Sure! I think it is rather easy to argue that religion is posing a challenge to the traditional secular state. Look at the resistance the American military experienced in Iraq and continues to experience in Afghanistan. Many of the groups and individuals fighting for autonomy in these two...
Well:
Zoroastrianism - ReligionFacts
Zoroastrianism
Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism (Textual Sources for the Study of Religion): Mary Boyce: 9780226069302: Amazon.com: Books
First, I find your assertion that supernatural occurrences may occur in a cyclical fashion FASCINATING. Many religious traditions including Buddhism and Wicca argue for a cyclical worldview.
Second, who is to say that miracles don't currently happen? Would a parent not view it as a miracle...
OH! I assumed that was because A) a moderator had to activate all of my rights and privileges or B) your server needed time to cycle through.
Regardless, let me at least be a member for 24 hours before you accuse me of posting one dimensionally or inferring that I have some ulterior motive...
Interesting how the original poster interpreted the image of Lilith as a feminist icon.
Going back to Qabbala (where the story of Lilith reportedly originated), Lilith was depicted as a killer of infants. She was something that mothers, and arguably most women, feared. Yet she has been...
Marion Weinstein proposed that "Black Magic" was performed when someone used an outside agent to produce a desired outcome. She went on to propose that "White Magic" occured when someone used their own life-force to produce a desired outcome. If the power came from you, it was white. If it came...
That isn't true. I've posted in many ways throughout my one day in these forums. I'm not even sure what minimum you are talking about, but if you feel that my posting links is either unhelpful, distracting, or somehow negative in some other fashion, then I will have to rethink how I interact...
In the United States, most gun laws are made at the state level. Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook tragedy took place, has some of the most strict gun laws in the country. Assault weapons are already banned in Connecticut, yet those laws didn't prevent the tragedy from happening (of course an...
No, I joined the moment I found the site this morning. I happened upon the ReligiousForums via a cursory search for the word religion using GOOGLE. And I am better for it. :D
Fears of spying currently run rampant in Pakistan. The government is attempting to quell some of these fears by reportedly building its own fleet of aerial drones. Any Pakistani drones would be crude by U.S. standards, and the American government is refusing to share its drone technology with...
As scholars of religion like Mark Juergensmeyer have alleged in the past, social change on a global level has weakened the nation-state. One of the main consequences of this weakening is a likewise weakening of secular politics. This weakening has created a political vacuum, and, within this...
I believe "jokes" about rape do have a place in community discourse if they are used properly. Comedians Sarah Silverman and Lisa Lampanelli regularly use rape in their routines, in my opinion effectively, to both call attention to the issue of rape as well as to make the audience think about...
I am very impressed with the quality of many of the conversations that are taking place on this forum. Not every debate is scholarly or scientific, but it is so refreshing to see people interacting with religion in ways that promote discourse instead of trying to shout each other down or...
As a student, I hated group projects. However, as an adult I find myself continually participating in "group project"-like environments, and, looking back, those projects in school were good practice.
That's the nature of life, isn't it? None of us are who we were, and many of us have no idea who we are. Those of us that are self-aware are often called "enlightened", "Gurus", and "Buddhas".
My default answer is always Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That show did so much for depictions of spirituality, adolescence, feminism, and popular culture. Joss Whedon is a master of communication.
I think that any organization that is coordinating a social movement on a national-scale should be watched by the government. Just because this movement was peaceful doesn't mean the next movement will be. It's the government's duty to be vigilant so it can safeguard its citizens from future...