How could someone go from bored teenager to mass-murdering race warrior? It starts with the dangerous reality of online radicalization into white supremacy.
The events of this last week bear witness to something troubling all right—but it’s not quite the trouble you’ve been hearing about in the national media or on Twitter.
Nonviolence is a wonderful aspiration, but is it always God’s will? In the face of true evil, Latter-day prophets make clear our obligation to sometimes fight.
Many Americans continue to be shocked by alarming portrayals of January 6th. But certain possibilities and realities about the day are simply not being heard.
Joining the Church of Jesus Christ healed me from the violence and exploitation that is common to many women and taught me to expect more from men.
Some of the charged responses to inexplicable tragedies like this are only understandable. And some are clearly standing in the way of both greater healing and more effective prevention of future violence.
Much has been said about the Christian nationalism present in the hate crime mass shooting in Buffalo, including by us in the Public Square Bulletin. In fact a search for “Buffalo Shooting” and “Christianity” all center on the Christianity of the shooter, whether decrying the role religion played in leading to the shooting or taking efforts to separate religion from the actions of the shooter. But little has been said about the faith of the victims and community. This is a common thread in media reporting on tragedies, focusing on the way religion influenced perpetrators, but not how it helped heal victims. Religion News Services interviewed Rev. Denice Walden about the attack, and she was able to turn the focus to just those too-often underreported questions. Walden said, “We’ve also put out a call to clergy to just be a presence in this community. Just be a presence of peace, a presence of comfort, a presence of love in this community. Because at the end of the day, that’s what’s going to help us start to process. That’s what’s going to help us start to heal.” After the climax of a tragedy has passed, and the journalists move on, those remaining are often left with the long work of healing and community building, and it’s there where religion shines.
A spate of vandalism is targetting Catholic churches in the wake of the leaked opinion reversing Roe v. Wade. https://kdvr.com/news/local/boulder-church-vandalized-for-2nd-time/ This occurs at a time when hate crimes on the basis of religion are on the rise across the country. And most of this violence seems to be based on a mistaken idea about what the actual impact of a Supreme Court Ruling in the Dobbs case would actually mean.
With the upcomin FX/Hulu series portraying The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a dangerous breeding ground for violence, it’s valuable to reflect on the long history of similar efforts
As valuable as it can be to stay updated on world affairs, the intimate and incessant witnessing of human heartache in the digital age can be overwhelming and distract from other important things. Don’t be afraid to set some boundaries.
As we seek to improve policing in the United States, here are three concrete ideas and fresh practices from the British that we may do well to consider.
