Monthly Archives: January 2012

The Rise of the Preppers

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Kenny Paul Smith

In an insightful online piece (that includes historical analysis from Bulletin contributor Cathy Gutierrez), we learn of “a growing subculture of Americans who refer to themselves informally as ‘preppers,”’ that is, folks stockpiling food and firearms alongside innumerable other supplies … Continue reading →

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Atheists Are in the Game of Orthdoxy

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Craig Martin

The Friendly Atheist wrote late last year that “Survey Says Catholics Are Becoming Less Catholic.” A friend of mine shared it on Facebook and spurred a debate between me and him: I thought it was ironic that atheists would engage … Continue reading →

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Announcement: Religion and the Media

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Craig Martin

The Centre for Freedom of the Media at the University of Sheffield has just launched a new blog on “Religion and the Media,” in part organized by James Crossley, who many of you may know. Check it out!

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SORAAAD BookNotes with the Bulletin: Violence as Worship: Religious Wars in the Age of Globalization, by Hans G. Kippenberg (Stanford University Press, 2011)

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Kenny Paul Smith

By Ipsita Chatterjea In his latest book, Kippenberg argues analysis of religious violence should not seek to sanction the purity, authenticity or legitimacy of religious groups and deem others aberrant as this distorts our capacity to observe.  For Kippenberg, the mis-handling of … Continue reading →

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Tebow and the Religious Body (Politic)

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Donovan Schaefer

Now that Denver has fallen out of the playoffs, I want to write an homage to a figure I, like so many others, find fascinating: Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.  Carter Turner over at Religion Dispatches has suggested that the “real … Continue reading →

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Lucian’s Satires and the Discursive Role of the Charlatan

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Philip L. Tite

By Philip L. Tite I am continually fascinated with the discursive techniques that people use to discredit competing religious groups or cultic practices (especially as such language tends to reinforce the polemicist’s own group or worldview). Recently, while working on … Continue reading →

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The Existential Work of the Jedi

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Kenny Paul Smith

In a Bulletin post from August 2011, I speculated about the likely religious future of George Lucas’ still wildly popular, and globally distributed, Star Wars universe. Might figures such as the Jedi Knight come to play an increasingly explicit role … Continue reading →

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