Recent Religion + Politics Commentary: "Pro-Life" Movement, Christian Nationalism, Southern Baptists and United Methodists, Leonard Leo and New USCCB President

Here are some valuable articles I've read in the past week or two about religion and politics and their intersection:

The Ongoing Musk-Twitter Story: A Compendium of Commentary — "Glaringly Obvious Silencing Campaign Against Credible Journalists" and Brain Death

So much to say about the ongoing débacle that is Twitter under Elon Musk's ownership. As with Donald Trump, the minute you think he/it has gotten the worst that is possible, a new low arrives — with Musk and Twitter yesterday, shutting down the accounts of journalists who have dared to criticize him. I'm chronicling the Musk-Twitter story on my new Mastodon page, where you're welcome to follow me if you wish. Here's a selection of items I've shared there:

Pope Francis on Women Priests and Related Recent News Items: "I do not know whether to laugh or cry at Pope Francis’ suggestion about women’s position in the Church"

Altar of Veit Stoss, descent of the Spirit at Pentecost, St. Mary's Church, Krakow, Poland, photo by Robert Breuer at Wikimedia Commons

As Virginia Saldanha, "Why I find pope’s ideas on women priests disturbing," notes, Pope Francis recently nonsensically (and all over again) said that men in the Catholic church are meant to follow a "Petrine principle" that allows men — but not women — to be ordained, run things, and mirror Christ. Women are called to follow a "Marian principle" and mirror the feminine church, not — heaven forfend! — the male Christ. (Translation: women are called to serve). 

Jemar Tisby's "White Nation Under God" Series: Final Two Episodes Now Available

The final two segments of Jemar Tisby's valuable "White Nation Under God" series discussing white Christian nationalism and its role in U.S. political life now have been placed online.  Episode 4, entitled "How Christians Can Resist White Christian Nationalism," features Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Amanda Tyler focuses on how white Christian Nationalists use Christianity as cover for their anti-democratic and repressive ideology, in that way challenging other Christians to resist this misuse of their religion. 

In News: No Joy in Trumpville, Warnock Victory, Why Right Needs Hunter Biden, and Hate Speech on Twitter

Photo of stack of newspapers by Daniel R. Blume, Wikimedia Commons

Jay Kuo, "There Is No Joy in Trumpville": 

This has been a disastrous week—one for the record books, truly—in Trumpland. Three separate calamities went down this week, and we would be remiss to focus on just any one of them.

So the Former US President and Current GOP Candidate for the Presidency Calls for a Coup and the End of US Democracy — And?

President Donald J. Trump 2 March 2019, at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, MD; official White House photo by Tia Dufour, at Wikimedia Commons

Heather Cox Richardson, "Letters from an American: December 3, 2002":

The leader of the Republican Party has just called for the overthrow of our fundamental law and the installation of a dictator. 

I'm Now on Mastodon — Please Feel Free to Connect

I've now succeeded in setting up an account on Mastodon.

My handle there is @wdlindsy@toad.social

Please feel free to connect to me there if you wish. I'm hoping to reconnect via Mastodon to as many of the friends and conversation partners I had on Twitter, with whom I've lost touch after I left Twitter when Musk acquired it. I'm a total novice at Mastodon and don't yet fully understand how it works, but I'll try to get up to speed quickly. Hope to connect there with readers of this blog who are on Mastodon.

Lawrence O'Donnell on Kanye West: "Vile, Deep, Relentless Hatred of Jewish People and Public Praise of Adolph Hitler — Who Donald Trump Was Having Dinner with Last Week"

 

Lawrence O'Donnell states,

This is the day when every apologist for Kanye West, everyone who blames his medication, everyone who blames Kanye West's claimed mental health issues which have never actually been medically documented — this is the day those people are out of apologies for Kanye West. No more pleas for sympathy for mental health issues that have never been medically documented publicly by anyone. No medical records, no physicians, no one who has treated him has ever spoken publicly about these conditions. If you believe he has mental health conditions, you believe Kanye West. That's who has told you that he has mental health conditions, and these mental health conditions that he claims under no circumstances cause antisemitism.

