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The Religion Factor

God Bless America: US Civil Religion and the President as Prophet, Priest and Martyr of the Nation

Date:15 October 2012
Author:Religion Factor
God Bless America: US Civil Religion and the President as Prophet, Priest and Martyr of the Nation. Ever noticed how nearly every time a US president makes a speech, it ends with “God Bless America”?

The Puzzle of Religion in US Presidential Politics

Date:11 October 2012
Author:Religion Factor
With the count down on till the USA votes for its next President, The Religion Factor reflects on the role of religion in this important process. Foreign observers of the 2012 US presidential campaign may be forgiven for being puzzled by the role of religion in American politics.

The Religion Factor: A missing link in Migration Studies? Part two

Date:08 October 2012
Author:Tyler Tully

In the previous post  Geertje den Oudsten shared with us her experience at a Summer School on Migration in Greek this summer and challenged the idea that religion can only be used as a classifactory concept in Migration Studies. Today part two.

The Religion Factor: A missing link in Migration Studies? Part One

Date:04 October 2012
Author:Tyler Tully
This summer I was very happy to be able to attend a Summer School named ‘Cultures, Migrations, Borders’ on the Greek island of Lesvos. The programme aimed at MA students and PhDs from different fields, and although there were no lecturers nor any other students with a Religious Studies background, I assumed the subject of religion would have a place in the programme.

A Fragment of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife? Part Two

Date:01 October 2012
Author:Kim Knibbe
The previous post discussed the current state of affairs with regard to the finding of the fragment of papyrus in which Jesus seems to refer to his wife. The papyrus has been shown to date from the fourth century, the ink is still undergoing testing. Before the definitive results are published, however, polemics have already begun. Numerous web reactions on various grounds claim that the fragment is a forgery.

A Fragment of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife? Part One

Date:28 September 2012
Author:Kim Knibbe
Last week, Karen King, Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard University, presented a papyrus fragment in which Jesus referred to Mary as “my wife”. The fragment seems to date from the fourth century A.D. and is written in the Coptic language.

The Life and Work of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Date:26 September 2012
Author:Religion Factor
On Monday 24 September, 2012, the University of Groningen awarded Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu with an honorary doctorate. His honorary promoter, Professor Dr Geurt-Henk van Kooten, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, gave a stirring address in which he highlighed Tutu’s amazing achievements, particularly in the context of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Religion and Science: relating the relationships?

Date:24 September 2012
Author:Laura J. Vollmer

In post-secular thought there is an increasing tendency to reject binary oppositions, such as religion and secularism. Past theories of secularization suggested religion was in decline and yet on the contrary, religion has remained viable although...

Polarization of the anti-Islam film debate: undoing the Arab Spring? Part Two

Date:21 September 2012
Author:Religion Factor

Alongside the ideologically-driven agenda of the anti-Islam films that we explored in Part One, we should also not underestimate the political nature of the production and release of this film just before the 11th anniversary of 9/11 as well as before the...

Protestors in Egypt during the Arab Spring. Photograph: Thomas van Gool

Polarization of the anti-Islam film debate: Undoing the Arab Spring? Part One

Date:19 September 2012
Author:Religion Factor

Over the last few days, international news coverage has been largely dominated by reports on protests across the world against a film that protestors claim is a direct insult to the prophet Muhammed.  The protests started with the storming of the American...

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