Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite

GOP declares "Holy War" against health care reform

God as Holy Warrior had gone out of fashion in Christian theology for about a thousand years. Until now. God as Holy Warrior is now apparently running the GOP senatorial opposition to the health care bill.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 19, 2009; 07:51 PM ET | Comments (0)

Bad Samaritans

There's a big difference between witnessing to your faith in the public square and lobbying behind the scenes to cut a deal. The care of those who are sick and injured is the paramount moral obligation, even for those of different customs and beliefs. Good Samaritans don't judge the poor. They help them.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 17, 2009; 11:24 AM ET | Comments (8)

Obama: War is sacrifice

You have to go back to Abraham Lincoln to understand where President Obama is trying to take the country in relationship to understanding the changes we need to make about the conduct of the war in Afghanistan. War, in this President's view, is not bloodless (and mindless) triumph, but a bloody and costly sacrifice. This is what profound change looks like.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 13, 2009; 11:20 AM ET | Comments (2)

Military chaplains know: no religion can be excluded

It is up to the chaplains to cultivate a climate of respect for each religion in the services. The increasing religious diversity in the military makes this a crucial job. It is a challenging job for chaplains, but chaplains must agree to respect all religions--that's why they cannot evangelize or proselytize. There is an ever more demanding task of gaining greater knowledge and depth of understanding of the many religions represented in the unit.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 9, 2009; 06:03 PM ET | Comments (5)

Fort Hood: Trauma is contagious

The trauma of war is like a huge stone thrown into a pool; the ripples go out in wider and wider circles, catching those who serve, hitting their families, flowing into the lives of those who are supposed to care for them and help them, and finally into our whole nation. As our thoughts go out to Fort Hood today, let us really see war in its ever widening effects and really count the cost.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 6, 2009; 09:46 AM ET | Comments (60)

Death with dignity: end-of-life counseling helps

End-of-life counseling is a way for seniors to keep some of their dignity, because it can help them and their families make some purposeful choices about this important time of life--a time of life that comes to all of us.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 3, 2009; 10:04 AM ET | Comments (2)

Goodness happens

Abstract questions about whether God is necessary for there to be morality, for there to be a sense of right and wrong, simply will not stand in the face of events such as the genocide in Rwanda. Rather, the answers we seek about how goodness happens are found in the simple practices of decency, of goodness, that some people perform and by their performance teach others.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 27, 2009; 08:35 PM ET | Comments (1)

Crimes against community: a special kind of hate needs a special kind of law

It takes a special kind of hate to make a hate crime. It takes the kind of hate that targets a whole community through the torture and death of one of its members. In religious terms, this makes such a crime not just sin, but evil. In the language of law, it makes it a hate crime.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 19, 2009; 05:32 PM ET | Comments (3)

Paging Dr. Salk: Undermining Trust in Science Puts our Kids at Risk

Where is the trust my parents had in Dr. Salk? It is no more, replaced by religious fear-mongering about science and aided by the lack of basic science education in our schools.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 12, 2009; 06:52 PM ET | Comments (1)

Looking for God in All the Wrong Places

I believe there is no scriptural text, no argument from nature, no human or divine words, and no example of human kindness that works to inspire faith until there is a "Why?" that springs from the human heart.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 8, 2009; 11:30 PM ET | Comments (1)

Afghans Want What You Want

If we worked through the profoundly Islamic vision in Afghanistan, what would our policy be? We would pull back from engaging extremists in far-flung military battles and turn our attention to protecting civilians.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 6, 2009; 01:41 PM ET | Comments (2)

Michael Moore and Capitalist Immorality

What is now broken in our American capitalist system is that the drive for acquisition is completely unregulated; capitalism has become uncoupled from democracy and its systems.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 4, 2009; 04:32 PM ET | Comments (8)

Nuclear Heresy

In a Christian sense, nuclear weapons represent the ultimate heresy because their capacity for world-annihilation is a repudiation of the goodness of creation, and the goodness of God as creator. This strikes at the core of Christian faith in God as Creator.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 28, 2009; 06:54 PM ET | Comments (6)

Immigration Gets 'Churchy'

The reason faith communities all across the nation have begun to engage in grassroots activism is because they are outraged by the treatment of their neighbors and friends.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 22, 2009; 12:26 PM ET | Comments (15)

Just Say No to Faith-Based Discrimination

If you feel that your faith dictates that you should discriminate, just don't take government money. That's freedom of religion too. But if you take the money, you have to play by the rules.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 21, 2009; 07:50 PM ET | Comments (6)

It's not "Incivility," It's Racial Prejudice

What we are seeing in our public life right now in this writhing, screaming and resisting President Obama's leadership is, in fact, the next step on the journey toward one America. The vitriol is coming from the still deeply held race-prejudices in some that are being are pulled out into the open and exposed.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 14, 2009; 05:40 PM ET | Comments (36)

Obama Is The Moral High Ground

Obama's message to Congress and the country is that grownups take responsibility. It is a test of national character.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 9, 2009; 11:38 PM ET | Comments (6)

Guns or God? You Can't Worship Both

Bring guns to worship and you're likely to shoot yourself, both spiritually and literally.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 9, 2009; 11:51 AM ET | Comments (59)

Zombie Nation

If you feel like a drum-beat of death is eating your brain this summer, it turns out you're right. That's what Zombies do.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 31, 2009; 05:50 PM ET | Comments (4)

Teach Tolerance: It's the Biblical Thing to Do

The "Facing History and Ourselves", and the "Teaching Tolerance" online curricula have much to offer the Texas Board of Education about how civics education for a religiously pluralistic nation should and can be done.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 31, 2009; 04:19 PM ET | Comments (16)