Trump, Fuentes, West, White Nationalists and Anti-Semites: "Don't Normalize This"

Merriam-Webster dictionary

Heather Cox Richardson, "Letter from an American, December 1, 2022": 

Today, Ye, also known as Kanye West, appeared with right-wing white supremacist Nick Fuentes on Alex Jones’s show InfoWars, and was so vile even Jones began to push back. Eventually, Ye praised Nazis and Adolf Hitler. Then, and only then, did the Twitter account of the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee delete its tweet of October 6, 2022, that read: “Kanye. Elon. Trump.”

50+ Colorado Springs Clergy Issue Letter Calling for End to Religion-Based Homophobic Hate Speech — No Catholic Clergy Sign the Letter

Detail from Rogier van der Weyden's "Descent from the Cross," 15th century, Prado Museum, Madrid, at Wikimedia Commons

Mark Wingfield writes, "Colorado Springs clergy speak out against religious hate speech that leads to violence":

As Respect for Marriage Act Passes Senate, Religious Groups (Even Mormons) Support it — But Not U.S. Catholic Bishops

PRRI, "New Survey Shows Strong Support for LGBTQ Rights Championed in the Equality Act"

As the Respect for Marriage Act gained Senate confirmation, Shawna Chen wrote ("Over 20 religious groups call on Senate to codify same-sex marriage") about the more than twenty religious groups that urged the Senate to protect same-sex and interracial marriages. Chen ended her report by stating, 

Commentary on the Train Wreck That is Twitter and Musk: Rich White Men and the Thrill of Breaking Good Things

David Ljungdahl illustration in 1910 Swedish edition of Jules Verne's "Captain Grant's Children," from Wikimedia Commons

I've deliberately held off sharing commentary on the train wreck that is Twitter — and Elon Musk — because 1) rich white men like him are allowed to suck too much air out of the room of public discourse as it is; 2) I refuse to let myself become obsessed with Musk's nonsense and the endless psychoanalyzing of him by commentators trying to figure out why a developmentally stunted narcissist with a hugely inflated ego seems to enjoy destroying a promising if flawed institution permitting valuable public discusssions and information sharing.

Kristin Du Mez's Response to Jay Green on her "Illiberal" Positions: More Nonsense from the "High Priests of White Dude (Increasingly Reactionary) Centrism"

I am glad that Kristin Du Mez has responded con gusto to the charge of Jay Green of Covenant College that she, Jemar Tisby, Shane Claiborne, Danté Stewart, and Beth Allison Barr are illiberal religious thinkers who represent the left-wing equivalent of Rod Dreher, R. R. Reno, Eric Metaxas, Dinesh D'Souza, Charlie Kirk, and the crew at The Daily Wire. She writes,

Conviction of Oath Keepers Militia Leader Stewart Rhodes for Seditious Conspiracy: Commentary

Merriam-Webster dictionary

Significant news in the U.S. yesterday as a federal jury yesterday convicted Oath Keepers militia leader Stewart Rhodes and one of his subordinates of seditious conspiracy for leading the Oath Keepers in their attack on the capitol in D.C. on 6 January 2021. Alan Feuer and Zach Montague write, "Oath Keepers Leader Convicted of Sedition in Landmark Jan. 6 Case":

Thanksgiving Dinner with the Forebears: Questions I'd Love to Ask

A wild change of subject from my usual political-religious analysis (some might say rants): I don't want U.S. Thanksgiving to recede too far in the past without sharing some of my obsessions from another aspect of my life, researching my family tree. I offer this first tidbit because it amuses me, and will perhaps offer amusement to others. It shows how precise the focus of DNA research is becoming for those engaged in genealogical study — if, that is, you believe in the validity of this kind of analysis.

