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Leiby Kletzky and Religious "Otherness"

by Judith Weisenfeld Recently in New York, a court-appointed psychiatrist found 35-year-old Levi Aron competent to stand trial for the murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky. Aron has confessed to kidnapping, killing and dismembering the boy, who had become lost while … Continue reading

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In Political Reporting, Religion Questions Are Hardly Out of Bounds

by Chris Tokuhama In a widely anticipated move, Texas governor Rick Perry officially declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination this Saturday. Perry's entry into the campaign, coming on the heels of his controversial faith-based rally, “The Response,” reminds … Continue reading

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Sometimes a Cross Isn't Just a Cross

by Courtney Bender An organization called the American Atheists recently filed suit to block the installation of a crossbeam “cross” within the 9/11 National Memorial and Museum. The press has started to cover the ensuing hubbub, but in the midst … Continue reading

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Shocking Truth Revealed! Muslims (and Other Religious Groups) Are Boring

by Richard Flory Coinciding with the beginning of Ramadan, a new report from Gallup examines “U.S. Muslims' Political, Social, and Spiritual Engagement 10 Years After September 11.” What is most interesting about the results of this study is that, compared … Continue reading

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Tabloid Religion

by Judith Weisenfeld To say that journalistic ethics have drawn unfavorable public attention lately would be an understatement. The media coverage of Casey Anthony's trial reached an unprecedented level of intensity, with live television broadcasts from the courtroom and the … Continue reading

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Right-wing Mayhem, "Falling Skies," Female Priests

by Sandi Dolbee For journalists interested in religion, these should be anything but the dog days of summer. Their bylines ought to be cropping up all over the newspaper–from the front page to the entertainment section and even the business … Continue reading

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Raising Moses and Apple (and a little Awareness)

by Marcia Alesan Dawkins Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow recently announced her decision to raise her children, seven-year-old Moses and five-year-old Apple, Jewish. For some this doesn't qualify as news in a world full of heinous acts committed in the name of … Continue reading

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Recycling Terror: Texas Kills a Killer for post-9/11 Killing

by Dalia Hashad Last night, the state of Texas executed Mark Anthony Stroman. In the weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Stroman did some killing of his own. Brandishing a gun, the white supremacist meted out revenge on people … Continue reading

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Was Michele Bachmann Kicked Out of her Own Church?

by Jacques Berlinerblau A headline at some news outlet should be screaming: “Michele Bachmann Kicked Out of Her Own Church!” True, that might be a tad bit premature; perhaps the headline warrants a question mark rather than an exclamation point. … Continue reading

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Dalai Lama vs. Rick Perry: Separating Church and State…or Not

by Nicole Neroulias More than 50 years after fleeing the Chinese military and setting up the Tibetan government in exile, the Dalai Lama retired from his political responsibilities this year. It was a widely anticipated and somewhat anticlimactic move, given … Continue reading

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