Senator Kennedy's Hope, and Heart for the Good Fight

Who now will speak for the powerless, the voiceless and those disregarded by the powerful? Who will fight simply for what is right?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 26, 2009; 10:12 AM ET | Comments (12)

Scotland: Mercy Without Empathy

Governments cannot, and they should not, aspire to the heights of religious transcendence. They should make decisions that are accountable, and part of Scotland's accountability was to the magnitude of this crime and the suffering of the victims and their families.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 25, 2009; 12:21 PM ET | Comments (3)

Cheap Evil

The reason the "cheap evil" of references to Nazis is so attractive to those attacking health care reform is that it seems to cost nothing to make these emotional appeals and not have to back them up with any facts.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 21, 2009; 10:22 AM ET | Comments (0)

Jesus Healed the Sick

As a Christian, I believe the biblical truth of the matter is that if you don't take care of the sick and the poor, you are rejecting Jesus himself.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 17, 2009; 04:17 PM ET | Comments (30)

Gutenberg Got the Same Question

The technology doesn't matter. From the oral recitation of memorized texts, to scrolls, to books, to Facebook and other social media and finally to Twitter, it's the spiritual connection that counts.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 12, 2009; 11:06 AM ET | Comments (2)

Woodstock Nation Turns 40

The lesson of American history since Woodstock is the struggle with the fall from innocence. You can't confront the politics of anger with naïve dreams of innocence. You'll lose.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 12, 2009; 10:52 AM ET | Comments (4)

How to Be White

The way to be white in America is to frankly acknowledge we are not there yet on racial/ethnic equality. See the patterns of racial discrimination, don't overreact and choose to join a movement of people who realize that deep change comes from concrete actions that shift power relations.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 30, 2009; 10:12 AM ET | Comments (129)

God Blesses Gay Marriage

Why should it be the marriages of gay Americans where we take God out of the contract? I think a related, and I hope complimentary struggle, is for the equality of soul of every human being.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 27, 2009; 06:30 PM ET | Comments (96)

When God Was a Woman

Women's second-class status in the world's major religions is not primarily a text problem, it's a God problem.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 21, 2009; 01:55 PM ET | Comments (10)

Harry Potter: Wizards and Racism

Wizards may do magic, but prejudice does not magically disappear in their society, as we've seen in Sonia Sotomayor's hearings.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 15, 2009; 06:49 PM ET | Comments (130)

Accommodate All Faiths, Or None

Bad news, kids. My recommendation is that you get only your own religious holidays off from school, and even worse, you will need to make up the work.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 7, 2009; 04:42 PM ET | Comments (7)

No Nukes: Reality Meets Morality

If nuclear weapons are ever used again, it is likely the justification for such use will be religious, not strategic. Religious leaders from many faith groups are beginning to recognize that they had better step up to this challenge and help the arms control and diplomatic effort.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 7, 2009; 10:24 AM ET | Comments (13)

The Pandering Penitents

The religious language used by the political penitent is actually a form of the sin of pride: 'I'm really a fine Christian because I am religiously penitent."

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 29, 2009; 07:26 PM ET | Comments (6)

Michael Jackson in Black and White

The promise of the younger Jackson, his grace, charm and astonishing talent are juxtaposed, in his changing face, with the melting and morphing of his promise and his identity into something that, in the end, becomes impossible to define or even understand. But tears seem appropriate.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 26, 2009; 10:08 AM ET | Comments (25)

Non! Don't Ban the Burqa in the U.S.

The burqa is as welcome in America as much as is my cross or my clerical collar. The only people who should decided whether to wear the burqa or not are Muslim women. Stay out of it, Sarkozy. Liberté, Egalité, Sororité!

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 24, 2009; 06:28 PM ET | Comments (26)

Cheap Grace in Senate's Apology for Slavery

After two-and-a-half centuries of slavery and racial segregation, some actual consequences might be in order.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 22, 2009; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (7)

God's Vote -- Democracy Comes to Iran

When I watch the people in Iran spilling out into the streets, demanding to know where their vote went, I can see the hand of God.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 16, 2009; 10:27 AM ET | Comments (16)

Iranian Youth Tweet Up a Revolution

You can just as easily tweet about bombing as you can about demanding that votes be counted honestly and fully.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 15, 2009; 12:13 PM ET | Comments (1)

Right-Wing Extremism on the Rise

This is a rise in right-wing domestic terrorism and it is murderous and dangerous.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 10, 2009; 05:23 PM ET | Comments (22)

Religious Liberty and Gay Marriage: A Winning Strategy

The key to the successful legalization of gay marriage in New Hampshire was the emphasis supporters placed on protecting religious liberty.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 9, 2009; 03:26 PM ET | Comments (6)

Breaking Up the Moral Monopoly: Gay Marriage Passes in New Hampshire

Making a mainstream case to the American public on gay equality issues requires breaking up the moral monopoly that has been held by opponents of gay marriage.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 4, 2009; 12:21 PM ET | Comments (0)

Bin Laden's Problem: Obama IS the Message to the Muslim World

Obama's story is the message to the Muslim world; his story is compelling because it is such a story of the coming religious pluralism the world as a whole is trying to understand.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 3, 2009; 11:41 AM ET | Comments (28)

The Killing of George Tiller: A "Pro-life" Murder?

