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The Clanzoors? Never! | Life and style | The Guardian

The Clanzoors? Never! | Life and style | The Guardian. In the event I have only been partly ostracised by my family, but it is not only the issues with my family that persuaded Bridget to take my name. “I think it will be a great conversation opener,” she told me. “I’m going to enjoy having to explain why my second name is so exotic.” I suspect that trying to explain to the grumpy man at US immigration why her surname sounds a bit Pakistani may not be quite as enjoyable as she imagines. Nevertheless, I have to admit that…

Quote: Religion in the American Public Sphere

What would happen if religious ideas were subjected to such a debate? I want to conclude with some speculations. A robust, critical discussion of religious ideas might encourage popular faiths more consistent with modern standards of plausibility, more conscious of the historicity of all faiths, and more resistant to the manipulation of politicians belonging to any party.  The long moratorium on sustained, public scrutiny of religious ideas has created a vacuum in which easy god-talk flourishes. Religion has no monopoly on foolishness and ignorance, but our convention of giving religious ideas a “pass” has made religion a privileged domain for wackiness…

Hasidic Reggae

Yes Virginia, it’s true. Take a look at this site, just to read comments like this: “He can really rip,” agrees hip-hop producer and bassist Yossi Fine (David Bowie, Me’Shell Ndege-Ocello), who is himself part Israeli and Afro-Jamaican Jew. “He’s extremely fierce, jumping around the stage. The only difference between him and a Jamaican rapper is that he takes the lyrics from the Bible instead of from Rasta. He changes ‘Jah’ to ‘Hashem’ [Hebrew for God].” I intend to buy an album. Seems very cool. Also, here.