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NYT on Bosnian Islam

Islamic Revival Tests Bosnia’s Secular Cast – NYTimes.com It seems that there are several issues at stake here. 1. In a republic where one can exercise religion more freely than one has been able to do so in almost two generations, what is the line between expressing religion and reactionary religion? Or, more critically, what is the relationship between the state and religion? 2. There is the the usual undercurrent that devout Muslims are dangerous Muslims. Bars are the signifiers of a truly open society. I think as a metric, it’s a bit bizarre, but it’s the lens of the…

PFBC – Faith and Politics, A Path to Engagement

Thurman (Xpatriated Texan), Mik (JSpot), Bruce (Talk2Action) Thurman: we have a separation between church and state. not in constitution. [makes my favorite argument about the establishment clause and the free expression clause.] term comes from Thomas Jefferson. History of religion and the Founding Fathers of the US. Wedged between religious right and the secular left. Presidents used the idea of God frequently until JFK who had to renounce his religion. marks turning point in American Left. Really good historical introduction. Couldn’t capture it all, he had me enthralled. Mik: Referencing Obama speech. It was fantastic. Second look made him think…

Faith in Fantasy on Imaginary Worlds Podcast

I am a longtime fan of the Imaginary Worlds podcast, and was ecstatic was I was asked to participate in roundtable on the role of faith in imaginary worlds. I was joined by friend of many years, the Velveteen Rabbi, Rachel Barenblat, who did a wonderful write-up of her experience here. The episode description is: Science fiction has not always been compatible with religion — in fact many futuristic settings imagine no religion at all. But sci-fi and fantasy have long fascinated people of different faiths because the genres wrestle with the big questions of life. You can listen to episode…