"Pro-life" as the self-description of the anti-abortion movement has a fundamental flaw at its heart.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 31, 2009; 05:31 PM ET | Comments (220)

Cheney, Torture and the Road to Hell

Adopting policies of torture and then lying about the fact that it's torture is weakness not strength.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 22, 2009; 11:37 AM ET | Comments (10)

Obama Acknowledges Women as Moral Agents

The fact that women are the primary ethical decision-makers in the abortion decision has most often kept religious authorities from making the connection between insights from the history of ethics and the abortion question.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 19, 2009; 08:43 AM ET | Comments (3)

"Real Life, Real Love": Why Celibacy Needs to Go

How did the Catholic Church ever get the idea that single, celibate men would be in the best position to deal the most common problems of their parishioners? No sex. No children. No money (vow of poverty). No experience.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 11, 2009; 07:19 PM ET | Comments (4)

Star Trek Beams Us Up Again

The new Star Trek movie shows us how to get our post-9/11 imaginations back from the brink of Armageddon.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 11, 2009; 09:31 AM ET | Comments (41)

Skip the Proclamation, Host the Event

It is in the act of coming together to hear diverse prayers spoken that we build whatever civic solidarity we can, and we build our religious pluralism at the same time.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 5, 2009; 11:19 AM ET | Comments (3)

Why the Faithful Approve of Torture

For Christian conservatives, severe pain and suffering are central to their theology.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 1, 2009; 04:15 PM ET | Comments (336)

Torture is Moral Stupidity

Truth is the bedrock of morality--and the fount of religious wisdom. In the last few years, however, Americans became morally stupid about torture. That there is even the appearance of a debate about torture illustrates how disconnecting truth from reality makes you morally stupid.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 28, 2009; 08:16 AM ET | Comments (7)

Totalitarians in Religious Clothing

Those who want Islamic law in Pakistan are violent and extreme. They are very visible. Those who want Islamic law in Turkey are more subtle in their tactics.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 23, 2009; 08:03 AM ET | Comments (5)

Thank God for Secularism

Our successful American experiment in religious diversity enables President Obama to state plainly that our nation cannot be "at war" with a whole religion

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 14, 2009; 09:06 AM ET | Comments (34)

Must Love Dogs

I believe dogs are a gift of grace, and Bo -- the new Obama family dog -- is such a gift to all of us.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 13, 2009; 06:46 PM ET | Comments (7)

Nuclear Weapons Are An Offense to God

I believe that President Obama's rejection of nuclear weapons is his faith in action. He is finally trying to realize what the American Catholic Bishops stated in 1983, Protestants leaders in 1986 and Muslim and Christian religious leaders in 2005: nuclear weapons insult God. Get rid of them.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 7, 2009; 11:51 AM ET | Comments (12)

Who Are You Calling A Religious Centrist?

Before you accuse someone of being a "centrist" and use that as code for lack of faith commitment, ask these questions: Does it matter at all where the center is? Does it matter at all where the center could and should be?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 2, 2009; 09:12 AM ET | Comments (21)

Cult of Cruelty

Organized religion or fringe cult, it's love and kindness that define the fruits of true religious faith. When you have pain, suffering and systematic cruelty, you are deluding yourself into thinking such things have anything to do with true faith.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 31, 2009; 07:06 PM ET | Comments (8)

Devil in a Pinstriped Suit

At the deepest level, the figure of the Devil and the seemingly cosmic struggle with evil he represents is always actually an incredibly intimate struggle. It is not the struggle with the enemy far off, but with the friend, the neighbor and ultimately with yourself.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 23, 2009; 04:24 PM ET | Comments (42)

When Christian Means Intolerant

When Christian Means Intolerant, The Tolerant Reject the Label Christian.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 18, 2009; 01:55 PM ET | Comments (10)

The Moral Imperative to Relieve Suffering: Embryonic Stem Cell Research

There is a clear moral imperative, shared across many religions, to relieve suffering and promote healing. This is a strong ground on which to base religious arguments for embryonic stem cell research.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 6, 2009; 05:33 PM ET | Comments (71)

Cain and Abel's Mortgage Company

Cain is the poster-child for the banks and mortgage companies, the investment brokers and the whole sorry chain of folks who are now trying to duck their responsibility for the incredible disaster they have helped create. This includes financial reporters who mostly cheered on the whole sorry system of greed for the sake of greed.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 3, 2009; 12:43 PM ET | Comments (3)

God's Batterers: When Religion Subordinates Women, Violence Follows

The primary connection between religion and domestic violence is religiously sanctioned subordination of women.Christian sanction for domestic violence is deeply rooted in our religious tradition.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 27, 2009; 06:01 AM ET | Comments (94)

Be Suspicious of Religious Authorities Telling You What the Bible Says

Religious authorities are often NOT helpful in reading the Bible, especially for those whom the church hierarchy considers suspect: women, gay people, African Americans have all been in this category for far too long.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 18, 2009; 07:58 AM ET | Comments (65)

Don't Use My Tax Dollars to Discriminate

If your faith-based organization wants to discriminate because of its beliefs, there is a simple remedy. Don't take the federal grant money.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 17, 2009; 07:19 AM ET | Comments (8)

A Christian Progressive Happy Birthday to Charles Darwin

An infinite God can neither be proved nor disproved. Religion and science are, in the end, different ways of knowing. But there are large and increasing areas of fruitful dialogue possible.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 12, 2009; 12:44 AM ET | Comments (84)

Always Challenge the BIG LIE

If religion or the state have any claim, any claim at all, to speak the truth, then religious or state leaders who tell the BIG LIE must be refuted so loudly and so often that they can no longer speak and be believed.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 9, 2009; 09:11 AM ET | Comments (30)

Obama's Screw Up

What Obama realizes, and the previous administration could not ever acknowledge, is that good intentions are not enough.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 4, 2009; 09:40 AM ET | Comments (14)

Obama to Muslims: "We Are Not Your Enemy"

