Stephen Rockwell's blog

Sightings 6/30/08

More Pew Findings

-- Martin E. Marty

In this business and with pleasure one cannot not comment on the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life surveys. They are the most ambitious and expansive polls and draw the most public attention. Chancy as all opinion polls are, these Pew products provide at least some broad-brush understandings of the subject. In the nature of things, press releases lift out and slightly exaggerate evidences of trends in the face of so much continuity in American religion. For example, last winter we were told that there is much "switching" from one church community to another, which is true—but when historians checked in we also learned that there has long, perhaps always, been much of such.

from our friends across the pond:

FRI 27 JUNE 2008
Anglicans challenged on power, sex and 'traditionalism'. ............

PRESS RELEASE .....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
London, UK - June 27, 2008 According to the standard script, the current war in Anglicanism over sexuality, scripture and authority is one between 'traditionalists' and 'revisionists', 'liberals' versus 'evangelicals'.

But new research from the religion and society think- tank Ekklesia suggests that those who want to keep the church defined by very narrow parameters are straying from well established Christian tradition.

It points out that 'Anglican wars' are about power as much as sex, and that evangelicals and others are to be found on all sides of the debate rather than just one.

In a research essay entitled 'Tradition, Change and the new Anglicanism', author Savitri Hensman, who was born in Sri Lanka but lives and works in Britain as an equalities adviser in the community sector, looks carefully at past Anglican formulations and biblical traditions.

this is to be expected I guess from Fox...

From MoveOn:

Right now, FOX is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that our country's first viable black candidate for President is not "one of us."

We've seen this before from FOX. They won't stop until it becomes too painful to continue—until the public calls them out and advertisers start getting worried.

Now is the time to draw a line in the sand by putting FOX on notice that their behavior won't be tolerated. Nearly 100,000 Americans have already expressed their outrage. Can you express yours by adding your name to this message?

"FOX must stop injecting racism, prejudice, and fear into our political dialogue. We intend to hold FOX, its advertisers, and its personalities accountable for FOX's attempts to smear the Obamas."

Clicking here will sign the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/stopthesmears/

FOX's longtime pattern of smearing Obama and the black community is well documented.1 But the outrageous moments have increased in the last month.

TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE

ENDORSE A DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES FOR

A PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER BANNING TORTURE

Dear NRCAT Supporters:

Thought this was a really interesting take, although it does look like the Clinton supporters are moving to Obama.

Interestingly, the woman who is leading the Clinton women for McCain charge is the same women who tried to keep the African American Sally Hemings line of the Jefferson family out of the Jefferson family picnic. This commentary addresses those sets of issues head on.

An Open Letter to Certain White Women Who Are Threatening to Withhold Support from Obama in November Your Whiteness is Showing

By TIM WISE

This is an open letter to those white women who, despite their proclamations of progressivism, and supposedly because of their commitment to feminism, are threatening to withhold support from Barack Obama in November. You know who you are.

I know that it's probably a bad time for this. Your disappointment at the electoral defeat of Senator Hillary Clinton is fresh, the sting is new, and the anger that animates many of you--who rightly point out that the media was often sexist in its treatment of the Senator--is raw, pure and justified.

That said, and despite the awkward timing, I need to ask you a few questions, and I hope you will take them in the spirit of solidarity with which they are genuinely intended. But before the questions, a statement if you don't mind, or indeed, even if (as I suspect), you will mind it quite a bit.

Well, it was only a matter of time I guess, but Fox News had a graphic calling Michelle Obama, Barack's "baby' mama." This of course is black slang usually referring to unmarried woman who has kids. Its usually derogatory and I would say in this case racist. Between that and the "terrorist fist bump", its just ridiculous what's being said over there.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080613_ap_foxnewsreferstom...

Are there still any conservative hold outs who still think this is a real news station? And the argument about similar liberal bias has no basis in fact.

The good news: Fox and the conservatives are losing! They wanted us to rush to war, they wanted tax cuts for rich people, they said global warming was a farce and now most people realize that the conservative position on these issues is backwards and wrong! There will be a group of holdouts who will still watch Fox New to reinforce their worldview, but most people see the racist language and associated Obama with terrorism as just plain wrong.