Religion

I Went to a Sikh American Idol Watch Party for Gurpreet Singh Sarin's Triumphant Defeat

It's hard being an American Idol contestant. It's hard enough to perform for judges, with an audience behind them, and an even bigger one unseen that's analyzing every gesture and head nod. It's hard knowing you're performing on a show that's almost old enough to be a teenager, which is venerable in ... More >>

State Rep.'s Anti-Sharia Proposal Could Target All Religions, Not Just Islam. Progress!

The House State Affairs Committee was scheduled today to consider Rep. Dan Flynn's proposal to ban "religious or cultural law" from Texas courts. Rep. Flynn apparently withdrew his proposal, HJR 43, from committee consideration at the last second, but it's still worth a look. As the Texas Freedom N ... More >>

Arlington State Rep. Bill Zedler is Fighting Against Sharia Law, Other Imaginary Threats

During the 2011 session of the Texas Legislature, after hearing a report on the radio indicating that judges in Dearborn, Michigan, now embrace Islamic jurisprudence, state Representative Leo Berman, a Republican from Tyler, filed a bill to keep Texas courtrooms free of sharia law. The proposal was ... More >>

Dueling Sex-Assault Claims Killed a Satanic Church; Now its Pastor Wants to Open in Dallas

The Church of the IV Majesties imploded two years ago in a very public way. The self-described Satanic church had been planning a staged exorcism at the Oklahoma City Civic Center. Then, a month before the event, the church's co-founders had a falling out. One of the founders, James Hale, outed the ... More >>

Dallas Book Dealer Foils Theft of $100K Book of Mormon

On Memorial Day, two Mormon missionaries stopped by Rare and Out of Print Books and Art in Mesa, Arizona, to have their picture taken with a first edition of the Book of Mormon that was kept there. But when store owner Helen Schlie looked in the fireproof box where she had stored it three days earli ... More >>

Mexicans, Mormons and Mitt: More Alike Than You Think

Can Mormons Be Trusted? A Shallow Guide to Managing Your Most Ill-Informed Fears.

Mitt Romney CampaignConcerns have been raised over Mormonism's decision to move to Cleveland. Because, you know, it's Cleveland.​Last month evangelical leaders gathered in D.C. for the Values Voter Summit, where disciples of the Pissed-Off Jesus harrumphed and yammered about how much America sucke ... More >>

Lighten Up

Gov. Perry: We Teach Creationism in Texas Public Schools. The Rest of Texas: No, We Don't.

Perry: See, this hair doesn't just happen!​How does one explain the follicle-by-follicle perfection of Gov. Rick Perry's imperturbable man-mane? Where does his mega-watt smile and its rows of pearly whites come from? Braces? No, silly. They come from God. God spoke, and Perry was born a man of ... More >>

Viva la Evolution: The Creationists Return to Austin

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the classroom, SBOE returns.

What Kind of Presidential Candidate Will Evangelicals Support? Let's Ask Jeffress.

​Our first real introduction to First Baptist Dallas's Robert Jeffress was in the fall of 2008, when the downtown pastor came under fire for referring to Mormon Mitt Romney a member of a "cult." That came up today on FOX News, where Jeffress is a frequent guest and where he was asked today who eva ... More >>

Snip, Snip

Lent: No, It's Not the Vatican Diet Plan

​The tired, lame joke used to pop about annually this time of year among the lapsed Catholics in my family. "I'm giving up watermelon for Lent," assorted uncles would say with a grin. Har-har. Get it? Watermelon isn't in season during Lent, so as sacrifices go... Yeah, those old boys were ca ... More >>

A Retreat From the Screech of Dissonant Days, or: My Rabbi Says To Knock Off the Blogging

Rabbi David Stern​Ran into my rabbi last Sunday -- David Stern, head man at Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, very hip and very influential so I hear -- and asked him: "You mind sending me your Kol Nidre sermon? I'd like to post to Unfair Park." He grinned and said sure -- grinned, I'm sure, because it w ... More >>

