Category Archives: Atheist

Eric Andre. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Eric Andr is sort of the perfect person to play a hard-Christian-rocking, Holy Spiritwielding Texan preacher when you think about it. Sure, hes Jewish and an atheist and has dabbled in the satanic, at least on his Adult Swim show. But he cares about people, can speak in tongues, and his disciples would follow him to the ends of the Earth.

On the new season of The Righteous Gemstones, which premiered Sunday, Andr plays Lyle Lissons, a celebrity preacher who represents the new generation of megachurch worship in contrast to Eli Gemstones (John Goodman) old guard. He line dances with Joe Jonas, owns some sort of child ranch, and is trying to rope in Jesse (Danny McBride) or at least Jesses daddys money on his grand designs for a Christian resort in Florida. Andr spoke with Vulture before the premiere about how preachers are like WWE wrestlers, actors are like furniture, and horses are like demons straight from hell.

Hows it going?My exterminator thinks I look like Eric Andratti. He goes, Did anyone ever tell you you look like Eric Andratti? I go, Nope! Not specifically that, but Ive gotten similar comments.

Thats an interaction Im kind of amazed didnt happen more often filming Bad Trip.Ill tell you why it didnt happen: Notice the age range of the people we pranked. The majority of people we pranked were over 45. You dont notice a lot of skateboarders in the movie.

So what youre saying is it was basically your version of Betty Whites elderly prank show, Off Their Rockers.I forgot about that. I should rewatch that. That can go south, though, because what if somebody has a heart attack or something?

Or poop themselves.Aging is so miserable.

When you last spoke with Vulture, Bad Trip wasnt out yet. Now its on critics year-end best-of lists. Whats it been like to get that kind of reception?It was so heartwarming after making the movie and trying to get it to see the light of day. It took eight years from conception to release, so that fills my heart with joy, hearing that.

Between that and Righteous Gemstones, youve done a lot of line dancing and Florida-based, Americana-themed comedy this year. What drew you to Gemstones? I know the great Brandon James, a producer at Rough House. We were talking about a different project, and then he hit me up for this, and I put myself on tape and booked it. I think that they are so brilliant. I love Danny, and I love everything that they put out. Their horror movies are incredible, too. I just think theyre a really smart team of people, and theyre state-of-the-art as far as scripted comedy goes. I dont think anybodys getting away with or doing anything at their level in the scripted-comedy and situational-comedy space. So it was like, Im a fan of their work, and hell yes, I want to collaborate.

It wasnt this academic thing right after Bad Trip. It wasnt that masterminded. It was more just like I love these guys and everything they do, and I want to work with their company. Bad Trip was a road-trip movie. Road-trip movies by design are kind of a love letter to the nation. It wasnt cynical, it wasnt punching down, and it wasnt trying to embarrass people. It was showing the beauty and humanity of everyday Americans people of color and the working class.

Your character, Lyle Lissons, is introduced as this counterpoint to Jesse Gemstone. Hes a Texan pastor just as ridiculous and ostentatious but maybe 40 percent smarter. What was it like to film those scenes, playing the high-status one shaking things up? What is the energy like on set?Those guys are really nice. Theyre very polite and respectful and collaborative. They create a very welcoming and nourishing environment. Theres no egos or assholes on set. So I felt very comfortable. The industrys chock-full of damaged people. They were not. They were just very supportive. I felt like I was with a supportive peer group that was on the same wavelength. Ive been watching their material for over ten years, so I had already done my research. I know their style from being a fan of their style.

The very first thing I booked when I moved to Los Angeles was Curb Your Enthusiasm. I had all of two lines of dialogue, but I booked that right away because I just watched so many episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm going into it. After I booked that, it was like a fluke; I didnt book anything. I didnt book a single audition for like ten years.

The scene where youre introduced is not dissimilar to an Eric Andre Show intro. There are pyrotechnics. People are falling over. Its a physical performance. What do you think megachurch pastors and comedians have in common?They want your attention. They want to command the crowd. They want money and a ton of amphetamines and no-strings-attached sex.

Was that a real Christian rock song or something made up for the show? I think that was made up for the show.

