US Supreme Court Ruling on Religion on Campus

The US Supreme Court ruled today on a case regarding religious expression in universities and colleges. The ruling confirms that religious groups may be expected to uphold anti-bias rules, and that it is not an infringement on their religious speech. Read more in Inside Higher Ed.

Conference on Takfir (Infidels)

An interesting news story forwarded to me reports on a conference to be held on the practice of declaring fellow Muslims infidels. Read more at this informative Global Post article.

The Nature of Existence

The Nature of Existence, a film by Roger Nygaard, is opening in several cities in the coming few weeks. Nygaard began by asking friends why they thought we exist; this question carried him around the world seeking opinions on the question. He even interviewed me, and David Wulff about the topic. Go see the film if you are in an area where it is playing. (At this point, theaters are scheduled to show it in New York, California, Hawaii, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Colorado, and Arizona.)

Parenting and Sexual Orientation

US News and World Report offers a summary of an upcoming article to be published in the journal Pediatrics concerning children raised in lesbian households. The article, which will be published in next month's issue, reports that those children fare better emotionally and socially than do parents raised in heterosexual households. The article has not yet been published, and I have not read the article or evaluated its methodology, etc. What is interesting to me now is the comments that accompany the article. As with many online commentary forums, the discussion is quite polarized along ideological lines. You may not want to wade through all 150+ comments, but perusing a few of them conveys the passion of social debate. Whether or not that debate is enlightening as well as passionate, well, that is a different question!

Judaism and DNA Studies

New Scientist reports a fascinating article describing how religion made Jews genetically distinct. Comparing the DNA of 237 Jews from around the world with that of 416 non-Jews, the researchers found that about 2500 years ago the Jewish population split into two groups. This story is consistent with the story of Jewish exile under king Nebuchadnezzar. There is hope that such research may be useful in dealing with Tay-Sachs and other diseases that are more prevalent among Jews.

Don Browning, 1934 - 2010

Don Browning, the Alexander Campbell Professor Emeritus of Religious Ethics and the Social Sciences at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, has died. He was a driving force in pastoral psychology, teaching at the University of Chicago from 1977 - 2002. He directed the Lily Project on Religion, Culture and the Family, and published
Fundamental Practical Theology.

You can view the University of Chicago announcement, his faculty profile, or his essay Critical Familism, Civil Society, and the Law. If I learn of more information, I will share it here as well. I offer my condolences to all who miss Professor Browning.

Changing Attitudes About Homosexuality

A recent Gallup Poll finds that the percentage of US residents who accept homosexual relations has, for the first time, surpassed the 50% mark. In terms of religiosity, 42% of Protestants, 62% of Catholics, and 84% of people affiliated with other religions considered homosexuality morally acceptable. The comparable figure for those with no religious affiliation was 85%. Compared with attitudes reported in previous years, the big change was among men, especially those aged 18-49. This group showed a 20% increase in acceptance over the rate reported just 4 years ago.

The poll involved 1029 respondents and has a 4% margin of error. You can view details of the methodology here (pdf).

JST Virtual Science Center: Mind Lab

If you teach introductory psychology courses, be sure to put the JST Virtual Science Center Mind Lab on your list of resources for students. This highly interactive site beautifully illustrates principles of visual perception. More relevant for psychology of religion courses is the last section, illustrating Libet's important work examining free will. A textual eaxmination of Libet is found here, but the Mind Lab introduction is an excellent place to start. It can help students consider more deeply the question of volition and the extent to which people act as independent agents.

Limits of Understanding

If, like me, you are unable to attend the World Science Festival in New York City now underway, you can still enjoy some of the session by viewing the webcast they are providing. Click http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/live-intro to enjoy the sessions online. I am particularly interested in the session Friday evening, on The Limits of Understanding. Included on the panel will be Marvin Minsky, whose work I remember enjoying in grad school. It should be a fascinating session.

Research Participant Request

A graduate student seeks participants for his study on how religion is used by people who have served in the military. For more information about the study, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LHJZZM3. Please pass this link on to anyone you happen to know who has been in the military during the past 10 years.