What is astonishing to me is less the Inaugural rhetoric of "mutual interest and mutual respect" than the fact that the President today spoke directly to many in the Muslim world. This is not only a new foreign policy approach, it is also a different ethics for engaging with the peoples of the world.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 2, 2009; 07:39 AM ET | Comments (33)

Obama's Religious Message: Grow Up, America

Neither the invocation nor the benediction could equal the daring of the core Pauline theme of President Obama's Inaugural Address: Time to grow up, America. Grow up and act like adults.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 23, 2009; 08:03 AM ET | Comments (7)

Obama's Hoop Dreams

The real game is the on-going struggle for justice and equality and it's played down on the court and mostly under the basket.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 16, 2009; 04:35 PM ET | Comments (0)

Bush's Tortured Morality

Susan Thistlethwaite | The President's rigid, faith-based certainty beget a moral relativism that failed us.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 12, 2009; 09:40 PM ET | Comments (155)

Hamas Looks at Islam, Sees Its Own Violent Reflection

The leaders of Hamas remind me of battering husbands who use religion to justify beating their wives. The violent use religion to justify using violence. The choice to use violence comes first; the religious justification follows. When you choose peace, that is the religious reflection you see and the reality you live.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 9, 2009; 12:29 PM ET | Comments (44)

Destroying the World to Save It: The Awful Truth About Religion in 2009

Religions do contain visions of ending the world to save it. But that is not the whole truth of religion. And it is only an alternative religious vision that can provide the alternative truth, that the world itself is of consummate worth and infinite spiritual value.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 2, 2009; 09:06 AM ET | Comments (37)

Ethics (and Hubris), Illinois Style

What we need to recognize is that both the Illinois governor and the major actors in the financial meltdown were not simply greedy, and regulators or citizens were not simply blind. The real ethical default in both cases is hubris.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 31, 2008; 11:47 AM ET | Comments (4)

Rev. Joseph Lowery, The Anti-Warren

If you look at the Warren/Lowery pairing in inaugural prayer, it fits the Obama paradigm of moving toward the center by including both right and left. This may work, for example, when applied to economic policy. This right/left paradigm does not work in terms of human rights.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 22, 2008; 09:04 AM ET | Comments (70)

Episcopal Conservatives, Check Civil War History

The tide of history is against is against conservative Episcopalians. They may split the church, but young people are increasingly accepting of equal rights.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 19, 2008; 07:25 AM ET | Comments (35)

WWJM? Who Would Jesus Marry?

Yes, there is a scriptural case to be made for gay marriage and that case is nothing less than the all inclusive love of God as taught to us by Jesus Christ.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 14, 2008; 12:06 AM ET | Comments (44)

Profanity and [Expletive Deleted] Power

Governor Blagojevich's profanity is jarring, but it is his alleged blatant attempt to sell a seat in the U.S. Senate that is truly shocking and deeply profane.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 11, 2008; 05:33 PM ET | Comments (7)

Don't Overreact!

Terrorists count on their targets to overreact. Terrorism is designed to provoke outrage and calls for reprisals. Don't fall for it.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 5, 2008; 07:40 AM ET | Comments (8)

Death by Consumerism

Wal-Mart worker's death by frenzy shows our corrupt relationship with consumerism.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 1, 2008; 07:30 PM ET | Comments (107)

Presidential Worship in the Age of YouTube

This is what happens when you drag candidates' pastors into politics, especially in the age of YouTube. It becomes literally impossible for the President and family to join a single worshipping community.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 25, 2008; 04:00 PM ET | Comments (2)

Give Thanks in a Real Way and Skip Presidential Decrees

The real issue for many people isn't legislation about Thanksgiving, it's how we give thanks in hard times. I don't think any President should legislate about giving thanks to God, but we really do need a time set aside to think and to act on what it means to give thanks.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 24, 2008; 12:01 PM ET | Comments (3)

An Ethical Approach to Bailing Out Detroit

Susan Thistlethwaite | Can we find a "common good" approach that balances the well-being of the country, workers and customers?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 19, 2008; 08:41 AM ET | Comments (18)

The Emerging "Common Good" Voter

We are still in the first decade of the new century and yet the religious landscape in regard to electoral politics is reshaping itself before our eyes.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 7, 2008; 04:15 PM ET | Comments (94)

The Vote Heard Around the World

President-elect Obama is right, this election was not just about him, it was about us as a people and whether we can believe in our national ideals and act on them. It is also an election about the world and how we want to live together rather than annihilate one another in spasms of fear.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 5, 2008; 08:06 AM ET | Comments (0)

I Believe in Hope and Obama

My religious reason for voting for Senator Obama is because I believe in hope. I also believe the fear-mongering of Senator McCain's campaign violated my religious convictions at the deepest level and it was the main reason I did not vote for him and Governor Palin.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 28, 2008; 03:16 PM ET | Comments (12)

Too Scary for Halloween

This is a good time to remember the origins of Halloween and its deep symbolism of the thin boundary between life and death, a boundary that becomes almost permeable as the days darken and become colder

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 27, 2008; 07:43 PM ET | Comments (3)

Eve Was Empowered

Sarah Palin is scarcely the first right-wing woman to have moved into political power through conservative Christianity and she will not be the last.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 21, 2008; 11:23 AM ET | Comments (11)

Calming the Perfect Storm

Don't be complicit in helping create the perfect storm of a politics of fear and anger. Do what you can to still the waters of hatred and strife.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 14, 2008; 01:23 PM ET | Comments (4)

Warren Buffett, American Dumbledore

The most important lesson Buffet has to teach Americans is that only human smarts can make good judgments about what to do and what not to do in a crisis. And if he can teach that not only to the candidates, but to the American people, that is truly wizardry.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 14, 2008; 12:35 PM ET | Comments (11)