You have a music background are you the one shredding in that solo?I was faking it 100 percent. Filmmaking is an illusion. It was invented by a French magician.

Your character has to be in line with the wacky visual language of the show. How did you develop his look? The costume designer and the producers and the writers come up with all that stuff. I just show up early and try on outfits, and Im happy theres lunch. Im flattered you thought I had as much creative control as that.

When youre just an actor for hire, you just try to look like a cutie-pie in your costume, memorize your lines, and stand on a green piece of tape.

If the job is to look like a cutie-pie, you succeeded! Theyre like furniture. You just, like, move em around next to different lights and you get them to go. [Andre makes Muppet noises.]

This is a show thats full of dicks, blood, and vomit. Will we see your character show any of that this season?Theres some blood. I dont know about any dick or vomit.

Danny McBride is good at holding up the male end of HBOs nudity thing. Lotta dicks.

I read that when you were prepping for the role, you asked Danny to send you videos of really eccentric preachers. Were there any that stood out to you?One of the craziest names This guys name was, like, Bojangles Sharpton. Something insane [Andre checks his Notes app.] Oh, yeah! Creflo Dollar.

Who else did you use as inspiration for the character? Megachurch preachers are a lot like WWE wrestlers. Its all kind of the same schtick. Joel Osteen, obviously. Hes the David Copperfield of that industry.

Next question, Jew to Jew: How exaggerated or implausible does the depiction of American televangelist megachurch culture seem on The Righteous Gemstones? Im an atheist Jew, so Im not the one to ask. I dont frequent a lot of megachurches. From the videos Ive seen, its not that far off. Its an old form of therapy, and its a form of community for a lot of people. What do people want? People want to be entertained. They want to feel like their misery and their suffering on this Earth is going to be okay, and when they die, theyre going to be up in heaven playing air hockey with Jimi Hendrix. It scratches a lot of itches for a lot of people with hard lives.

Was this your first time working with a Jonas? Yes, it was. The first of many.

How was Joe? He was lovely. You never know what youre gonna get with people who have been through the Disney machine or got started young, but he was very lovely and sweet.

Favorite Jonas Brothers song?Uh all of them.

Your character owns a ranch. Will we see you on a horse this season? Noooo, no. I had to ride a horse for Im not joking ten feet one time for this show I did, Man Seeking Woman. I had to just get on the horse and enter frame, and it was the fucking hardest thing I ever had to do on camera. Any time you see one of those old Westerns where the guys are, like, looking around on horses those guys are a different fucking breed. Those are bestial fucking hell demon animals.

You didnt fall off or anything, did you? I didnt fall off, but I was holding on for dear life. Ive been bungee jumping. Id rather go bungee jumping again than get on the back of a fucking horse. Those are fucking demon animals. We actually had a horse in a bit on The Eric Andre Show, and I didnt have to ride it, and it was cool.

Jessica Lowe plays your characters wife, Lindy Lissons. How was she as a scene partner? Shes amazing. Shes a total pro. If you look at her IMDb, shes worked more than anyone Ive ever met. She is just incredible to work with sweetheart, incredibly talented, and commits to every take and gives gold every time. Shes very, very easy and pleasurable to work with. Shes awesome.

Now that youve played a preacher, what role is next? A rabbi? President?A rabbi president. President Shlomo.

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Eric Andr Thinks Horses Are Demons From Hell - Vulture

A mum has described how she has been trolled after revealing she called her baby son Lucifer.

Josie Barnes, 27, says there was no religious reason why she chose the name for her seven month old she just liked it.

She says she did not call him the devil and he is actually a miracle baby because she lost TEN children before she had him.

Mum-of-two Josie says she spotted Lucifer in a baby name book and liked the sound of it and nearly chose Narnia.

Josie, who lives in Devon, revealed the name when she called the Jeremy Kyle TV show.

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She says she has since been trolled with vile comments.

Josie says: Ive been called an atheist I didnt even know what an atheist was till last night! Everyone has their own beliefs.

When it comes to religion and real life, they are very different things one is actual living and the other is in a book.

The Devil is not the meaning of my sons name.

Josie, who lives with her partner and her two young children, says there was no biblical inspiration for seven-month-old Lucifers name.