As a former U.S. president and now candidate for re-election dines with a white supremacist anti-Semite Holocaust denier: commentary

Right Wing Watch, 25 November 2022

As a former president and now candidate for re-election dines with a white supremacist anti-Semite Holocaust denier, enlightening commentary:

Post-Thanksgiving Pre-Christmas Baking Commences with Mincemeat Pie and Tarts

A post-Thanksgiving Christmas baking report: yesterday, I began my marathon stint to make mincemeat tarts as Christmas gifts. For a number of weeks, I've had a homemade mincemeat mixture sitting in a crock in the refrigerator to mellow and soak before I do my baking. The mixture consists of peel we candied last winter — orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime — along with raisins, apricots, dates, and prunes, all chopped up, and a mix of pecans and almonds, also chopped. I soaked this in port wine and some pear schnapps we made a few years ago by macerating pears in vodka and adding a bit of sugar, and then added a mix of spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, and cardamom. I also grated two large honeycrisp apples into the mix and, yesterday, as I prepared to begin baking a mincemeat pie and mincemeat tarts, I melted a stick of butter and stirred it into the mix along with some almond meal to help absorb moisture as the pie/tarts baked.

Commentary on Respect for Marriage Act and How Religious Groups — Notably, U.S. Catholic Bishops — Are Dealing with This Issue

PRRI, "Support for Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQ People, by Religious Affiliation, 2015-2021"

An offering of interrelated articles commenting on the Senate vote to advance the Respect for Marriage Act and how religious groups — notably, the U.S. Catholic bishops — are dealing with this issue:

Good Commentary on Youth Vote and Its Significance for Future U.S. Elections

Good commentary I've just read on the youth vote in the recent U.S. elections and what it may signify for the future:

"White Christian Nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection": Episode 3 of Jemar Tisby's "White National Under God Series"

Episode 3 of Jemar Tisby's "White Nation Under God" series commenting on white Christian nationalism is now online. This episode entitled "White Christian Nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection" features a conversation between Jemar Tisby and Andrew Seidel, author of American Crusade and director of strategic response at the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Thomas Zimmer on the Scourge of "Both Sides" Commentary and the "High Priests of White Dude (Increasingly Reactionary) Centrism"

A pictorial commentary on bothsidesism at Merriam-Webster's "Looking at ‘Bothsidesing’"

In a posting today entitled "The Self-Important Arbiters of Reason and the Scourge of 'Both Sides,'" Parker Molloy features a thread that Thomas Zimmer recently posted on Twitter responding to a tweet by Nate Silver defending "both sides" journalism. Every word Zimmer writes in response to Silver, whom he rightly characterizes as "one of the high priests of white dude (increasingly reactionary) centrism," is just so on target and important that it's difficult to choose sections of his thread to highlight. 

Christmas Fruitcake and Thanksgiving Baking

Since American Thanksgiving is all about the table and what's on it (or the t.v. tray and what's on it!), and since friends who urge me to keep blogging tell me they welcome my food musings, I thought I'd share this today. 

As Americans Celebrate Thanksgiving, Obligation to Remember Our Real History

Mural replica in Silverton, Oregon, of one of Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" paintings,  at Wikimedia Commons

It's not Thanksgiving the world over, of course. But for us Americans, who tend to be self-focused, in any case, this is a day on which I suspect many of us think the whole world stops along with us to revel in "memories" of an iconized, mythologized American past that never really existed — at least not in the way we want to recall it. And to the extent to which it did exist, it meant a heap of misery for a lot of people who were mere adjuncts to the main narrative celebrated in our national icons, a narrative of happy native Americans sitting peaceably with grateful colonists, genocide and plunder of land nowhere in the mythological picture. Our iconic picture of American Thanksgiving is an equally fabulous (emphasis on root word "fable") picture of happy (always white, white, white) families, grandparents, parents, children, sitting thankfully and amicably at a long table eating bland foods devoid of herbs, spice, garlic, chili, nary a quarrel or disagreement (or thought?) in sight.