Texas Oh Jew: UT Student Government Wants 2011 Red River Shootout Moved Off Yom Kippur

I went to a bar mitzvah in Austin two weeks ago, where I received this yarmulke -- perfect for next year's Texas-OU game!​A Texas Ex-girlfriend forwards along the link to a site called Move Texas vs. OU Weekend, which is a petition crafted by The University of Texas at Austin Student Government de ... More >>

Tina Wasserman on Breaking the Fast for Yom Kippur

Cover for Tina Wasserman's book: Entrée to Judaism: A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora​Breaking the fast on Yom Kippur, which starts Friday at sundown, usually calls for raiding the synagogue's spread and making a mad dash for whichever restaurant puts the fewest obstacles between ... More >>

Dallas Islamic Center Reaches Out
With Interfaith Iftar Dinner

​Ozman Kazan, outreach coordinator for the Dallas Islamic Center, isn't planning any political discussions for tonight's interfaith Iftar dinner at Congregation Kol-Ami in Flower Mound. "There are things going on, and we are aware of those things," says Kazan, obliquely referencing the anti-I ... More >>

Why Are So Many Mexicans Becoming Mormons?

A Real Gem

Sikh and Tired of School Bullies

​The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas just sent word that the organization, in coordination with a U.N.-affiliated advocacy group called United Sikhs, sent out a letter warning Texas school districts -- including DISD -- to protect Sikh students from discrimination or bullying. The miss ... More >>

Buddha's Delight

Wanna See Inside the Church of Scientology's New Las Colinas Digs? Here Ya Go.

A scene from the Dallas Scientology Center's making-of, not the way Tom Cruise intended. L.R.H. would so not be amused.Courtesy the very Vimeo "retriever" comes the most breathless making-of ever made documenting the construction of the new Church of Scientology Center in Las Colinas, which opened o ... More >>

A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant

Deck the halls with bombs of Xenu

Sci-Fi

Check out an Unauthorized musical

Prof to Creationists: Don't Mess With Texas Science Education

Barbara Forrest, speaking at SMU last week In keeping with the spirit of Monday's item concerning the release of the study Evolution, Creationism & Public Schools: Surveying What Texas Scientists Think about Educating Our Kids in the 21st Century, last week SMU hosted a speech by Barbara Forrest, ... More >>

Polygamy and Me

Seven months have passed since the polygamist raid in Eldorado, but for one mainstream Mormon, the effects linger

Faith No More

Evangelicals Frontman Josh Jones lives a sunny non-Evangelical life

A Mother of a Mistake

Will State Higher-Ed Board Make Creationism "Science" This Week? Mebbe So ...

"Oh, Thank God! I Thought You Said 'A Protestant!'"*

John McCain’s Curious Christian Faith

Over the Top|It's a Miracle

Battle Against Teaching Evolution in Texas Begins

Should creationism win out, textbooks throughout the country–not just Texas–will challenge the theory of evolution in science curricula

Arguments Creationists Make to Counter Evolution

Sure, They Name-Drop Jesus. But What in God's Name Do They Know?

Geeks v. Xenu

Putting the "Religion" Part Back in the Holiday Season. Crazy, Right?

Fort Worth Episcopal Diocese Ready to Fight the Church Over Property

Beating Around the Bush Library at SMU

Stickin' It to the Pope?

Do You See What She Sees?

God in the Details

For a quarter-century Roy Abraham Varghese has been assembling God proofs. Along the way he won over the world's most influential atheist.

The Fishes Wear Manolos

Whirled Peace

Brain Spat

The Pentecostal Circus

Torah, Torah, Torah

Dallas' Jewish community blossoms under the teaching of a scholarly partnership

Wanna Scare the Doo-Doo Out of Jim Schutze? One Word: "Voodoo."

Bad Mojo

Evil spirits walk in the criminal world

Bible Girl: The Merry Christmas Edition