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Reflecting with mixed emotions his decision to leave the church of his childhood over its inability to accept gays, the author recalls his own words, that “Scripture calls us to look beyond Scripture, to God and to our neighbor,” and wonders whether he should return to the church; indeed, whether such a thing is possible.

The face of modern global feminism is wearing hijab. The director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement talks to us about the new “Jihad Against Violence” and other developments in the worldwide Muslim women’s movement.

An interview with a singer marked for death by the Taliban. Curiously, while the Taliban claims that music is a violation of Islamic law, they do have their own melodies and hymns.

An interview with the director of Afghan Star, a documentary that follows a tense but cathartic talent competition.

We’ve made Abraham Lincoln into a secular saint, as a visit to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois—complete with relics and incense—easily confirms. But what of his cutthroat skill in the political arena? Contemporary politicians can’t compete.

One reason we don’t hear from “those who actually minister to real people with real problems” is that conservatives have successfully defined “people of faith” as abortion opponents

Myths of good versus evil have long sustained conservatism, but these narratives, with their shining heroes, and dastardly evildoers, are irrelevant to the civil debates at hand, and threaten to undermine the reforms that would help us all the most.

Or, as I would have titled this post, if not for the delicate sensibilities of the RD editors, “God Breaks Wind on Lutherans.”

Religious values shift with every era, often limiting moral discourse to only one religious tradition; and new research shows that the secular Swedes are happier than the rest of us. Isn’t it time to try to imagine a purely secular ethics?

For Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, her years of house arrest have only deepened her Buddhist insight, and strengthened her commitment to a just society in Burma.