She says his arrival into the world was actually a miracle due to her physical health conditions.

Josie said: I have was diagnosed with hemiplegia in September, then found out I was pregnant with Lucifer in October.

So the pregnancy alone was stressful.

I looked at thousands of baby names and it wasnt a decision I made lightly because I knew it was the last child I could ever have.

Josie has put herself on the registration to be sterilized due to fertility issues that have affected her ability to have children.

She said: I had Lucifer six years since the birth of my first daughter because during that time I lost ten children.

I never thought I would be given the chance to have a second child.

I assumed I was having a girl so I picked a girls name because we are a very female-dominated family.

I was going to call her Narnia but then I found out I was having a boy.

I like the names I like, it may not be right for other people.

When I chose his name I knew people wouldnt like it but its not up to them.

When speaking about why Josie first rung up to talk on Jeremy Vine, she said: I rung up initially on impulse because of the topic.

its one that is very close to my heart because a lot of my friends have changed their babies names due to pressure from other people.

Its actually quite funny I rung my mum just before appearing on the show expressing my delight that I had been selected to speak and when asked my childrens names, I really didnt think Lucifers name was that out there but apparently it really is!

On TV, I actually agreed with Jeremy Vines statement Is it ok to criticise baby names because at the end of the day, if you choose something unique someone will always have an opinion on it.

But, that doesnt mean you should change it, people will always have an opinion and you cant listen to them because its not their kid its not their life.

No matter what I call my children, someone out there is going to have an issue.

I think its really bad where a 7-month-old month baby gets criticised and bullied because of a name.

That is when we need to remember that society is the problem, not our personal choices.

A name doesnt change you being a mother.

I had a couple of family members saying you cant call him that, but I said Im not religious so it doesnt stand for what other people think it stands for.

But my dad knows what Im like and that I like to be unique so he said that seems like you.

Josie says she has received a huge amount of hateful comments since appearing on TV.

But she has also received lots of messages of support from people who also love her sons name too.

Im so lucky Im thick-skinned because a lot of these death threats are so horrible and scary she said.

I have at least 15 people sending me lovely messages in my inbox who also have kids named Lucifer!.

I just want to say thank you to those people that have shared kindness and love with me, and have said what I think Its just a name!.

Josie also has another six-year-old daughter.

opinion has been divided on social media.

One person wrote: Going to bullied all his life. How sad and another said Poor lad.

However, others were in support of the name Lucifer with one writing: My son is called Lucifer nothing wrong with his name we love it.

Another also wrote: I think its a lovely name.

SWNS reporting by Lauren Beavis.

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Mother trolled with vile comments after naming her babyson Lucifer - Central Recorder

I was recently interviewed by a secular news outlet about a new fictional film featuring nuns. I almost didnt do the interview. Why not? Because I know better.

Ive done many of these types of interviews. They usually dont turn out well. How so? More often than not, the interviewer is woefully ignorant of and not interested in religious literacy. These journalists often dont come with an open mind meaning that theyve already formed their opinions, the article is already written in their heads and they just need a veiled specimen to weigh in a with a few quotes (often twisted and taken out of context in order to sound more adversarial or just plain kooky).

Even if one of these inquisitors might have some good will, you can be sure theres an editor hanging a sword of Damocles over their head to produce something controversial and sensational.

Said scribes often have an axe to grind with religion in general and the Catholic Church in particular. They cant fathom her teachings, personally embrace something quite contrary, and because of that, in our woke culture, dont understand that their job is to present an impartial news story, not advocate and agitate for their cause.

To top it all off, the nun movie in question was a particularly lascivious one. (I only watched the trailer and had seen enough, but the reporter still wanted to interview me.)

A veteran New York media professional reached out to me and told me I shouldnt have dignified the film with my commentary and let it profit from your rightful objections, citing that no publicity is the worst kind of bad publicity. I shared with him how and why I took the bait. I had actually done a 90-page paper for my Media Literacy Masters entitled: The Image of Priests and Nuns in Film, so I was rather prepared. And couldnt resist.

Needless to say, my most brilliant points did not find their way into and shape the rather shallow and cursory end-product.

