The United States has seen major changes in the past week. Healthcare subsidies were upheld for residence of states not participating in the federal healthcare exchange. Same-sex/gendered partners can marry in all 50 of the United States. Social institutions and laws can change the social fabric and cultural rules by which we live. Legal decisions […]
“And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these […]
By Niamh Middleton The resounding ‘yes’ to marriage equality that resulted from Ireland’s referendum on the subject has provoked a great deal of comment, much of it on the implications for Catholic Church authority in Ireland. Some commentators are suggesting that the rejection of Church teaching on homosexuality, despite the Bishops’ request for a ‘no’ […]
By Niamh Middleton After Madonna’s scary and dangerous fall at the recent Brit awards, Piers Morgan wrote an uncomplimentary article entitled “Falling off the stage, Madonna, is God’s way of telling you you’re too old to cavort like a hooker.” I was surprised that someone of Piers Morgan’s fame and status would publicly kick a woman […]
I was drawn to the academic discipline of ethics because it was about making moral claims, calling for actions, and evaluating the impact of current and past social and religious structures. Doing Christian ethics, I thought, could be synonymous with activism. However, as I spend more and more time in front of a computer or […]
By Emily Hill The Disneyland measles outbreak in December and the cases of measles that have been popping up all over America and Canada in the last couple of months have received much media attention. The outbreaks have been blamed on “anti-vaxxers”—those who choose not to have their children vaccinated for fear of the adverse […]
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Does it make you reflect on God? The past week has been full of questions about deflated balls, playing through injury, media requirements for players, halftime hype and fan party planning. In the midst of the usual pre-Super Bowl media frenzy, a smaller story broke about God’s role in football. […]
Rape. The total loss of control over one’s body. Violence. Humiliation. Lack of consent. Abuse. Despoliation. Violation. The first trial of the four young men accused of raping an unconscious woman coed has ended here in Nashville. Two of the four were on trial. The decision was guilty on all sixteen counts the two now […]
Panel: What is “Barbaric”? Feminist Reflections on Religion and Equality. Date/Time: Thursday, January 29, 2015, 5:30pm-7:30pm. Location: United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1N1. Panelists: Shareen Gokal (AWID), Alia Hogben (CCMW), Dawnis Kennedy, Anishinabe Law Scholar, Farrah Khan (Barbra Schlifer Clinic) and Moderator: Sonia Lawrence (Osgoode Hall Law School). Official Posting (http://www.awid.org/Get-Involved/Events/Events-Around-the-World/Panel-discussion16): On November 5 […]
They are forgotten, shunned, hushed up. Their stories are covered up, and their testimonies are disbelieved. Sexual assault survivors are often forgotten women. Silencing survivors and offering unflagging support of accused rapists are textbook elements of rape culture. Today, Phylicia Rashad provides Exhibit A. Phylicia Rashad is a Tony Award-winning actor with a distinguished stage […]