Lauren Nelson is an advocate and aspiring ally focused on intersectional justice. When she's not gabbing on social media or chasing after her precocious seven year old, you'll find her researching and writing extensively on the subjects of politics, policy, culture, neurodiversity, and faith for The Friendly Atheist and Rethink the Rant.
The Ashley Madison hack has been a bonanza for those who revel in the outing of hypocrites, with public officials and proselytizers suddenly put on blast for their duplicitous ways. A lot could be said about what the leak and our reactions to it reveal in terms of our views on sex and relationships, but you needn’t worry about it. Dr. Richard D. Land, president of the The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, has already figured it out, as he explains in the Christian Post: Read more
For decades now, the key to securing the Republican nomination for president has been the Religious Right. Comprising a large portion of the GOP’s primary voters, candidates have had to increasingly pander to this socially conservative sect in order to get their shot on the big stage. While every candidate in the race has been engaging in such shameless demagoguery, candidates like Ted Cruz are outright banking on it. Read more
In a move that’s sure to piss off the old school Catholics already losing their minds over Pope Francis’ relatively progressive tenure to date, the leader of the Church decided women who obtain abortions aren’t beyond hope. In a letter dictating how the “Year of Jubilee” shall be celebrated in the coming months, he made it clear that those women can be forgiven… as long as they feel bad about themselves: Read more
Kim Davis, the Rowan County (Kentucky) clerk, began her descent into disgrace by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the wake of Obergefell. She was then sued for failing to do her job, and the courts said she had to issue the licenses. She appealed the case… and lost. Her lawyers tried to get the Supreme Court to overrule that decision, and yesterday, they denied that appeal, too. Today, she’s decided the U.S. Government’s authority is superseded by a higher power. Read more
Duke University made headlines recently for something other than their athletic teams: their tremendously “pious” students. When Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home was placed on the summer reading list, some incoming freshmen balked, feeling the content violated their religious beliefs and deeming the material “pornography.” Read more
