Religion, Sixties-Style

Posted: Thursday, November 18, 2004
The common view of post-’60s religion in America is of the ascendancy of alternative religions -- Hare Krishnas, the Scientologists, the Jesus freaks, transcendental meditation, and cults aplenty. But as Mark Oppenheimer points out in his new book Knocking on Heaven’s Door, the number of people who actually practiced these alternative religions was tiny. Thus, Oppenheimer argues convincingly, accurate examinations of American religion in this era should be focused not on the fringe groups which captivated students, reporters, and novelists, but rather on the more traditional faiths that had broad following.  [Full Story]

Weight of the World
Kids have a lot to worry about as it is.
Posted: Wednesday, November 17, 2004
American liberals have been transformed of late -- and so has the way they interact with children. Now their language is filled hate and fear, and ultimately a total loss of perspective on the lives we are lucky enough to lead in America. Yes, children should understand that politics is serious business, that voting is important, and that whom we vote for could have a real effect on the future of the country. But the message seeping through to impressionable children is that darkness has descended on this land, that our freedom will all be gone soon, that people are being sent off to the slaughterhouse against their will, and that anywhere else in the world must be better.  [Full Story]

The New Promised Land
Mormons are booming in the Northeast
Posted: Friday, October 8, 2004
The celestial room in the newest Mormon temple feels, well, heavenly--white carpeting, ivory upholstered chairs, the scent of calla lilies and roses. The location, though, is famously terrestrial: Manhattan's Upper West Side, across from Lincoln Center. Why here, and why now?  [Full Story]

At Baylor University, a Struggle Over Mind and Soul

Posted: Wednesday, September 8, 2004
Founded in Waco, Texas, in 1845 as a Christian school in the Baptist tradition, Baylor University's religious identity has been the subject of controversy in recent decades. Now the school finds itself trying to buck the conventional wisdom, which states that when a religious college tries to raise its academic standing, its religious mission inevitably takes a backseat to other concerns, like recruiting big-name professors or adding to its endowment.  [Full Story]

Bowling for Bush

Posted: Sunday, September 5, 2004
Last Sunday evening, just a few hours after anti-Bush protesters left the area, a charter bus stopped in Greenwich Village and disgorged a group of Republican convention delegates at a bowling alley -- in fact, the highest grossing bowling venue in the country. Is bowling bipartisan, or is it fundamentally a "red-state" sport?  [Full Story]

Seniority

Posted: Sunday, August 1, 2004
Having founded Touro College in 1970, Bernard Lander is one of the longest-serving college presidents in the country -- and at 89, he is clearly the oldest, and continues to guide the curriculum, budget, hiring decisions and building projects. Dr. Lander pioneered no-frills education when adult education for the working class was in its infancy. He opened his first ''campus'' in an office building on West 44th Street with 35 students and the idea that education should be individualized and classes personal. It would be, he said, ''a college which serves the Jewish people and strengthens Jewish heritage, and because of its commitment to Judeo-Christian heritage serves everyone.''  [Full Story]

In Allah's Name?

Posted: Friday, June 25, 2004
"At best, it's vigilantism. At worst it's anarchy. Islam is against both." That was the reaction of Daniel McBride to the recent beheadings of South Korean Kim Sun Il and Americans Paul Johnson and Nicholas Berg. Mr. McBride, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, Fla., wants to make clear that "for these radicals to even imply that what they're doing is Islamically correct is wrong."  [Full Story]

The New Atlantis, Spring 2004
With articles on energy, cosmetic surgery, nuclear proliferation, and more...
Posted: Friday, June 18, 2004
The latest issue of The New Atlantis includes major new articles on German bioethics, energy policy, technology and the Constitution, cosmetic surgery, and synthetic biology. This issue also features an article on memory and the movies, and an obituary for Daniel J. Boorstin.  [Full Story]

The Legacy of Nazi Medicine

Posted: Tuesday, June 1, 2004
The dark shadow of "Nazi Medicine" has long shaped the way we think about different ways of controlling human procreation. Naomi Schaefer Riley reviews a current exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on the rise of German eugenics from 1933 to 1945.  [Full Story]

A Rebel in the People’s Republic

Posted: Friday, May 7, 2004
For more than four decades, the Democratic Party has held control of the state legislature, much of that time with veto-proof majorities. Though the Massachusetts electorate has seen fit to finally put Republicans in the governor’s seat for the last decade, it would be a stretch to call any of them conservatives. Now, though, Massachusetts has a governor who could actually pass for a Republican outside of the Commonwealth.   [Full Story]