In this essay, we argue that religion, in the Caribbean and Latin America embodies what we term ‘gender ideology’ which, in our discussion, would embody the dialectical contradictions, the unity of opposites, expressed in moments of patriarchal dominance and feminism and women’s liberation. Here, ideology is understood as a system of beliefs, symbols, myths, rituals [...]
Now that the Unites States and indeed the nations of the world are engaged in a fierce battle for economic survival, it will be interesting to watch the antics of the evangelical church, since its message has been so pegged to the dollar over the last few years. The prosperity gospel, aka the miracle-for-money theology, [...]
It has often been argued that religion is a repressive force in women’s lives, and religious texts advise on and justify the inferiority and subordination of women in societies across the globe. Foundations for freedom from religion as well as some feminists and women’s activists all hold the view that organised religion is the greatest [...]
Some bewildered parishioners of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina, had to forego the Sacrament of Holy Communion, after their priest decreed that if they voted for Barack Obama then their vote “constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil.” The Rev. Jay Scott Newman stated in a letter to his congregation the Sunday [...]
The Bible Society of the West Indies and Wycliffe Bible Translators Caribbean together with the University of the West Indies are to be highly commended for undertaking a project to translate the Bible into our Jamaican Creole and mother tongue, the host of naysayers notwithstanding. For too long we have fooled ourselves into believing that [...]
Ikael Tafari addressing an International Rastafari Conference Trade Fair and Expo in 1998 The years between 1968 and 1980 represented a loss of innocence for the anglophone Caribbean. The four most populous territories, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados had gained their independence and the others were close by ’68. A redefinition of self [...]
Mosque in Bridgetown, Barbados. The noonday sun has brought a still over Fontabelle on the northern limits of Bridgetown, the Barbados capital. Then the crackling of loudspeakers envelops the hum of passing traffic. “Allah hu akbar. (God is great.) Ash hadu Allah elaha. (There is none worthy of worship but Allah) …Haya allal salah. (Come [...]
A UN report on Religious Intolerance almost a decade ago noted a “significant rise in religious extremism and intolerance” around the globe, with religious minorities enduring the backlash of prejudice and stereotyping. The 23-page report pointed out that the trend cannot be examined without considering the political, social and economic conditions that nurture it, at [...]
Richard Dawkins, Oxford University professor and one of the most passionate exponents of Darwinian evolutionary theory since the 1970s, has at long last ceded his position of notoriety. Once the strongest and most vocal critic of religion among a group of thinkers and writers comprising the “New Atheism” movement, Dawkins now shares the spotlight with [...]
The Rev. John Thomas at the UCC synod. A Christian denomination invites its most famous active member, who is running for the state presidency, to address its landmark synod on how his faith manifests in his public life. Almost nine months later, as it becomes clear the member has an outstanding chance of winning, a [...]