Commentary on Breaking Stories re: U.S. Supreme Court: "The current, carefully engineered conservative majority on the court is made up of deeply corrupted individuals"

James Earle Fraser's "Contemplation of Justice" statue, Supreme Court Plaza, photo uploaded by David to Wikimedia Commons

In her latest Letter from an American, Heather Cox Richardson comments on the story I discussed in a posting yesterday noting the report of Jodi Kantor and Jo Becker that Rev. Rob Schenck, formerly leader of an evangelical "pro-life" non-profit engaged in extensive lobbying in D.C., alleges that Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito leaked to friends the ruling in the Hobby Lobby case before that ruling was handed down in 2014. As my posting yesterday noted, Kantor and Becker indicate that Schenck maintains that, through Alito's friends, he himself obtained inside information about the ruling before it came down, and "used that information to prepare a public relations push, records show, and he said that at the last minute he tipped off the president of Hobby Lobby, the craft store chain owned by Christian evangelicals that was the winning party in the case."

More on Catholic Leaders' Loss of Moral and Pastoral Credibility Due to Handling of Abuse Crisis: Protecting Children, Really?!

Frank Schindler of Baltimore writes the Baltimore Sun, "Bishops show lack of interest in pedophile victims":

Another Mass Shooting in an LGBTQ Club: Stochastic Terrorism and Eliminationist Rhetoric

Detail from Rogier van der Weyden's "Descent from the Cross," 15th century, Prado Museum, Madrid, at Wikimedia Commons

Daniel Victor reports ("Drag events across the country have often faced threats in recent years") that Club Q in Colorado Springs, where the mass shooting has just occurred, was scheduled to host a drag lunch on Sunday in commemoration of Transgender Day of Remembrance. He writes, 

Poolboys, Ménages à Trois Involving White Evangelical Leaders, Alleged Supreme Court Corruption, White Christian Nationalism: In the News

The second installment of Jemar Tisby's video series on the topic "White Nation Under God," about which I've posted previously, is now online. In this episode, entitled "How White Christian Nationalism Threatens Democracy," sociologists Philip Gorski and Samuel Perry, authors of The Flag and the Cross, explain how white Christian nationalism threatens democracy by its willingness to "diminish democracy in favor of political rule by a small group of people who use authoritarianism instead of 'the will of the people' to govern."

Salient Warnings Against Celebrating Results of Recent U.S. Elections Prematurely

Gabriela Ruellan, Nine different shades of red to illustrate the look and scope of the color red, at Wikimedia Commons

Two sobering assessments of the results of the recent U.S. elections that call on us who may be tempted to celebrate the vindication of democracy not to do that prematurely:

Same-Sex Marriage, Abortion, Contraception: The Political Conundrum for Authoritarian Movements (and the Republican Party)

Gallup Values and Belief poll, May 2021, in Record-High 70% in Justin McCarthy, "U.S. Support Same-Sex Marriage"

Some noteworthy recent commentary on the cross-party move in the U.S. Senate to offer legislative protection to same-sex marriage — though the details of this move are not yet entire clear — and on the political connections between that issue and the abortion issue. Jennifer Rubin, "The Senate’s victory on same-sex marriage should terrify the GOP," notes that for Republicans to go after same-sex marriage when they are still smarting from the political reaction to the highly unpopular Dobbs ruling would be politically unwise, to say the least:

On the Twitterpocalypse

David Ljungdahl illustration in 1910 Swedish edition of Jules Verne's "Captain Grant's Children," from Wikimedia Commons

Things are … happening … at Twitter. As Josh Taylor reports in "Twitter ‘closes offices’ after Elon Musk’s loyalty oath sparks wave of resignations," 

On Media and Trump: "Trump and the Media Are One and the Same"; and on Not Taunting the Alligator

White House photo by Benjamin Applebaum of Trump and press in Oval Office, 21 March 2017, at Wikimedia Commons

In the wake of the announcement of the former reality t.v. show host who fomented insurrection in the nation's capital and was twice impeached that he's running for president again, there's continuing good commentary on the role the media have played in putting wind in this man's sails, and what the media could and should do now — though some signs already tell us the media is not learning and does not want to learn, to paraphrase George W. Bush on the nation's children: 

Journalist Michael Gerson, Who Died Yesterday, Writing About One of the "Worst Errors of Moral Judgment" He Made as a Columnist

Michael Gerson, 18 January 2014, photo by AvianMaid, at Wikimedia

Journalist Michael Gerson died yesterday. He was 58 years old and died of kidney cancer. 

