 2007. See SL Trib and KSL.
Nationwide, hate crimes reported were down about 1 percent. But in Utah they are up a whopping 80 percent. Some of this may be accounted for by increased willingness to [...]

In the “Are you fucking kidding me?” file, we find today’s commentary from the house organ of the American Family Association. This woman didn’t invent the crazy, she has however perfected it.
This election long ago ceased to be a partisan battle between Republicans and Democrats. It really isn’t a contest over big and small [...]

Troy Williams has encapsulated what will no doubt be the LDS Church’s last stand on the Same-Sex Marriage debate in California.

It’s time to call out the Mormon temple marriage for what it really is; the ritualistic humiliation of women. It is a ceremony we queers would never want to emulate.
Having been born LDS (and [...]

If you read only one article this week, read this one:
Suddenly, the doctor was at the door to my mother’s room again. He waved me out into the hall. He needed a medical directive. Immediately. Her vital signs were tanking. If we were going to put a tube in her, and put her on machines [...]

Seemingly endlessly litigated and legislated around, the First Amendment reads simply:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
For [...]

The Salt Lake Tribune’s Robert Gehrke holds himself to the highest standard of objective journalism so rare in the Utah media. He should be commended for his objectivity.
in An ‘odious reminder’, Chaffetz’s plan for tent cities is lambasted: Candidate’s immigration plan likened to WWII internment camps (archive link)
“Jason Chaffetz’s comments are more than just [...]

I’ve read some dribs and drabs about the movement calling itself Joel’s Army. The upshot is:
Joel’s Army is prophesied to become an Armageddon-ready military force of young people with a divine mandate to physically impose Christian “dominion” on non-believers.
Large swaths of the rightwing conservative Christians seeing current events through an apocalyptic lens is dangerous [...]

So, the back story goes something like this: Old, white haired Catholic guy in Great Britain issues stupid statement attributing a host of things to demonic possession - which he deems contagious.
Promiscuity, as well as homosexuality and pornography, says 73 year-old Fr. Jeremy Davies, is a form of sexual perversion and can lead to [...]

Last night channel surfing I happened across a show on one of the Christian networks that are cropping up in the 200 range on the TV - it as an hysterical (as in characterized by hysteria) show about the way in which Christians are being - reach for your smelling salts girls - persecuted by [...]

A few years ago, the youth group from my congregation participated with the youth group from the mosque on a service project. At the end of the night, the kids returned to HUCC for debriefing. The Muslim youth later complained they felt it was wrong for boys and girls to sit together in [...]

PZ Myers reports receiving:
somewhere well above 12,000 hate mail messages from religious people, mostly Catholic; two reasonable messages from Catholics who said that while they are unshaken in their faith, they approve of my opposition to cracker idolatry; and zero comments of any kind from admitted Muslims.

Sam Harris, in The End of Faith [...]