Hell on Heels: Palin Misquotes Albright

Right wing women such as Palin are perfectly willing to take the gains of the women's movement without understanding the deep truth of what we have struggled for so long: women need to be there for each other, especially when others will not.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 7, 2008; 02:27 PM ET | Comments (0)

You Shall Know Them By Their Lobbyists

The question asks us to compare associations that are not comparable. Pastors and religious beliefs should be off-limits in a political campaign. Chairmen of banks that defraud their investors clearly are not off limits in regard to their association with political candidates

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 6, 2008; 03:07 PM ET | Comments (0)

Why Should We Trust You? Be Specific

The issue is trust. If this November we don't elect a President and Vice President whom we trust to actually tell us the truth and put the welfare of the whole country before crass political manipulation, I think we're toast.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 5, 2008; 09:27 AM ET | Comments (2)

A Woman's Life is a Human Life

If we ever again make abortion completely illegal, we will have established one religious view of when the human being becomes human, i.e. one religious view of ensoulment. This must be unconstitutional in a plain reading of the establishment clause.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 27, 2008; 07:37 AM ET | Comments (76)

Be Not Afraid

I'm tired to the bone of the rhetoric of courage wrapped around panicked political expediency. Enough of this. This time, I, along with many Americans, must find the strength to say "no" to the rhetoric of panic and the drive to rush headlong off a financial cliff with no pause to think it through. We need to find the courage to say "yes" to one another.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 25, 2008; 12:28 PM ET | Comments (4)

God's Economics

The "Good News" in Jesus' terms, it turns out, is also good news for a healthy economy. We must turn the economy on its head and promote growth from the bottom up.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 21, 2008; 07:19 PM ET | Comments (21)

The Wages of Sin

Sin is a religious term that means an act that violates a moral rule. The moral rule here is that when you have other people's livelihoods in your hands, you have a responsibility to them. When you fail in that responsibility, you and the lack of government regulation you rode in on need to be held accountable.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 17, 2008; 07:50 PM ET | Comments (2)

Den of Thieves

The moral failure here is that those who were charged with protecting the public interest from runaway greed and unfair lending practices instead have shown that they are the ringleaders of the Den of Thieves.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 16, 2008; 07:34 AM ET | Comments (27)

Extreme Religion

You put all these beliefs together and I ask myself if Sarah Palin is going to defend the modern state of Israel as a self-determining democracy and work for peace in the Middle East, or just abandon Israel to destruction from its enemies in order to hasten the Rapture and the return of Christ?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 15, 2008; 02:32 AM ET | Comments (20)

Country Last

Putting country first is, according to Reinhold Niebuhr, "a high form of altruism"; the Palin pick is the antithesis of this kind of altruism. It is selfish in the extreme.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 8, 2008; 11:34 AM ET | Comments (2)

As One Hockey Mom to Another

Will the culture wars ploy work? Perhaps, but the new factor this time around is U-Tube and the Internet. No good whining about the old media when it is the new media that will do you in with clips of you telling us that the war in Iraq is part of God's plan.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 4, 2008; 10:20 AM ET | Comments (59)

Palin: Is She Subject to Her Husband?

What I would like to know, first of all, is who is going to have the final authority as Vice-President if Sarah Palin is elected, Palin or her husband? Will Palin obey the Constitution over her husband?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 3, 2008; 12:20 PM ET | Comments (114)

Mile High Miracle

In a moment, in a city in the western United States, in the midst of all the kinds of political maneuvering imaginable, there was real blessing. I will never forget that I was there.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 28, 2008; 10:19 AM ET | Comments (30)

All Atheists Are Not Created Equal

"What do you think about all the progressive faith caucuses at the DNC this year?" That was the question I asked more than 50 people in the Convention Center in Denver today who self-identified as atheist or agnostic. This is,...

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 27, 2008; 03:24 PM ET | Comments (5)

First Ever Faith Caucus at DNC

There are those both inside and outside the party who think the Democrats should not be talking about faith like this. I wish these critics would actually come and hear these discussions.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 26, 2008; 08:50 PM ET | Comments (3)

Democrats and Bloggers Get Religion

Susan Thistlethwaite | Both are feeling the new spirit at this year's Democratic National Convention, but will it matter in November?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 25, 2008; 02:19 PM ET | Comments (54)

Amen Chorus at the DNC

Susan Thistlethwaite | The clergy who spoke at Sunday's interfaith gathering agreed with conviction that faith without works is dead.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 24, 2008; 11:29 PM ET | Comments (34)

Beware Faith Monologues

As I watched the Rick Warren event, and it was a "Rick Warren" event at Saddleback, my growing impression was of an effort to re-brand "faith" as Christian conservative, or at least "evangelical."

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 18, 2008; 12:47 PM ET | Comments (23)

Godless Communism Again?

This isn't Ronald Reagan's "evil empire" versus the God-fearing West and Western- aligned.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 14, 2008; 10:36 PM ET | Comments (21)

Can't We Get Some 'Purpose-Driven Politics'?

