Quran Read-A-Long: Al-’Imran 55-63 Insists on Jesus’ Humanity, Not His Divinity

Verse 55 is interesting for the different ways it would be interpreted by whomever is reading it. For instance, Christians would read this and assume that it is an outright praise of their religion and a guarantee that they are going to heaven. Why? Because it says that those who follow Jesus are placed above [...]

Zen Talk: Getting What We Need to Get What We Need

“When you are deluded and full of doubt, even a thousand books of scripture are not enough. When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much.” – Fen-Yang
I love the extremes provided in this quote, considering that it comes from a religion and school of thought so [...]

Fun with the Bible: Obama’s Inauguration Ceremonies, Religion and the Bible

Yes, it is a little late for such an article seeing as how we’ve been enjoying our new president (who would have thought we could ever say “enjoy” and “president” in the same positive sentence?) for nearly two weeks now, but as it happens, I recently got a column in a new upstart paper called [...]

“All About Mormons” (712) Is South Park’s Explanation of Joseph Smith and Mormonism

I know that on a blog called The Zen of South Park, a blog dedicated to a book on religion and South Park, you would expect a pretty long post on South Park’s episode about Mormonism. But you’re not going to get it.
This episode is incredible, relatively accurate and an amazing portrayal of Mormonism for [...]

Religion in the News: Monks Brawl at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Where Jesus was Supposedly Crucified

As many of you know, I used to live in Jerusalem. I did my masters at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. One of my favorite places to visit in the city, and one of my absolute favorite to bring visitors, was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was such a fascinating place with so [...]

Religion in the News: Will Atheism Be Advertised on London Buses?

The Situation
The British Humanist Association has decided to run advertisements on buses that say, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” After raising more money than they expected for this endeavor, they may even get some in-bus ads going. Richard Dawkins, world renowned atheist and author of The God Delusion has [...]

Korn Stops Father Maxi From Ruining Halloween in South Episode 312, “Korn’s Groovy Pirate Mystery”

I absolutely love this episode of South Park. Not only is it about Halloween and guest-stars Korn, but it’s about the Occult and the conception of religious people about Halloween.
Father Maxi hates Halloween and doesn’t want anyone to celebrate it. He calls it the most unholy of holidays which is an inherently contradictory statement because [...]

Cartman Ends Atheism in the Future in “Go God Go XII” South Park Episode 1013

I LOVE this episode – it is the spectacular conclusion to episode 1012, “Go God Go II,” which aired last Wednesday and can be read about HERE. Sassy Doc and I had a great conversation following my post so check it out.
This episode is about an atheist future in which Cartman has found himself and [...]

Democratic and Republican Jews Battle for Jewish Florida Voters with Jackie Mason and the Great Schlep

As some of you may know, there’s an election coming up in early November, when the good (and bad) people of the United States of America will have to decide who they want as their next president: John McCain or Barack Obama.
Because Florida is often such an important swing state in any election (think Bush-Gore [...]

Six More South Park Episodes of Cartmania Lead Us to the Mid-Season Premier

Yep, Comedy Central is going crazy, throwing South Park episodes at us left and right. I’m really excited for this Wednesday’s mid-season premier and hope you are too. The episodes on tonight, which comprise Cartmania, are:
Ginger Kids (911)
Tonsil Trouble (1201)
Go God Go (1012)
Go God Go XII (1013)
Christian Rock Hard (709)
The Death of Eric Cartman (906)
Such [...]