Lucian K. Truscott on Political Effects of Covid Death Rates: "Difficult lesson to learn for Republicans that dead people don’t vote"

National Bureau of Economic Research study graphic showing excess deaths by political party throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in Marty Schladen, "Study: More Republicans than Democrats likely died of COVID" 

A few days back, I posted a link to commentary by Jonathan V. Last about how the much higher and empirically proven Covid death rate in heavily Republican counties may be affecting elections (dead voters do not usually vote). Lucian K. Truscott takes a close look at the data regarding this: 

More Recent Commentary on White Christian Nationalism: "What is different now, is that the country is no longer majority white and Christian"

More recent commentary on white Christian nationalism and its strong (political) appeal to many U.S. Christians: in the BBC documentary "Faith on the Frontlines" above, Robert P. Jones of PRRI tells narrator Barbara Usher:

What Trump Has Taught Us: American's Problem is Political and Economic, but Also Spiritual

17th-century mirror, Dutch artist Johannes Hannart (or Jan Hanat), held by Metropolitan Museum of Art, photo uploaded to Wikimedia Commons 

Thoughtful commentary from Jared Yates Sexton in "The Unbearable and Untenable Emptiness" about the face many of us Americans are now forced to see when we look in the sad mirror that is Donald Trump:

In the Midst of Global Catholic Crisis, Look at Whom U.S. Catholic Bishops Choose as Their Leaders

James Tissot's "Jésus Pleura," Brooklyn Museum, New York, Wikimedia Commons

The Catholic church globally is facing the biggest crisis it has faced since the Reformation. This is a deep crisis of credibility, in which increasing numbers of the faithful find it impossible to trust, admire, or follow the pastoral leaders of the Catholic church, and, in growing numbers, even to retain any living connection to the Catholic institution. In the midst of this historic crisis, whom do the chief shepherds of the Catholic church in the U.S., its bishops, choose to be leader of their bishops' conference? Here's an exerpt from a report of Brian Fraga at National Catholic Reporter:

In News: Win for Democracy; Role of Media; Kari Lake's Election Denialists; Abortion; Herschel Walker; Russian Genocide in Ukraine

Tim Miller, "Democracy was on the ballot. And attempts to end it were met with universal scorn," insists, pace pundits who want to downplay the role concern about embattled democracy played in the recent U.S. elections, democracy was, indeed, on the ballot — and it performed well: 

Jemar Tisby and Wendell Griffen on White Christian Nationalism: "Uses Christian symbolism to create a permission structure for the acquisition of political power and social control"

Photo by Tyler Merbler from January 6 attempted insurrection

Several days ago, I told readers about a new a new series of videotaped/podcast discussions about white Christian nationalism being offered by historian and religion scholar Jemar Tisby. The series is entitled "White Nation Under God." The first episode in this five-part series was broadcast on Wednesday, 11 November and is now available online. Its thematic focus:

Commentary on Trump's Announcement: "Trump, who as president fomented an insurrection, says he is running again"

Washington Post headline, 15 November 2022

NPR headline, 15 November 2022

Guardian headline, 15 November 2022 

Commentary on yesterday evening's announcement by the former reality show t.v. star who fomented insurrection in the White House and was twice impeached that he's running for president — above are headlines about this: 

More Commentary on Situation in French Catholic Church: "Structural 'Implosion" and Pope Francis's Mixed Record

More commentary on the eye-popping revelation in the French Catholic church that 11 former bishops, some still sitting and others retired, have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors, and a French cardinal has admitted abusing a 14-year-old girl in his pastoral care in the past: 