The reason we don't have a "purpose driven politics" is because the American people do not set limits on what is acceptable in political campaigning.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 14, 2008; 06:16 AM ET | Comments (4)

Vengeance is Mine, Sayeth the Lord

Perhaps Elizabeth Edwards has forgiven her husband; I know that speaking personally, I want to shake John Edwards until his bleached white, perfectly aligned teeth rattle like castanets.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 12, 2008; 11:34 PM ET | Comments (2)

No Atheists in Recessions

Americans have few biblical or historical religious resources to apply to their current economic situation and they have to soldier on alone, as best they can.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 11, 2008; 08:16 AM ET | Comments (35)

McCain: Biker Family Values

McCain's "biker family values" demonstrate just how thin his veneer of faith and family values really is.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | August 6, 2008; 12:28 PM ET | Comments (73)

McCain: Anger Management Issues

In a political sense, we are getting a glimpse of the McCain default to anger as a response to challenge. In a religious sense, we may be getting a glimpse of McCain's true moral character.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 31, 2008; 03:54 PM ET | Comments (1)

Confess to God, Not Pollsters

Racial prejudice in a person of faith reflects an unexamined conscience. It is finally a failure of relationship to God. There's no other conclusion you can draw.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 31, 2008; 03:07 AM ET | Comments (3)

Military Chaplains, Yes! Prayers at Meals, NO!

In today’s armed services, many of the troops are there because they have no other options for employment. That means to me that we as a society have no other option than to see that they receive spiritual care if they need and want it.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 28, 2008; 11:01 AM ET | Comments (13)

Obama: No Miracles on Race

It is absurd to imply that somehow the Obama candidacy should have eliminated differing opinions on race by now.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 16, 2008; 07:11 PM ET | Comments (46)

Ghostly Polling Data

I think that all religions attempt to make sense of human life and the ubiquity of human pain.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 16, 2008; 06:00 PM ET | Comments (44)

Generosity is the First Rule

All religions have their own practices and interpretations of what their practices mean and those should be respected. No religion, however, owns the sacred, the realm of grace and generosity that is the gift of an infinite God (or spirit if you prefer) to limited and finite people.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 9, 2008; 06:24 AM ET | Comments (153)

James Dobson: Out of Step with Evangelicals?

There is even more evidence that it is Dobson and not Obama who is out of step with the American people and their views on faith and public life.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 25, 2008; 11:11 AM ET | Comments (46)

Ceasefire Across the Religious/Secular Divide?

Sixteen religious scholars, historians, philosophers, activists, public policy experts, many of whom work in several of those arenas, have combined to produce a new work that maps out the new terrain for how religion works best for both its religious and secular citizens.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 22, 2008; 04:47 PM ET | Comments (16)

Your Church Can Help You Get Well (or Make You Sick!)

Even as we can sin against one another in body, mind and spirit, so too can we grace one another in body, mind and spirit and help each other become more whole.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 11, 2008; 03:52 PM ET | Comments (56)

Hillary's Biblical Role Model

Are Hillary Clinton and Katherine Harris share a favorite biblical heroine. Is it Queen Esther's courage or her ruthlessness that inspire them?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | June 1, 2008; 11:02 PM ET | Comments (123)

Pfleger: Bully in the Pulpit

I resent Father Pfleger's sermon mocking Hillary Clinton and his bullying rant was disrespectful of all of us.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 30, 2008; 12:16 PM ET | Comments (295)

Led Into Temptation, One Point at a Time

Sin doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It is very revealing to think about a sin like greed in context. Certain conditions conspire to tempt people to be greedy and those conditions are part of how we think theologically about sin.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 29, 2008; 01:06 PM ET | Comments (28)

Remember War

There will be speeches and flags and words about heroism spoken this Memorial Day, but relatively little about the moral evil of war and what it costs.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 23, 2008; 09:46 AM ET | Comments (0)

Rites and Wrongs

The way we currently handle marriage is a remnant of our centuries long, partly unsuccessful, effort to disentangle church and state, to disentangle morality and legality.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 22, 2008; 10:41 AM ET | Comments (19)

IRS Clears Obama's Church

Americans clearly believe that their many faith voices need to be raised in the public square. We need an Internal Revenue Service that is clear in its guidelines for tax-exempt religious organizations and we need the IRS to follow those guidelines.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 21, 2008; 09:02 AM ET | Comments (11)

Evangelical Does Not Mean Conservative Voting Bloc

These Evangelical leaders have come to rue the day they were discovered as a voting bloc by Republican strategists. They have been manipulated and “that way faith loses its independence.” All people of faith should heed this warning.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 19, 2008; 06:25 AM ET | Comments (8)

The Sermon Chop Shop

The radical right is now chopping up the sermons of Rev. Otis Moss III, Wright's successor, and trying to peddle the parts to generate new controversy.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 12, 2008; 02:59 PM ET | Comments (132)

Politics: Where Truth Comes to Die

I regret to say that I think the electorate, and not the candidates and elected officials, are most to blame for the wide-spread acceptance of the fact that it’s pretty much OK for people in public life to lie to us.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 8, 2008; 09:59 AM ET | Comments (26)

Rev. Wright and the Religious Right

Susan Thistlethwaite | The weakness of Rev. Wright’s theology is that it locks us into the “good vs. evil” frame, the same frame used by the religious right.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | May 2, 2008; 06:12 AM ET | Comments (61)

Memo to White America: Respect African American Preaching

It is not at all necessary, however, that we all agree about the content of these sermons; what is crucial is that we respect the form of this preaching and its roots in the profound suffering of black America.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 28, 2008; 12:56 PM ET | Comments (45)

The Public Nature of the Human Soul

Religion that stays private, that does not cry out to heaven when fundamental human dignity is violated and does not take this struggle into the public square, is soulless religion.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 24, 2008; 01:38 PM ET | Comments (14)

Benedict: Protect Children from Future Abuse

To date, in Benedict’s papacy, how has the Catholic Church shown it is planning to go about preventing more abuse by priests?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 18, 2008; 12:07 PM ET | Comments (147)

Obama: Faith is Mind and Heart

Bill Kristol starts his recent New York Times editorial attacking Senator Obama’s faith by acknowledging that he doesn’t know much about the subject (Marx) about which he’s writing. Confession is good for the soul, Mr. Kristol, so you’ve started well,...

