From Verbum et Ecclesia, Andries van Aarde (Pretoria): Theological Trends in Our Postsecular Age; Stephanus J. Myburgh (MCSA): Prejudice as Moral Action in Christian Ethical Decision-making; and Erna Oliver (South Africa): Afrikaner Christianity and the Concept of Empire. From Tehelka, did anyone get the memo about Sufism? A soft, cuddly, palatable-for-the-West version of Islam? When did that happen? From Political Affairs, Frank J. Ranelli on the immorality of Christianity. Mystery and evidence: Is it realistic to expect religion to satisfy the demands of science? Not a lot of people know this, but Benedict XVI is not the real Pope; the true Pope lives in a town of 130 people in rural Kansas — he is Pope Michael I, and he is unhappy that Benedict gets all the golf-buggies when he can’t even get everyone to call him by his proper pope-name. An interview with political scientist Hamed Abdel-Samad on why he thinks Islam is a danger to society and his theories about the inevitable decline of the Muslim world. The Deity and the Decalogue: Can the Ten Commandments be understood apart from religion? A review of Sex Rites: The Origins of Christianity by Diana Agorio. An article on the crescent, Islam’s accidental symbol. Against the “Answer Bank” Theory of Religion: The world’s religions are more important for the questions they ask than for the answers they provide. Robert Wright on the meaning of the Koran. There will be blood: Butchery is always a messy business, but is religiously inspired ritual slaughter really worse than other methods?