In News: GOP Lackluster Performance and Effects of Covid; Limits of Abortion Extremism; Gerrymandering; Jericho March in Arizona; International Ramifications of U.S. Elections; Clarence Thomas

Photo of stack of newspapers by Daniel R. Blume, Wikimedia Commons

Jonathan V. Last offers an intriguing reason Republicans are now underperforming politically, one I haven't seen elsewhere: quite simply, their approach to the pandemic killed off a lot of their voters. One reason the Republicans underperformed this election cycle: they killed off a lot of their own voters during Covid. As he says, "Republicans accounted for about 80 percent more of the excess deaths than Democrats."

"Time's Up, DOJ:" Call for Indicting Criminal Former Occupant of White House, Trump, Grows Louder Post-Election

Photo of jail cell, National Museum of Crime and Punishment, by Zaid Hamid at Wikipedia

"Time's up, DOJ," says former U.S. attorney Andrew Weissmann, with Harvard Law School professor emeritus Laurence Tribe echoing him: time to stop the foot-dragging and indict the criminal who formerly occupied the White House, Donald J. Trump. The cry for Merrick Garland to indict Donald Trump is growing louder and louder following the recent elections and Trump's action yesterday failing to appear to testify under subpoena, while indicating he'll announce a presidential run today.

In the News: Significance of Dems Holding Senate Majority (It's About the Judges); MAGA White Christian Cruelty; Youth Vote; Musk and Twitter

Photo of stack of newspapers by Daniel R. Blume, Wikimedia Commons

Joyce Vance, "Democrats Hold the Senate—and the Ability to Appoint Federal Judges," explains why the Democrats retaining control of the Senate is so important: it's about judicial appointments: 

In News: Democrats Retain Senate Control, Twitter's Apocalypse, Supremes' Savage Credibility Problem, Trump's Racist Attack on Youngkin

Photo of stack of newspapers by Daniel R. Blume, Wikimedia Commons

Kristin Kobes du Mez's tribute to Twitter as the band keeps playing while the ship begins sinking is moving and also sad: such good destroyed by an ill-intentioned egomaniac with way, way too much power solely because he has money. She writes, 

More Commentary from French Catholics about Abuse Story in French Church: "What we are discovering today – with horror – is a twisted system"

Notre Dame cathedral, Paris, photo by Tom S., Wikimedia Commons

As a follow-up to my two previous postings (here and here) about the shocking revelations now breaking in the French Catholic church, indicating that at least 11 bishops, some retired and some still presiding over dioceses, have been credibly accused of having molested minors, and that a French cardinal admits having abused a 14-year-old girl when he was a parish priest, more reactions from French Catholics:

Robert P. Jones on Recent Elections and Abortion Issue, and My Question Again: Whither U.S. Catholic Leaders Now?

I headed the posting I just made about two valuable upcoming discussions of white Christian nationalism in the U.S. with a video from Joy Ann Reid's MSNBC "ReidOut" program. The video features a discussion between Reid, journalist Tim Miller, and Robert P. Jones of PRRI. In the video, Jones talks about how drastically out of step the Republican party, with its plans for a national ban of abortion, is with the American public, as only 1 in 10 Americans supports such a ban. 

White Christian Nationalism and U.S. Politics: Two Valuable Upcoming Events

As informed commentators are reminding us in the wake of the recent U.S. elections, white Christian nationalism — as a powerful force in the nation's politics — is not going away. For that reason, it behooves us to inform ourselves about this ideology and to notice its many effects on our political life, and its plans for the nation if it gains even more power. 

More Commentary on Youth Vote in Recent Elections: "Republican Party's worst nightmare"

More commentary on the youth vote in this week's elections, and what it may signify for the future:

A Fall-Winter Treat: Fresh Cranberries Made into Cranberry-Orange Relish

When cranberries are in season, we make cranberry orange relish constantly. When I was growing up, it was something always on the Christmas dinner table in a pretty cut-glass dish, one of my grandmother’s contributions. It was an accompaniment to both the turkey and ham that were always served at Christmas dinner in the large family gatherings at my grandmother's house. But that was the only time we ever ate it.