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 15, 2008; 01:51 PM ET | Comments (41)

Good Works on the Campaign Trail

The “Compassion Forum”, sponsored by Faith in Public Life and held at an evangelical college in Pennsylvania, did put an end to the idea that only Republicans have values. It also succeeded in drastically broadening the concept of morality to...

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 14, 2008; 08:21 PM ET | Comments (1)

Benedict's Bridges Need Work

The Pope seems to think that he and Mr. Allam had previously been “in opposition to one another,” merely because they were not of the same faith. The Pope is saying that it is the faiths themselves that are in opposition.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 11, 2008; 08:54 AM ET | Comments (127)

McCain's Hate Problem

John McCain should immediately renounce Rod Parsley not only for his astounding hate mongering against Islam, but also for his extreme views on a range of issues including his denunciation of separation of church and state.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 7, 2008; 09:43 AM ET | Comments (62)

King Was Killed Speaking Truth to Power

I have heard so many stupid speeches about Dr. King that blather on about how he “gave his life for freedom.” He didn’t give his life; it was taken. He was shot by an assassin because he had dared to speak the truth to power about race, about poverty and about war.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | April 4, 2008; 08:10 AM ET | Comments (35)

Spies in the Pews? Is Nothing Sacred?

Challenging your pastor’s freedom in the pulpit is bad. Spying on people at prayer is reprehensible.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 28, 2008; 10:40 AM ET | Comments (55)

“My ‘ism’ is Worse Than Your ‘ism’”

The first move in breaking with these wicked systems is not to play the game of “my oppression is worse than your oppression.”

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 27, 2008; 07:02 AM ET | Comments (5)

Obama: And the Truth Will Set You Free

It truly astonished me that Senator Obama was able to speak to my own white, immigrant past in a way that did not shame this past, but honored it for the life and death struggle it was.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 25, 2008; 07:21 AM ET | Comments (17)

John McCain and Permanent War

Susan Thistlethwaite | A cornerstone of conservative Christian theology is the providence of the Christian God and supremacy over other gods and religions. That fits McCain.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 17, 2008; 11:55 AM ET | Comments (80)

Cain and Abel Both Used E-mail

What makes E-mail such a vehicle for good and evil, and on some days I think for more evil than good, is that it removes the presence of the other to a distance.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 13, 2008; 09:30 AM ET | Comments (13)

You're Wrong, Ms. Ferraro

Geraldine Ferrraro's comments about Barack Obama were sinful and wrong.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 12, 2008; 02:04 PM ET | Comments (276)

The Grand Inquisitor's Veto: Bush Vetoes Torture Bill

torture and morality, waterboarding and morality, Bush veto

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 9, 2008; 10:20 PM ET | Comments (73)

Gospel Politics

I wish I could say that either the Republicans or the Democrats measured up to the gospel politics of Jesus, but to be truthful, they’re not even close.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | March 6, 2008; 07:40 AM ET | Comments (18)

The U.S. is Post-Denominational

This is more dynamic and faithful than just sitting in the pew in the Methodist (Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic—you fill in the blank) church that your parents sat in and their parents sat in etc. without ever asking yourself “why?”

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 27, 2008; 07:15 AM ET | Comments (328)

IRS Investigates Church for Letting Obama Speak

The temptation to empire is the temptation to persecute freedom, especially religious freedom, rather than respect and honor it.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 26, 2008; 07:09 PM ET | Comments (90)

The Thing with Feathers

Hope is the profoundly religious cord that Obama has struck in the minds and hearts of Americans. Religion is the search for ultimate meaning and purpose in life.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 20, 2008; 08:18 AM ET | Comments (342)

What the U.S. Should and Should Not Do

The best way we as Americans can be genuinely more respectful of the increasing religious pluralism in our midst is to maintain a strict separation of church and state, mosque and state, synagogue and state.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 14, 2008; 09:45 AM ET | Comments (23)

Huckabee: The Religious Right is Alive

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” That, of course is the text of the famous cable that Mark Twain sent to the U.S. from London after his obituary had been mistakenly published. Huckabee's strong showing this past weekend...

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 10, 2008; 06:40 PM ET | Comments (38)

It's the Religion, Stupid

The overly pious rhetoric by some politicians betrays a superficial faith and a lack of respect for democracy.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 7, 2008; 03:11 PM ET | Comments (97)

Jesus of Russia

Who would you rather follow, a brutal neo-dictator and former KGB member or a guy who claims to be the Siberian Jesus and who teaches that people need to love one and support one another?...

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 5, 2008; 06:19 PM ET | Comments (1)

Women as Bombs: No Innocent Civilians Anymore

Just War theory was predicated on the idea that “Just War” did not target non-combatants and indeed the innocent were to be protected. Now in the 21st century, war has degenerated to the point where killing civilians itself is the tactic.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 3, 2008; 09:49 PM ET | Comments (25)

Do Christian Beliefs Preclude Freedom of Speech?

