Category: Religion

July 15, 2011

Religious fundamentalism can only take hold in a modern society like our own

Rorotoko ran a great piece by William Egginton about his new book, In Defense of Religious Moderation, under the provocative headline above. Egginton goes on to explain: The current debate around religion in America has been dominated by fundamentalists and...

July 14, 2011

More on Political Theology by Paul Kahn at The Immanent Frame

Let’s check in with The Immanent Frame today to see how the roundtable discussion about Paul Kahn’s new book, Political Theology: Four New Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty is going. Since we last looked at the debate three new...

June 29, 2011

The Immanent Frame on Political Theology

The terrific blog The Immanent Frame from the Social Science Research Council is currently hosting a discussion on Paul Kahn’s new book Political Theology: Four New Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty. The discussion started with an excerpt from the...

May 20, 2011

William Egginton on the Rapture

The following post is by William Egginton, author of In Defense of Religious Moderation. Let’s face it. Looking forward to May 22, 2011, as a day to laugh in the face of apocalypse-nowers makes about as much sense as getting...

May 20, 2011

Interview with William Egginton, author of In Defense of Religious Moderation

The following is an interview with William Egginton, author of t In Defense of Religious Moderation, and Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at The Johns Hopkins University. Question: What are everyday fundamentalisms? William Egginton: Physicists Stephen Hawking and...

May 17, 2011

New Book Tuesday — In Defense of Religious Moderation

New books now available: In Defense of Religious Moderation William Egginton Tamil Love Poetry: The Five Hundred Short Poems of the Ainkurunuru Translated and edited by Martha Ann Selby Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War Sarmila Bose Religion,...

May 9, 2011

The Burial of Osama Bin Laden — an Op-Ed by Leor Halevi

Barack Obama and the U.S. government made it clear that Osama bin Laden was buried in strict accordance with Muslim law. But how accurate is this statement? In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, Leor Halevi, author of...

April 27, 2011

Tulasi Srinivas on the Death of Shri Sathya Sai Baba

Over the weekend more than 2 million followers mourned the recent death of Guru Shri Sathya Sai Baba, one of the leading religious figures in India. The Takeaway interviewed Tulasi Srinivas, author of Winged Faith: Rethinking Globalization and Religious Pluralism...

March 25, 2011

Cornel West on Prophetic Religion and the Future of Capitalist Civilization

“Now, with the age of Obama, the question becomes: Can prophetic religion, in all of its various forms, mobilize people, generate levels of righteous indignation against injustice—not raw rage at persons, not ad hominem attacks—can we put pressure on President...

March 23, 2011

Judith Butler: Is Judaism Zionism?

March 22, 2011

Charles Taylor: Why We Need a Radical Redefinition of Secularism

Charles Taylor’s essay in The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere, “Why We Need a Radical Redefinition of Secularism,” argues that democratic societies must allow for respect of various beliefs. However, too much emphasis is placed on religion as...

March 21, 2011

Jurgen Habermas on "The Political"

In The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere, Judith Butler, Jurgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West examine what role does—or should—religion play in our public lives? (Craig Calhoun provided the afterword to the volume.) This week we will...