Tag: religion

UVA sociologist: ‘Faith is a family-friendly force’ for African-Americans, Latinos
African-American and Latino couples who attend church together experience happier relationships and family life.
Mark Grabowski: School’s Islam assignment displays ignorance on all sides
An Augusta County high school teacher’s controversial assignment this month involving Islam is the latest unfortunate example of ignorance in America.
UVA faculty lead global effort to combat religious violence
The University of Virginia is at the heart of a global network of academics, politicians and activists urgently working to stop the spread of religion-related violence.
EMU media, religion professors team up to analyze selfie culture
Cell phones are this generation’s cigarette. That was one analysis provided by Jerry Holsopple and Linford Stutzman to students participating in an October Living and Learning Forum at Eastern Mennonite University. Holsopple, a visual and communication arts professor, and Stutzman, professor in the Bible and religion department, teamed up to talk about “selfie culture” and the potential side-effects of this social phenomenon.

ACLU calls for defeat of bill licensing discrimination against LGBT Virginians
The ACLU of Virginia released the following statement attributed to Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia regarding HB1414, a bill to license discrimination that was pre-filed for consideration in the 2015 General Assembly Session by Delegate Bob Marshall (R-Manassas).
Unbroken: Technically brilliant, but still … broken
Fans of the 2010 Laura Hillenbrand best-seller Unbroken won’t be disappointed with Angelina Jolie’s film adaptation, not until the final credits begin to roll, and they realize that a rather important part of the story was left on the cutting-room floor.

Research on the struggles of teenage girls
In her doctoral research, Emily Peck-McClain gathered thoughts from 24 girls from New York area Methodist churches that were both profound and disturbing.

UVA study identifies why re-educating torturers may not work
A recent study of torture by Rachel Wahl, an assistant professor of social foundations of education at the UVA Curry School of Education, was published this month in the journal Law & Society Review.
David Swanson: We must always have war because magic
This advertisement for permanent war appeared in my local newspaper today. By pointing out this fact I am neither opposing working with religious groups that favor peace nor asserting that Martin Luther King Jr. was a warmonger.

Compromise: A dirty word with the modern Republican Party
Never has “compromise” been treated as such a dirty word as by today’s Republican Party. Never has a party been less interested in working together to do the people’s business.

Ideas that can make Liberal America stronger
The imbalance in intensity in the political battle raging in America is largely due to the deficiency of moral and spiritual passion in Liberal America,

Andy Schmookler; Beliefs that make Liberal America weak
One important reason is that the battle playing out in our politics is fundamentally a moral and spiritual battle, and while the right is connected to their moral and spiritual passions (even though that connection has been made on the basis of lies) Liberal America is not.
Virginia Democrats comment on Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage
The Supreme Court today denied a writ of certiorati in the case that overturned Virginia’s ban on gay marriages, making marriage equality finally legal for all Virginians.

Nathaniel Deutsch, co-director of Center for Jewish Studies, to lecture at W&L
Nathaniel Deutsch, professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he is also co-director of the Center for Jewish Studies, will give a lecture at Washington and Lee University on Monday.

Cherryvale United Methodist Church joins 30,000 churches in National Back to Church Sunday
“Back to Church Sunday,” part of a national movement of churches across America, will be held at Cherryvale United Methodist Church in Staunton, Virginia at 9:15 am on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Local author marks latest release with book signing
Book-signing on Saturday, September 6, 2-4 p.m., at Bookworks in Staunton with author Paul Klein, whose latest book is Unusual Suspects: Four Stories of Suspicion, Suspense and Murder.
Chris Graham: Different vistas
We’re driving through Altavista this week on our way back from Greensboro, and it hits me. The anxiety medicine that I take when traveling, that is.

GOP mass meeting to determine nominee for open Augusta County BOS seat
Augusta County Republicans have called a mass meeting to determine a nominee for the open South River seat on the Board of Supervisors.
ACLU supports President Obama’s non-discrimination executive order
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today expressed strong support for President Obama’s decision to amend existing federal Executive Orders to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity by federal contractors and the federal government.
Libertarian perspective on Hobby Lobby ruling
In response to yesterday’s Hobby Lobby ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict made the following statement.
ACLU of Virginia comments on Hobby Lobby case
The ACLU of Virginia released the following statement by Executive Director Claire Guthrie Gastañaga commenting on today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hobby Lobby v. Sibelius.
Virginia State Police releases 2013 crime report
Virginia’s official and only comprehensive report on local and statewide crime figures for 2013 is now available online at the Virginia State Police website at www.vsp.virginia.gov, under “Forms & Publications.”

Randy Forbes: Flags in – a reminder of the First Amendment
The First Amendment of our Constitution outlines some of those freedoms that our Founding Fathers saw as inherent to our DNA as a nation.