Sudden Interest in "Civil" Discourse After Gays and Their Supporters Begin to Prevail in Culture War: Why?

Isn't it interesting that the calls for "civility" (and here) in our discourse about controverted issues always come only after our group finds itself on the losing side of an historic cultural battle? Then, all of a sudden, we're interested in seeing an issue like including gay human beings in church and society and treating them as fully human discussed with "civility."

I'm Here: About My Recent Silence, and About Yesterday's Judicial Ruling in Arkansas Striking Down Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

I apologize for my silence in the past several days. Steve and I are away now on a short trip, and I haven't found much reflection time to permit me to blog in the past several days. This was one of those trips about which you don't think much, and then it comes barreling into your life, and everything else suddenly takes second-seat to the need to pack, meet a flight, and then pursue the business of the trip, which, in our case on this trip, has been all about attending lectures at the National Genealogical Society Conference in Richmond — another opportunity made possible for us by cashing in frequent-flyer miles.

The Supreme Court on Christian-Specific "Ceremonial Prayer" in the Public Square: My Take

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on religion-specific (i.e., Christian-specific) prayer at public meetings in the U.S., by way of Eyder Peralta at NPR:

Short Takes on the Princeton Won't-Apologize-for-White-Male-Privilege Tempest in a Teapot

Brief takes on the current tempest in a teapot in right-wing media circles: the essay of Princeton freshman Tal Fortgant defiantly claiming that white men must refuse to apologize for their privileged position in most societies around the world (Time has helpfully reprinted it, assuring that it will grab national attention): 

Quote for Day: Peter Isely on Abuse of Minors by Religious Authority Figures — "This Is Torture"

Peter Isely on the Vatican's attempt to deny that there are any connections between sexual abuse of minors by Catholic religious authority figures and torture: 

Vatican Orthodoxy Watchdog, Cardinal Müller, Delivers New Slap to American Nuns

Also in the news right now, hot off the Vatican's presses (so to speak): the latest slap-down administered to U.S. nuns by the head of the Vatican orthodoxy watchdog office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Müller. The Vatican has just posted the text of remarks Müller made at the end of April to the leadership team of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. In a word (or two), Müller is Not Pleased with how LCWR is handling its current situation of receivership, about which I have blogged here, which requires it to consult with its Vatican-appointed overseer, Archbishop Sartain, for any important steps it chooses to take.

Vatican Fails to Wow U.N. Committee on Torture

As Nick Cumming-Bruce reports for the New York Times, Vatican representative to the United Nations Archbishop Silvano Tomasi was grilled yesterday by the U.N. Committee on Torture. The committee is asking searching questions about whether the Vatican's less than optimal response to the crisis caused by revelations of the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic authority figures represents a violation of the Vatican treaty with the U.N. regarding torture.