On February 1st, a successful military coup took place in South Asia. The national military of Myanmar arrested top non-military officials and seized all power. While this February coup happened in South Asia, it could have happened on our very… Read More ›
Military
From Military Wife to Peacebuilder – Learning from the Greenham Common Peace Women by Karen Leslie Hernandez
There’s a pinnacle moment, I believe, when everyone’s path is laid before them. The funny thing about that, is that we usually don’t see that moment, until many years later. It is then, at that sudden moment of clarity, in… Read More ›
The Trees and We Breathe Bombs Long Gone by Lache S.
I wish that in our pursuit of finding cures for illnesses we would do more as a collective species to prevent the causes, sometimes environmental ones. Why do we vote for people to make decisions that represent us but that… Read More ›
What Could ‘Masculinity’ Mean in 2017? by Meghana Bahar
PART II of II – see PART I here. Last year, the leader of the (un)Free World was elected by ‘right choice’, much to the collective dismay of liberal leftists, a huge proportion of people of colour, progressive educationists, environmental… Read More ›
What Could ‘Masculinity’ Mean in 2017? by Meghana Bahar
There have been so many times I have seen a man wanting to weep but instead, Beat his heart until it was unconscious. — ‘Masculine’, Nayyirah Waheed PART I of II There have been many times when I have… Read More ›
Dear Gloria: The Feminist Candidate I Can Believe In Must Be Unbossed and Unbought by Carol P. Christ
In the past week, founder of Ms. Magazine Gloria Steinem, whom I have always greatly admired, stated that young women are supporting Bernie Sanders because his campaign is where the boys are. She has since recanted the comment, but I… Read More ›
Changing the American Story? by Carol P. Christ
In a moving part of Goddess and God in the World, the book Judith Plaskow and I are writing together, Judith describes how the Sabra and Shatila massacre forced her to confront the fact that “her people” are just as… Read More ›
Systemic Violence and the Killing of Michael Brown by Xochitl Alvizo
Oppression is systemic. Injustice is systemic. It pervades the whole – it seeps into everyday actions and becomes habits and patterns that function as default. As a result, the actions that fall within these patterns hardly need justifying. If… Read More ›
Thank You For Your Service by Esther Nelson
We hear it everywhere these days–five words directed towards women and men in military uniform, but also directed towards “vets”–people whose histories include “time served” in some branch of the armed services. TV show hosts say those five words before… Read More ›
Lest We Forget: Jeannette Rankin, the ANZACs, & Me by Kate Brunner
Jeannette Rankin, the first American woman elected as a federal legislator, is probably best known in mainstream American history, if at all, as an ardent pacifist who voted against American military action in both WWI and WWII. I still remember… Read More ›
Unjust Wars and ‘Innocent’ Bodies by Kelly Brown Douglas
According to a recent online CNN report (15 September 2013) an 8 year old girl in Yemani died from internal injuries after her wedding night. Apparently this was not the first time a young Yemeni girl died under these circumstances. … Read More ›
WAR, WAR, WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR? by Carol P. Christ
“They used chemical weapons, we must do something to stop them.” A justification widely used in support of President Obama’s decision to launch a military strike against Syria. We fought the Civil War to end slavery and racism. We fought… Read More ›
Everywhere I am surrounded by tales of violence by Grace Yia-Hei Kao
As I write this blog, I am nearing the end of my week-long family vacation in Palm Desert. While we’ve had lots of fun splashing around in the pool, everywhere I turn I am bombarded by scenes and memories of… Read More ›
RAPE CULTURE IN THE MILITARY AND “TURNING BOYS INTO MEN” by Carol P. Christ
Rape is not something that “just happens” in the military. It is an inevitable product of military training. Unless and until we understand this and change the way soldiers are trained, we will never be able to stop rape in… Read More ›
The Tale of Two Breast: From Religious Symbol to Secular Object by Cynthia Garrity Bond
I am less concerned with the legitimacy or morality of public breast-feeding . . . rather I am asking what contributes to this strange binary of, on the one hand, social acceptability of near-porn-like images of breast used in advertising,… Read More ›
A Prayer From the Privileged by Grace Yia-Hei Kao
“As we approach Memorial Day Weekend (and the militaristic patriotism it promotes), as the 2012 election cycle heats up, and as I meditate more deeply upon my and my country’s many riches, one of [Walter] Brueggemann’s prayers in particular spoke… Read More ›
Preying on Victims: Radical Christianity and Exploitation of Tragedy in the Name of God By Michele Stopera Freyhauf
It is our moral responsibility, whether we identify as Christians or not, to pray for not prey on the victims of tragedies. Over the last month, dare I say years, society has witnessed or been subjected to an all out… Read More ›
Son of Man: An Updated Gospel Story of Jesus Set in South Africa by Michele Stopera Freyhauf
January 12, 2012 Son of Man is an updated story of the life of Jesus set in the fictional State of Judea that is modern day South Africa – complete with warlords and child soldiers. It could easily be mistaken… Read More ›
Progressive Religion to the Rescue By Mary E. Hunt
The happy hoopla surrounding the lifting of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell had a shadow side. Close inspection revealed a lot of partners and spouses of LGBTIQ military people who had been cloaked in secrecy and euphemism (“Meet my cousin”) for… Read More ›