A Zealot and a Poet
I like to imagine him out there on his beast of burden, vast grey country on all sides and a book of poetry open in his hand. It is a romantic image and, when I think only of it, I can almost forget why he was there.
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Posts Tagged: religion
Spit and Mud
What I remember most about church is all the sitting, standing, and kneeling, the stink of incense, the calm of the priest’s voice, the hard wooden pews, and not really understanding why every Sunday, I found myself, alongside my family, in the same place, mindlessly repeating prayers by rote.
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The End of The World
On the last day of the world, I forgot to set my alarm.
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The Sunday Rumpus Interview: Erika Rae
“Currently, about 35% of our nation self-identifies as Evangelical…not wanting to understand the Evangelical culture in our current political climate is a bit like not wanting to understand, say, the Mexican-American community in the middle of the immigration debates.”
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Sympathy for the Devil
“You have a demon inside of you that is making you gay,” she stammered quietly. “I know because I used to have a demon that gave me a gluten intolerance. But then I, uh, prayed and God cast it out.”
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Seeking Grace in Strange Places
I am not a religious person. I usually tell people, if they ask, that I’m a secular humanist, because religion plays no part in my life. And mostly, this is true. In my non-writing life, that is.
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The Rumpus Interview with Karen Prior
A formerly freckle-faced pothead with a penchant for getting arrested, Prior admits she doesn’t hide emotions well and so to some, she can be a handful.
...moreNuns on the Run
The Catholic nuns who received a serious talking-to from the Vatican in April for being too outspoken on issues of social justice are planning a bus tour of 9-states this summer: “The sisters plan to use the tour also to protest cuts in programs for the poor and working families in the federal budget that was passed by the House of Representatives and proposed by Representative Paul D.
...moreBroad As the Mouth of the Hudson
In Jeff Sharlet’s latest book about religion in America, Sweet Heaven When I Die, “religion” is something protean and heterodox.
...moreOverlooked Movies For Saturday Introverts: Higher Ground
The actress Vera Farmiga, whom you may know from Up in the Air or, possibly, the great guilty-pleasure of 2009, The Orphan, directed a movie called Higher Ground, which came out last year. It may or may not have pinged your radar; there was a decent press push, because actress-turned-director is a nice hook for journalists.
...moreI Was a Teenage Krishna
It all happened quickly. I began praying to Krishna: a blue boy playing a flute to a herd of sheep on a green hill, a small boy with a peacock feather in his hair and beads around his neck, lotus in bloom almost everywhere.
Religion vs. Pop Culture
“There was a time, religious historians say, that religion was easy to pinpoint because people were defined by their beliefs, practices and traditions of worship. Now, with the sheer number of people and faiths intermingling, believers are consumers of religion.”
Kathryn Lofton, who most recently authored Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon, is master of the overlapping themes in religion and pop culture.
...moreDom-Mom Love
We mentioned the new site Tits and Sass earlier today, and already they are posting great articles, like this conversation between Bettie, a dominatrix, and her mother, a preacher.
Bettie’s mother says, “I understand that on some levels I am very prudish when it comes to relationships.
...moreSunday Rumpus Political Links
I swear to God if I hear one more thing about Sarah Palin I’m going to snap, so this week, The Rumpus is giving you a roundup of political links that are a lot more interesting than anything ever written by or about her.
...moreSaturday Morning Links
If you’re not reading Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, you ought to be.
This dog would be fully justified in refusing to warn its owners in the event of a house fire.
I can’t really top the title of this website: Klingons For Christ.
...moreImagine No Religion?
The other day I was walking down Mission Street in San Francisco and I saw a billboard on the side of a passing bus that read, “Imagine No Religion.” It was done in the style of stained glass, deliberately meant to conjure up an old church window.
...moreNaked People with Snakes
The Believer this month has a really good interview with designer / painter / comic arts legend Gary Panter — best known as the guy who did the sets for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, somewhat less well-known for his Jimbo comics, and notorious (among the smallest circle of these three) for practically living on chocolate milk.
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