Category: religion
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nice story about my brother Mark
I was chatting with my Mom over IM the other day when she told me a story about my brother Mark (well, sort of). A little background is required. After the funeral and the internment ceremony, there was a reception at my parents church (which is right next to the cemetery). At the reception there…
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On TV again – as an expert on “heaven”
I received an email from the director of PR at my university last week looking for an expert on religion to comment on a news story the local Fox affiliate was running about heaven and different conceptions of heaven. While a religious studies scholar might have been a better option, I figured I know enough…
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RE: Joys of Muslim Women – more debunking
Another relative (not my uncle this time), sent me the email below, but (I think smartly) asked me if it was accurate. My response follows the email: This was written by a woman born in Egypt as a Muslim. This is not heresay, and it will scare the life out of you. Make sure you read…
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my best publication yet!
I don’t typically mention my publications on this blog, but this is one about which I am particularly proud. I think it is a significant contribution not only to the study of Mormonism but also to theory in the Sociology of Religion as well. I’m also proud of it because of the amount of time…
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I made Glenn Beck mad!
He’s ranting about this report, of which I am a co-author. I consider this a shining achievement and derive almost as much satisfaction from watching Glenn Beck’s hysterics over our survey as I did when I learned I was going to publish my first article. My only regret: I didn’t make him cry!
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Scientology-ville (a.k.a. Clearwater, FL) Tour
Yesterday morning I was reading the local paper when I came upon this story about Scientology (part 1 of 3). Apparently 4 fairly prominent members of the religion have defected over the last few years and the St. Petersburg Times finally got them to agree to be interviewed. The Times is rolling out the interviews…
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The Boston Globe calling…
I received an email from Michael Paulson, a religion reporter for The Boston Globe, yesterday asking me if I had time to talk about a new study coming out today. The study is the latest wave of the American Religious Identification Survey. Having worked with the principal investigators – Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar –…
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new publication – Fighting Over “Mormon”
An article I co-authored with Michael Nielsen just came out in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. It takes a look at some claims made by the LDS Church concerning the coverage of the FLDS raid in Texas last year. If you’re interested in more details, let me know.
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Tim Minchin, ladies and gentlemen
TimMinchin.com (courtesy of the SGU)
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The True Meaning of Christmas…
I should really be doing other work, but after reading the news this morning, it dawned on me that what I really wanted to do was write a short blog post about “The True Meaning of Christmas.” (NOTE: For all the readers of my blog who are religious, this is your cue to stop reading…