Sightings Articles
Phone Versus On-Line Honesty — Martin E. Marty
“What fresh hell is this?” was poet Dorothy Parker’s question when her phone or doorbell rang. Opinion-surveyors and telephone-pollsters may often be greeted by Parkeresque answerers, but data now suggests that many of the called choose to be nice to...
May 26, 2014
Hindu Nationalism — Martin E. Marty
The Monday editions of Sightings, which I write, usually focus on “public religion” in the United States, while Thursday’s postings, written by various contributors, frequently “go global.” Through the years, however, I have learned that treating Ame...
May 19, 2014
Hispanic Catholic Trends — Martin E. Marty
“This is huge.” Emma Green interrupts her own reporting (May 7, 2014) on desertions from Roman Catholic heritage and affiliation. Before her self-interruptive gasp she had begun her report: “According to a new Pew study, over the past three years, th...
May 12, 2014
Death Penalty — Martin E. Marty
“People who believe in the death penalty should be very concerned about this,” warned David B. Muhlhausen of “the conservative Heritage Foundation.” “This” is what Muhlhusen suspects is a move by President Obama “to weaken the death penalty system.” ...
May 5, 2014
Canonizations — Martin E. Marty
Yesterday, the Roman Catholic world and many other worlds celebrated the canonization of two new saints, Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. Non-comatose readers ofSightings need no further attention to be paid to the details and the drama of the ...
April 28, 2014
British Priesthood Uptick — Martin E. Marty
Do you know what “wonga” is? I didn’t, but my research assistant, Dr. Google, helped me learn. An Australian English word of aboriginal origin, “wonga” is slang for money in certain parts of Britain. Why care? Because the staid Economist (April 19, 2...
April 21, 2014
Pope Asks for Forgiveness — Martin E. Marty
Holy Week in the Western Christian calendar is a time for Christians to confess their sins, ask for forgiveness, and seek to amend their lives. A billion believers will be doing all that in the five days ahead. Some may do it in their churches, some ...
April 14, 2014
Business Ethics — Martin E. Marty
Fifty Catholic academic-ethicists wrote President John Garvey of the Catholic University of America (CUA), protesting the university’s acceptance of $1 million from the Charles Koch Foundation to support programs on “principled entrepreneurship.” S...
April 7, 2014
Hobby Lobby — Martin E. Marty
At the end of its current session, probably in June, the United States Supreme Court will hand down rulings on a case coded by many as a “religious freedom” issue. Religious America, or, if you prefer, Secular America, through its media and popular e...
March 31, 2014
End of Elite Denominational Headquarters — Martin E. Marty
Chapels, churches, synagogues, cathedrals and other buildings are often the most visible and stable signs that religious institutions exist. Urban landscapes are still marked by the steeples of downtown churches; suburbs still boast edifices surround...