Dave Banack : May 2009 Archives

And that prof is ... Bart Ehrman, professor of religious studes at UNC-Chapel Hill. He's in the news in connection with the publication of his most recent book, Jesus, Interrupted. As reported at CNN, Prof. Ehrman's family won't talk to him about religion anymore.

It's what comes naturally, according to the author of "The 'Bitch' Evolved: Why Girls Are So Cruel to Each Other," posted at ScientificAmerican.com. He notes a pattern that is probably not news to most readers:

While teenage boys and young male adults are more prone to engage in direct aggression, which includes physical acts of violence such as hitting, punching and kicking, females, in comparison, exhibit pronounced social aggression ....

To public life. Don't let American headlines fool you -- the global tide of faith is still coming in, according to the recently published God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World. The Religious Studies Center Blog provides a short review of the book.

As expected, the California Supreme Court upheld the propriety of Proposition 8's amendment to the state constitution in an opinion released today, but left same-sex marriages performed since May 2008 in force. Here's from the LA Times story:

The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage but also ruled that gay couples who wed before the election will continue to be married under state law.

The decision virtually ensures another fight at the ballot box over marriage rights for gays. Gay rights activists say they may ask voters to repeal the marriage ban as early as next year, and opponents have pledged to fight any such effort. Proposition 8 passed with 52% of the vote.

The Mormon Times reports on one of the more interesting MHA sessions in "Reflections of an Emma Hale Smith biographer." Both stories make interesting reading: the story of Emma Smith, Joseph's first wife; and the story of Linda King Newell, the surviving author of Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, which won the MHA best book award in 1985. Co-author Valeen Tippetts Avery passed away in 2006.