Church Politics

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

Are you interested in preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation? Do you think a secular system is the only way to ensure freedom of religion and conscience for all? Do you want creationism out of classrooms, religious dogma out of health care, sectarian prayers out of government meetings, and taxpayer funding out of "faith-based" initiatives and programs that promote religious indoctrination? Think there's not much you can do about it? If so, as secular writer and activist Dan Arel demonstrates in word and deed, think again.

There is more to the senator's faith than the crises arising from his former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. How could Obama attend for 20 years a church permeated by a defining spirit of anger toward white America? Stephen Mansfield explores Obama's religious faith without political or ideological bias. His basic premise is this: If a man's faith is sincere, then it is the most important thing about him.

In What I Believe, Ramadan attempts to set the record straight, laying out the basic ideas he stands for in clear and accessible prose. He describes the book as a work of clarification, directed at ordinary citizens, politicians, journalists, and others who are curious (or skeptical) about his positions. Aware that that he is dealing with emotional issues, Ramadan tries to get past the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding to speak directly, from the heart, to his Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike.

The United States of America was founded by ordinary citizens who willingly sacrificed their lives and fortunes in order to hand down the precious legacy of freedom we enjoy today. In American Patriots, Rick Santorum shares the true-life accounts of 25 unsung heroic men and women from the Revolutionary War era. These citizen patriots fought valiantly and made significant sacrifices to secure our God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - not only for themselves, but also for countless future generations.

This is my story of how I became a Right Wing Fundamentalist Roman Catholic and of course a Republican. I eventually became politically incorrect, and finally at peace with my church and my politics.

Nowadays, the pope is synonymous with unparalleled piety, compassion, and benevolence. To many, the pope is the embodiment of godly love in its purest form. This is a far cry from how things were just a few centuries ago. Back in the day, the most notorious of popes were nothing more than power-hungry dictators and cutthroat political experts. Indeed, by the late 14th century, tensions within the Church reached a breaking point, resulting in the infamous split of the Catholic Church, one that saw multiple popes fighting to knock the others off their thrones.

We are living in a dynamic moment. For most of history, Rip Van Winkle could take his 20-year nap and not miss much. But that is not true today. Can you imagine showing up for work tomorrow after a 20-year absence?

The Christian Church has no shortage of revered figures and saints, but it is difficult to find one that had a more decisive impact on the course of the Church's history than Augustine of Hippo. Augustine was a bishop of Hippo Regius in Africa, but his works, sermons and writings helped hold the Church together even as the Western Roman Empire was in its death throes, to the extent that every major branch of Christianity recognizes him today.

Being Black in America is not an easy task. Black people in America are faced with the task of surviving in a system predicated on the notion that Black people were less than human, policed and enforced by a system that is rooted in slavery and racism. All while trying to succeed in a capitalist society where we are discriminated against.

Chaplains of the Militia is the extraordinary story of those priests accused of complicity in genocide. Chris McGreal takes us from Rwanda in 1994, where he stood among the bodies at one of the many massacres in churches, to modern day France in pursuit of a priest notorious during the genocide for wearing a gun and selecting victims for the machete-waving militia.

Success in life is not measured by the absence of difficulty. Success in life is overcoming the difficulties you face with dignity, and emerging with you integrity intact.

The Book of Revelation was written by Jesus himself, through the Apostle John, in approximately 90-95 AD. John wrote down notes and detailed world events that would happen in his future. Many of those events, including the Beast in Revelation 13, have already come to pass, and much of it is upon us today.

Female habit carries with it a twofold idea - dress and ornament. By “dress” we mean what they call “womanly gracing”; by “ornament”, what it is suitable should be called “womanly disgracing”. The former is accounted (to consist) in gold, and silver, and gems, and garments; the latter in care of the hair, and of the skin, and of those parts of the body which attract the eye.

“Jesus said, ‘Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All.’” This was banned by the budding Christian Church 2,000 years ago, and is still deemed a heretical teaching to this day. The Verbal Truth of Christianity brings you to the crux of the central message of all religions - the revealing of a truer nature of reality, the defining of God and the cosmos in believable and constructive terms....

It is known that many men view porn and often go on to develop an addiction. However, have you ever wondered if women like porn too? Yes! Women most definitely watch porn too, as you will see in this book. So, what is the difference? Most women typically like porn in a different format than the majority of men, as their tastes and the type of porn they gravitate towards are very different. For instance, most women are more attracted to the more emotional sexual appeal of online chat rooms versus the visual porn sites.

Agricola, also known as The Life and Character of Julius Agricola, serves as the main historical source for information about this notable Roman general. His son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, authored the text. He writes not just about his father-in-law’s military career and conquest of Britain, but also about cultural and geographic forces at work during this time. The portion of the original text that survives today remains an important reference for historians and history buffs alike.

As persecutions in increasing number threaten us, so the more are we called on to give earnest thought to the question of how faith ought to receive them, and the duty of carefully considering it concerns you no less, who no doubt, by not accepting the Comforter, the guide to all truth, have, as was natural, opposed us hitherto in regard to other questions also.

Be the assertion true, that insanity is the expecting of a different result; while perpetuating the same ideologies and behavior patterns, then insanity is the plight of black Americans, as well as those charged with their education and liberation. This form of insanity is marked by illiteracy, decadent neighborhoods, spiritual ineptitude and social and financial insufficiency. It is the chains that have been passed down from generation to generation irrespective of the Emancipation Proclamation.