Good Wednesday morning! It’s the day before the great feast symbolizing how the Native Americans welcomed the original illegal immigrants:
"They sneak into the US, refuse to learn the language, or to assimilate to the local traditions" #HappyThanksgiving! pic.twitter.com/90YMDg4d9t
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) November 25, 2014
But those first aliens contributed a lot to the society they found. Like Black Friday.
What’s the latest from Ferguson?
A “better night,” authorities say — triple the National Guard presence and dozens arrested, but that’s an improvement, at least in the short term.
Religious groups continue to push for long-term solutions, with lapel cameras for police a concrete agenda item for Churches Uniting in Christ, e.g. Also check out the “Theology of Ferguson” website.
My personal fave:
This is what theology looks like. https://t.co/hfRMEuXYIt I can't get enough of this. Who'll remix it/set it to music for me? @selfagency?
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) November 25, 2014
Black Jesus
The National Black Catholic Congress has developed an African-American Youth Bible that shows Jesus as a black man, which seems apposite this week.
Pardon me?
The President will pardon some turkeys, another great Thanksgiving tradition, and in Seattle, the mayor pardoned a Tofurky. Of course. At America magazine, Jim McDermott, SJ, rolls his eyes:
(H)ere’s the real issue: in a country that has so many of its citizens locked up—in 2014, the United States has more people per 100,000 in jail than anywhere in the world other than Seychelles (note to self: do not visit Seychelles)—the idea that we make such a to-do about pardoning a bird is an embarrassing illustration of just how mixed up our priorities are.
If we really want a presidential pardon for Thanksgiving, let’s make it meaningful. Let’s pardon some people.
Radical notion.
Chopped Liver Pie?
It’s one of “5 Delicious Jewish Recipes for Thanksgiving.”
I wonder if the Pilgrims had that one? The others rock, for sure. Check ’em out, it’s not too late to spice up the most American of holidays.
PS: Our Own Tobin Grant reminds us that the Pilgrims LOVED their beer! So be sure a tote a six-pack to Grandma’s house.
Israeli President Slams Divisive Jewish Nation-State Bill
That’s the story from The Forward:
“The formulators of the (Israeli) Declaration of Independence, with much wisdom, insisted the Arab communities in Israel, as well as other groups, should not feel as the Jews had felt in exile,” President Reuven Rivlin said in a speech on Tuesday.
NB: Just last night I started catching up on recent New Yorker mags and read David Remnick’s excellent and fascinating profile of Rivlin.
Pope Francis on terrorism and sex abuse
Speaking to reporters yesterday on his return from Strasbourg, where he addressed the European Union parliament, Francis said he would never close the door on negotiations with ISIS. He also raised eyebrows by saying that unilateral “state terrorism” lead to “anarchy of another level.” Hmmm… Full text of news conference here.
Regarding clergy sex abuse, the pope said, “the truth is the truth, and we must not hide it.”
BTW, the AP has a good story that clarifies a Boston Globe story about the Vatican’s new sex abuse prosecutor, the Rev. Robert Geisinger.
FYI: The pontiff’s address to the EU was pretty powerful, IMHO. The WaPo has the best “zingers.”
The latest from ISIS
Not exactly a negotiating stance, it seems:
The before and after of the monastery in Mosul that ISIS destroyed yesterday, via @AGisotti pic.twitter.com/sloRRDC7OX
— Ines San Martin (@inesanma) November 26, 2014
Guns v. God
Constitutional rights may collide in Washington as a city council committee proposes legislation that would bar guns from houses of worship. Will the Second Amendment trump freedom of religion?
That Sabbath thing really doesn’t work for me
Hence the spike in attendance at midweek services, says a leading Church of England cleric.
The Dean of Lichfield, the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, said many people still crave quiet reflection, but are seeking out less “pressurised” times in the week to worship than Sunday mornings. He said weekends are now “very committed” for most families in an era when life is “run at the double.”
How many lawyers does it take to deal with Scientology?
If you are making an HBO doc based on the landmark Lawrence Wright book, “Going Clear,” the answer is “probably 160.”
Truth:
https://twitter.com/mckaycoppins/status/537321637184802816
Are #Christian hashtags rallying the faithful or just luring trolls?
Sarah Pulliam Bailey investigates.
HOLIDAY NOTICE: Religion News Service will go “dark” tomorrow and Friday so that we can stuff ourselves and argue with family and watch terrible football games.
But if you want to do something more productive and resonant with the holiday, read this story about Dave Mitchell, the “turkey man” at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. He is forgoing chemo treatments this week so he can cook turkeys for the homeless, as he has done every year.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving all. Thankfulness is all.
