Category Archives: Religion

Farid al-Din Attar: A Reading Journal 5

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

When I was in my twenties, a friend and I used to talk all the time about how impoverished the English vocabulary for love is, not just in the sense that we use the word love to talk about our … Continue reading →

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Farid al-Din Attar: A Reading Journal 4

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

When I was a teenager and thought I wanted to be a rabbi, I took great comfort in the fact that the god of the Jewish people did not have a body. It was, of course, confusing to me that … Continue reading →

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Farid al-Din Attar: A Reading Journal 3

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Do you believe in love at first sight? All-consuming, Romeo-and-Juliet, I-cannot-live-withou-you, I-know-just-by-looking-at-you-that-you-are-all-I-will-ever-need-and-so-I-will-give-up-everything-I-have-ever-held-dear-just-to-be-with-you, I-would-even-die-for-you love? I don’t. I never have. Even when I was young enough that the romantic ideal of such a love should have resonated in me, I actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Religion | 3 Comments

Farid al-Din Attar: A Reading Journal 2

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I remember once, when I was in college, talking about love with a man who was a kind of mentor to me. He was an artist and we were standing in his studio looking at some of his recent paintings. … Continue reading →

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Farid al-Din Attar: A Reading Journal 1

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

That mystical experience exists outside of language is axiomatic, and if it exists outside of language, then it also must exist outside the network of power relations, ineluctably embedded in language, that human beings navigate daily. Indeed, this is something … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Robert George Is Very Specific About What He Means

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Ampersand

In the “No Compromise” thread on Family Scholars Blog, David writes: One conclusion I draw from this thread is that it would be a good idea for someone (presumably someone opposed to ssm) to state with some specificity the actual … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, Same-Sex Marriage | 95 Comments

God, Homosexuality, Sex, And Dignity

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Ampersand

[Another outtake from my correspondence with “Linus.” I’ve edited it somewhat, so it is not identical to the email I originally sent Linus.] Can someone believe that God is against people having homosexual sex, and still treat lesbian and gay … Continue reading →

Posted in Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues, Religion, Same-Sex Marriage | 35 Comments

A Pretty Good Working Definition of Religious Fundamentalism

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I found this in Barbara C. Sproul’s introduction to Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World. It has been a long time since I have thought of myself as a religious person or had much to do with people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | 10 Comments