Dissent was not to be tolerated as it would both imperil a person’s salvation and undermine civil authority. In Locke’s time, freedom of speech was, in effect, un-Christian because it would lead you to damnation.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | February 1, 2008; 07:24 AM ET | Comments (37)

The Face of Faith

The only face of faith that really matters is your own and whether you can finally face yourself before God.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 31, 2008; 09:50 AM ET | Comments (51)

Saving God from Those Who are Right

As a person of faith, I want to “save God” from the religiously self-righteous such as Mike Huckabee who claim to know “God’s standards” and who have no trouble using the name of God to advance their political and social agendas with the divine name.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 25, 2008; 01:15 PM ET | Comments (31)

Faith, Fear and Falling Markets

Susan Thistlethwaite | As FDR said, having faith in these times means living out the truth that human beings are not just the sum total of their net worth.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 21, 2008; 10:24 PM ET | Comments (41)

Pride Caused Us to Attack Iraq

Prideful behavior on every level is what caused this administration to violate 1,600 years of Christian moral reasoning, the Just War theory, and attack Iraq. This kind of prideful behavior is not only a political and strategic error, it is a fundamental faith error.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 17, 2008; 09:10 AM ET | Comments (136)

Four Thousand Years and Counting

There is no other way forward than for all Americans, Jewish and non-Jewish, to insist on a real and far-reaching Middle East peace process.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 11, 2008; 07:41 AM ET | Comments (34)

Searching for God in New Hampshire

“God is watching you,” sang Leslie Phillips in her evangelical Christian chart-topping hit. One verse is particularly apt in regard to the sudden decline in religious references by some presidential candidates in the “Granite State.” “When you always have to...

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 6, 2008; 02:44 PM ET | Comments (7)

Iowa's Two Childrens' Crusades.

Obama's young supporters yearn to heal divisions in the body politic and take the country in a new direction. Huckabee's long for a mono-culture of fixed virtues

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 4, 2008; 02:04 AM ET | Comments (5)

Spiritual Spin

Voters think faith = trustworthiness. We shouldn't be so quick to generalize.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 30, 2007; 11:20 AM ET | Comments (49)

Congressional Christmas: Pork and Piety

This bill seems designed not to serve others, but to serve the Congressional representatives who voted for it. But you can’t legislate Christmas -- you can only live it.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 21, 2007; 05:17 PM ET | Comments (77)

Crossing Huckabee Off My List

Susan Thistlethwaite | Huckabee's latest campaign video with the interestingly-shaped bookshelf offends me as a Christian and as a citizen.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 19, 2007; 09:19 AM ET | Comments (158)

Attention Shoppers: Jesus Christ for Sale in Aisle 3

Christians no longer have a nativity theology, we have a “black Friday theology”. Unless Christ turns a profit for us, the American economy shows a net loss.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 16, 2007; 06:24 AM ET | Comments (26)

God Save Us from Some “Well-intentioned Religious Believers”

Can big social problems be solved by “well-intentioned religious believers”? Not without telling the truth about homophobia, about greed or about selfishness.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 14, 2007; 12:32 PM ET | Comments (42)

The Devil and Mike Huckabee

Presidential political campaigns are filled to the brim with opportunities to fall into temptation. This is a spiritual lesson, Rev. Huckabee.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 13, 2007; 04:11 PM ET | Comments (28)

Torture Coverup: We Need a U.S. Truth and Reconciliation Commission NOW

It is hard to overstate the urgency of the need we have as a nation for truth to be told about torture. Once you get too far down this road of moral decay, it is hard to come back.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 11, 2007; 11:38 AM ET | Comments (16)

Closet Theocrat

Beyond the buzz words, Romney is clearly ascribing to the ‘Christian America’ idea that is, at bottom, the rule of the state by religion or what we call “theocracy.”

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | December 10, 2007; 09:04 AM ET | Comments (60)

Sex, Power, Sin: A Moral Trifecta

The abuse of power by a religious leader is the ultimate betrayal, especially when linked to a theology that seduces the believer into confusing the religious leader and God.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 29, 2007; 06:17 AM ET | Comments (53)

Give Thanks, Give Yourself

This Thanksgiving you may not be able to end the war in Iraq, bring about reconciliation among the world’s religions or solve ethnic strife, but you can definitely get yourself down to the local homeless shelter and feed somebody. The...

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 19, 2007; 05:19 PM ET | Comments (1)

The Great Secret of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the path to freedom from being dominated by the harm that has been done to you or to those you love.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 15, 2007; 07:03 AM ET | Comments (20)

War Can Kill the Body, but Torture Destroys the Soul

n employing the tactic of torture, (and please, let us not add the disgrace of lying about the fact that we torture), we have descended as people into moral degradation.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 13, 2007; 05:52 AM ET | Comments (37)

Only a Sick Society Plays Politics with Children's Health

We have the money to pay for health care insurance for every child in America and instead we are choosing to spend it on making war. That is truly sick, morally sick

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | November 1, 2007; 02:40 PM ET | Comments (223)

Why Halloween is No Fun Anymore

Halloween is no fun for me anymore. I just can’t bring myself to make fun of ghosts and goblins and devils when there is so much real horror around us.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 30, 2007; 08:03 AM ET | Comments (39)

A Burning Need: The Religion/Science Imperative

Which biblical symbol of fire will this global warming catastrophe portend? The fire of the end of times, or the fire of inspiration at Pentecost?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 26, 2007; 02:33 PM ET | Comments (45)

Love and Hate; Compassion and Cruelty; Forgiveness and Condemnation

Violent people love violently, stupid people love stupidly, selfish people love selfishly and so forth.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 17, 2007; 08:42 AM ET | Comments (11)

Still Dead: The Ghosts of New Orleans

The dead floated up from their tombs during the floods of Katrina. Why shouldn’t New Orleans float up from its watery grave as well?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 11, 2007; 10:26 AM ET | Comments (26)

Why Jesus Can't Be President

Must we go through this every time this country becomes more religiously pluralistic?

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 4, 2007; 01:26 PM ET | Comments (126)

Religion for Adults

The image that kept coming into my mind as I was reading Mr. Hitchens’ book God is Not Great is of a large child stamping his foot and screaming in rage because things aren’t going his way. “Religion Poisons Everything!” he rants. Everything? Really, Christopher, every single thing? I doubt it.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 26, 2007; 02:25 PM ET | Comments (33)

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