More on Abortion Rights as Motivating Force for Voters and on Trump's Toxicity for GOP

Photo of stack of newspapers by Daniel R. Blume, Wikimedia Commons

More dissection of the results of this week's U.S. elections, with continuing claims that "abortion rights proved a hugely motivating force for voters in Tuesday’s midterms" (Moira Donegan) and an astonishing statement by Trump that he rigged the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election in favor of DeSantis, a claim commented on by Heather Cox Richardson and Aaron Rupar:

Soup of the Evening, Beautiful Soup

On Monday, I cooked a big pot of pinto beans and baked cornbread, and we ate beans and cornbread (with pickled beets, buttered sautéed cabbage, and broccoli) the last two evenings. Since I had leftover beans and cornbread, today I've done what Southern cooks have long done when those items are left over: I've made a big pot of vegetable soup, to be eaten with what's left of the cornbread.

More Post-Election Commentary: "If they win, I should get all the credit. If they lose, I should not be blamed at all"

Photo of stack of newspapers by Daniel R. Blume, Wikimedia Commons

Post-election commentary continues. Here are some pieces I've read that I'd like to recommend:

Yesterday's Vote and What It Tells Us About Americans and Abortion: Whither U.S. Catholic Leaders Now?

PRRI, 2022 American Values  Survey

As Oriana Gonzalez reports, not only did voters in Michigan, California, and Vermont just vote  for constitutional protections for abortion rights in their states, but voters in the conservative state of Kentucky voted against a proposed amendment stating that a constitutional right to abortion does not exist in Kentucky. The Supreme Court and the Republican party are clearly out of step with where most Americans are when it comes to the issue of abortion rights, but, as Gonzalez also notes, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (and a Catholic), has stated that if Republicans gain control of either house of Congress, her group's "number one issue" will be to see a national abortion ban enacted.

Reactions of Some Leading French Catholics to New Abuse Revelations in French Church: "Je suis mal"

Graffiti on wall in Lisbon, Portugal, February 2011, showing a priest chasing children, uploaded by Milliped to Wikimedia Commons

I blogged yesterday about the discovery that French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, formerly archbishop of Bordeaux and a member of the influential Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, admits that he sexually abused a 14-year-old girl when he was a parish priest. This revelation comes on the heels of other recent revelations showing that a total of eleven former or serving French bishops are now implicated in reports of abuse. All of this comes on the heels of a report published last year which found that sexual abuse of minors by priests and other church workers in France has been widespread.

Election Commentary: The Red Trickle, Youth Vote, Abortion, Trump's Rough Night

Brian Tyler Cohen, "Lauren Boebert’s 'victory party' before and after she started losing to her opponent

Judd Legum:

The much-discussed “red wave” never materialized.

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Former President of French Catholic Bishops' Conference, Admits to Abusing Girl in 1980s

From Wiktionary

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard:

“Thirty-five years ago, when I was a parish priest, I behaved in a reprehensible way with a young girl aged 14. My behaviour has inevitably caused serious and lasting consequences for this person.”

Ricard was made archbishop of Bordeaux in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. In 2002, Pope John Paul II appointed Ricard to the influential Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

More from Jemar Tisby on White Christian Nationalism: "Chases power by stripping it from others, all under the banner of a divinely-sanctioned crusade"

More today from historian and scholar of American religion Jemar Tisby on white Christian nationalism, and why those of us concerned about the future of American democracy need to educate ourselves about it:

As Election Day Arrives, Warnings, Predictions, Alarm Bells

Alarm bell mechanism, from "Electric Burglar Alarm," The Popular Science Monthly 18,1 (November 1880), p. 59 

As Joyce Vance says, it has become conventional to say that democracy is on the ballot at when elections are held in the US at this point in history, but this conventional wisdom may be true a fortiori this election cycle: