The lists of things you should never say
By Rachel Marie Stone — August 8, 2014
Is it really admirable or edifying, though, to insist on lists of rules of what one must "never" say? Do these lists get at the heart of the matter -- that all of us, in our words, should strive to "speak unto others as we'd like them to speak to us?" Do these lists leave room for grace?
Inclusive language for God does not equal heresy
By Rachel Marie Stone — August 5, 2014
God gets to define who God is, and no one else does. If God is pleased to express God's nature in female metaphors, as a birthing, nursing, comforting mother, who are we humans to object?
Will the next ‘religious’ battle be fought over Vitamin K?
By Rachel Marie Stone — July 30, 2014
Yet another reason to push back — hard — against anti-vaccine scaremongering: at least seven babies have been admitted to Vanderbilt University’s Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital with cases of VKDB — Vitamin K Deficiency bleeding, which can cause brain damage, intestinal hemorrhaging, and death. It’s a relatively rare disorder. It’s also 100% preventable when […]
Afraid to look death in the face? That’s a spiritual problem.
By Rachel Marie Stone — July 14, 2014
What is lost when we turn funerals into parties that actively deny the finality of death? In seeking to alleviate pain by posing dead people in 'lifelike' poses, do we not save up a different kind of pain for later?
When religious (and political) identity trumps inquiry — and facts
By Rachel Marie Stone — July 7, 2014
What would happen if we could unhitch ourselves from such identity games and celebrate the freedom of thought that is supposed to be a cornerstone of American identity? What if facts were not perceived as grave threats but as invitations to ongoing inquiry?
