Sarah Rasher is, among other things, a freelance writer based in Chicago. She also writes for Graphic Policy and The Rainbow Hub, as well as her personal blog, Sarah Explains the Finer Sports. You can follow her on Twitter at @pas_dechat.
According to the Catholic Church, marriage is between one man and one woman — unless you’re marrying Jesus and declaring your eternal virginity. Last weekend, a woman in Indiana did just that, complete with wedding ceremony, bridal gown, and reception. Jessica Hayes, a 38-year-old Catholic school teacher, became a “consecrated virgin” — one of only a few hundred in the United States and a few thousand worldwide. In a video interview with a local Fort Wayne news station, Hayes sounded content and fulfilled. She was also thrilled that so many friends and family members came to celebrate with her. Read more
It sounds like UFC Featherweight fighter José Aldo has taken too many hits to the head. After he withdrew from a fight last month with a rib injury, UFC President Dana White criticized his training methods, saying that Aldo might have avoided breaking his rib if he’d worn proper padding. Aldo fired back in a Brazilian press conference, claiming that body pads are irrelevant since he has the protection of a Higher Power. Read more
For millennia, Orthodox Jews have had no choice but to pray and wait for the perfect red heifer that will allow them to rebuild the Third Temple in Jerusalem. But with the deadline for the Messianic Age approaching — Orthodox “scholars” say that we have about 200 years to usher it in, or it will never happen — the Temple Institute has brought prophecy fulfillment into the 21st century, using social media to raise funds to genetically engineer a sacred cow. Read more
The most shocking news in this post might be that America’s Next Top Model is still on the air. Its 22nd season premiered last night on The CW, and it featured a contestant who describes religion as “the root of all evil.” That contestant, Stefano Churchill, is a chiseled 24-year-old from Virginia, and he got a lot of screen time in the episode. Unfortunately, he’s not a nice guy, and the show is using his bad behavior to uphold some unpleasant stereotypes about atheists. Read more
The First Amendment doesn’t protect death threats — not even when you’re an anti-abortion activist who believes God is on your side. That’s the message that the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent on Tuesday, when it determined that Angel Dillard must stand trial for a letter in which she implied planning to bomb an abortion provider’s car. Read more
