holidays

Much ado has been made about the theme of chastity in the Twilight series (currently drawing hordes into movie theaters for its second installment), but few have noticed the other, less commonly understood, Mormon theological themes that course through the series’ fevered plotline.

Forty years ago, Indian militants, as they were then named, occupied the island of Alcatraz. In their memory, our writer reflects on both the bloody history of the first Thanksgiving, and the remarkable, enduring power of tribal tradition to create spiritual sustenance in the modern world.

Maybe it’s time to stop framing European conquest as dinner party between Pilgrims and Indians.

Among the most surprising things about underground comics master R. Crumb’s new illustration of the first book of the Hebrew Bible is not only how straight he plays the visual translation, but also the affinity between his own sensibility and the fleshly materiality of Genesis.

Performance artist or man of God? Agitator or politician? The Church of Life After Shopping’s Reverend Billy has a choir and a congregation like a preacher—does he have to be a “real” clergyman to minister to the masses?

Has a hotly anticipated new horror film about a murderous cheerleader subverted the mythos of woman as the source of evil or just the opposite?

A recent study is making headlines with the finding that certain college majors, most notably those in the humanities and social sciences, are likely to turn students into godless nihilists. Why is this such a big deal?

Would Christian employees be comfortable being forced by their employers to say Happy Hanukah or Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Ramadan to their customers?

Though it sounds good just on its face, NYC Mayor Bloomberg has made the right decision by threatening to veto the proposal to add two Muslim holidays to the school calendar. And no, it’s not a pander to Jewish voters.

What (and where) holidays mean; when the bloody demise of Jesus resonates more than the triumph over death.