The Church of South Carolina

So far we've spent more time discussing how religion affects politics than the other way around, but here's a piece of recent news that goes the other way.

A friend who follows the Episcopal Church — which at this point is somewhat like watching the Titanic when it’s already a few thousand feet under water — sends the link to a story on that body’s establishment declaring that the Episcopal bishop of South Carolina has abandoned the Episcopal Church. 

Only a lawyer would enjoy reading the case's particulars, but basically, it's about politics.  The Episcopal Church (TEC) leadership is transforming it into one of the most liberal denominations in the country, on board with same-sex marriage ceremonies, transgender bishops, and pretty much toeing the line on whatever secular liberal intellectuals think.  The Diocese (region) of South Carolina, on the other hand, is, well, South Carolina.  In short, political differences about gender/sexuality are splitting the church.

This has happened locally, too.   Christ the King Anglican Fellowship began when several members left Holy Cross Episcopal over the same gender/sexuality issues. 

My favorite part of the link was from the comments:

Perhaps the Diocese of South Carolina should just declare itself THE Church of South Carolina and boldly assert that no foreign (outside the state) potentate has say in their land. It has precedent.

It's Mormon in America

Whether or not Mitt Romney makes it to the White House, his candidacy signals that Mormons have arrived in American political life. Just as President Obama’s nomination and election marked a sea change in the country’s tortured racial history, so Romney’s nomination has changed religious boundaries that have persisted for more than 160 years.

Read the whole thing at City Journal

"Take off her binders!"

Now, it can finally be revealed: Mitt Romney was speaking in code — the Mormon candidate was trying to reach out to the Catholic vote in a most intimate (but terribly sexist and misogynistic) way; yes…it’s all about the underwear!

Read the rest at the Anchoress

Politics, Religion, and Diversity on Campus

Here is an article about religious diversity on campus.  It isn't election politics per se (though it does mention the election), but it does resonate with some of the themes we've talked about so far.

It came as no surprise to me to read the recent New York Times article indicating that Muslim students feel particularly welcome on Roman Catholic campuses...

A pleasurable benefit of being educated is encountering references that you've read before, understanding the reference in more depth and how it fits with the rest of the article even without needing to read it.  In this article, you know one of the cited authors:

Robert Putnam, who teaches American politics at Harvard, emphasizes that faith communities are the single largest repository of social capital in America, but...

Full Article

Has the "Values Voter" gone MIA?

This is a piece from Religion Dispatches, a site that monitors religion and politics issues from a generally progressive slant.  Think of it as the opposite of Touchstone, the site I took two of the Religious Liberty readings from, which leans heavily pro-traditional (i.e. Conservative) Catholic/Anglican.

Thanks to watching last night’s presidential debate, I now know that Mitt Romney either wants four trillion dollars in new taxes or he doesn’t, that Barack Obama either cut 700 million dollars from Medicare or he didn’t, and that Jim Lehrer either knows how long two minutes is or he doesn’t. (Seems like he doesn’t.)

But I don’t know anything about any social or religious issue—i.e., the kind of stuff we here at RD speak about all the time. Which brings up the question: are these issues irrelevant?

link to full article

There's two sides to the "values issue."   Are both of them quiet this election cycle? 

Non-controversial writing about religion and politics

The site Getreligion is a place for religion beat journalists to talk about the media's take on religion (and often politics).  Sometimes these leads to hot debates, but sometimes they take on something mild. 

This article jumps the gun a little on our Mormon week, but I was mildly interested:

What church would Romney attend if he won?

With a bonus appearance by Mormon Democrats.  Numerous Mormons chime in on the story in the comments, which are worth reading.