May 3
William Barber, Charles Barber, The Joseph Henry Medal, modeled 1879, struck 1987, gold-plated bronze, 2 1⁄2 x 2 1⁄2 x 1⁄8 in. (6.3 x 6.3 x 0.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James F. Dicke Family, 2007.39.2
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William Barber, Charles Barber, The Joseph Henry Medal, modeled 1879, struck 1987, gold-plated bronze, 2 1⁄2 x 2 1⁄2 x 1⁄8 in. (6.3 x 6.3 x 0.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James F. Dicke Family, 2007.39.2
Horror Movies: Why Do We Like Them?
It’s only August, and Halloween decorations are already being put on display in some stores. That means, before you know it, the summer season will shortly fade into fall. The beginning of the fall is closely associated with the consistent showing of horror movies. People get ready to celebrate All Hallows Eve by watching them. Why do we like horror films? Many people have asked this question,…
News of the Day 7/6/25: God-Talk
Alito had to contort the meaning of canonical Supreme Court doctrine so that he could either ignore established precedent or turn it on its
Paywall free.
This is about Mahmoud v. Taylor. Essentially a Maryland school district required elementary schools to include LGBT-inclusive story books in kindergarten story hour. The Supreme Court decided the schools had to let parents exempt their kiddos from curriculum teaching about gender identity and sexuality that violated their religious beliefs. I'm imagining something like the Jehovah's Witnesses who were allowed to stand out in the hall while the rest of the class did the Pledge of Allegiance.
I don't like it pedagogically or practically. Story hour takes time, and these are young enough kids, you can't just ask them to go somewhere else unsupervised. More to the point, I firmly believe education is about exposing all kids to facts about the world, and we're cheating them of education when we don't expect them to at least understand things their families disagree with. Plus, I skimmed three of the books and they seem pretty unobjectionable beyond the idea that gay and trans people exist.
It's that theocracy "label" that really interests me, though. I don't like it; in fact, I'd argue in a majority-rule situation where the majority happen to go along with what a particular faith teaches and vote to make it the law, that's still democracy; and in a minority-rights situation where we recognize a person's right of conscience or expression or whatever and the choice a particular person makes is informed by the faith tradition they choose to follow, in line with and because they want to express or interpret it a certain way, that's about their individual rights.
That's doubly true here because the parents aren't even all the same religion. I don't particularly like whatever this is, but calling it a theocracy feels like a real stretch.
The bigger question for religious folk, especially the conservative type, is why they're so allergic to your kids being told queer and trans people exist and are part of our families and communities. I promise you we do. And quite aside from everything else, I watched enough of my age group slide from Christian evangelicals to "nones" to know you're not helping your kids hold to whatever's good about your religion long-term by leaving them unprepared to mesh it with reality as it actually is.
More Stories about Religion and Religiosity
Does Donald Trump Actually Think He’s God? (Paywall free.)
When America Goes Nativist, America Becomes Less Christian (PF)
Sojourners: MAGA Christians Have a Right to Practice Their Faith — But So Do I (PF)
AfD and radical Christians: An alliance of convenience? (PF)
A Rise in Black Christian Nationalism? (PF)
The Supreme Court’s blessedly narrow decision about religion in the workplace, explained (PF)
Why is Gen Z getting more religious? We asked them. (PF)
The old “religious right” is dead. The new one is stranger — and harder to fight. (PF)
Faith groups say House Republicans' probe into immigration work violates their religious freedom (PF)
Understanding accused Minnesota shooter Vance Boelter’s ties to Christian nationalism (PF)
Louisiana's Ten Commandments law in public schools blocked by federal appeals court (PF)
Zohran Mamdani and the Making of a “Muslim Menace” (PF)
Faith, Democracy, and the Catholic Duty To Stay Involved (PF)
And finally, Ali Velshi had a really interesting conversation with Rev. William Barber, the pastor behind Moral Mondays and the Poor People’s Campaign. “As Americans, we have a moral, even spiritual duty to stand up and fight for our own rights and for those of our neighbors and especially the most vulnerable among us.”
Centennial of Breaking Camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
William Barber American 1878
Eight were arrested at Moral Monday, an effort to stop a bill they say will slash vital healthcare for lower-income people
One of the best articles I’ve read in a while. Reverend Barber has a lot of great quotes and I think he should be in my grandchildren’s history books one day.
William Barber, leader of ‘Moral Monday’ progressive movement, was arrested Monday by Capitol Police officers along with two others
The Rev. William Barber, the prominent Black spiritual leader who supported Kamala Harris, suggests a way forward for left-leaning Americans
The Rev. William Barber, the prominent Black spiritual leader who supported Kamala Harris, suggests a way forward for left-leaning Americans