The problem with bad nun movies is that they run on stereotypes. There are typically six. 1. The mean nun (often Mother Superior). 2. The sexy nun (often a lesbian, but thats not a requirement). 3. The mentally ill nun (believes shes having supernatural experiences). 4. The ditzy nun (super cute, but one crouton short of a Caesar salad). 5. The nave nun (invincibly innocent and dreamy). 6. The mousy nun (scared of her own shadow religious life is her safe space).

Why these six? Because these are the only categories the filmmaker has! If the filmmaker is an atheist, or a believer but not a Catholic, the lives of nuns are unfathomable. To the atheist, we are deluded women who have married our invisible Friend in the sky. To the non-Catholic believer, there must be something else wrong with us. It couldnt possibly be that God is real and He is more than enough for us. It couldnt possibly be that we simply want (because God has called us) to radically dedicate ourselves to love of God and neighbour.

I was taught in film school that a screenwriter should write what you know. This doesnt mean to limit yourself only to your experience, but to write about emotional territory that you know. This knowledge can be transferred into any lifestyle, profession, geographical location, set of relationships, etc., but you gotta know what youre talking about. That rarely seems to happen with (bad) nun movies. At least do your homework!

What other cinematic figures would get such shoddy treatment? Puhleeeeze. You can find a decent-looking habit with a simple Internet search. We do not wear rosaries around our necks, let alone wall rosaries. (If youre not familiar with a wall rosary, its a large decorative rosary you hang on a wall. The beads are the size of golfballs.)

Dont get me wrong, there are plenty of well-done nun flicks. My favourite will always be The Trouble with Angels. I guess my stereotype is the spunky nun.

To finish off my hour-long interview, I was asked a wonderful, thought-provoking question: What would you like to see in nun movies and religious movies in the future? I had to think for a moment, but then I had it.

Id like to see holiness, I said. Ordinary people striving to live out their vocations with all their highs and lows. And that doesnt mean boring. Everyone has a story to tell. Everyones life is fascinating. Everyones life is an adventure. Especially when you let God in.

(Sr. Burns, fsp, is a Daughter of St. Paul. She holds a Masters in Media Literacy Education and studied screenwriting at UCLA. HellBurns.com Twitter: @srhelenaburns)

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Sr. Helena Burns: Every life is fascinating a nun's too! - The Catholic Register

Jan 6th 2022

ON JANUARY 7TH Orthodox Christians in Russia and Ukraine, among other places, celebrate Christmas. Most branches of this traditionalist church retain the Julian calendar, a precursor to the Gregorian calendar used in most countries (the name refers to reforms by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582), which puts Christmas on December 25th. In recent years, in the wake of Russian attacks on Ukraine, the festival has gained new significance. For decades Ukraines Russian-affiliated branch was the only one in the country recognised by Orthodox church leaders. But on January 5th 2019 the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a separate body with no ties to Russia, was granted self-governing status by the head of the Orthodox church in Constantinople. What caused the split and how does it play into tensions between the two countries today?

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Few people in Orthodox Christian countries are churchgoers. Around 12% of the population in Ukraine and 6% in Russia attend regularly, according to the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank and pollster. But a far higher share78% of Ukrainians and 71% of Russiansidentify as Orthodox Christians. Religion is linked to national identity: 51% of Ukranians say it is important for a person to be Orthodox to be truly Ukrainian, and 57% of Russians say the same. Their Christian history is long and closely entwined. The faith arrived in the ninth century in Kievan Rus, a state that spanned modern-day Belarus, Ukraine and western Russia. Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, have traced the roots of all three countries back to this kingdom in an effort to justify their regional hegemony. As national boundaries shifted, the shared origin of the Russian and Ukrainian churches bound them together. After the fall of the Soviet Union, officially atheist, Ukraines church remained a subsidiary of the Russian patriarchate.

Unusually, the Russian-affiliated church was not the only Orthodox body in Ukraine. A second church, established after the Russian Revolution mainly for Ukranians in exile, returned to the country after independence. And in 1992 a third, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, was established as an independent national church. The divide between these churches and the Russian branch reflected the tension in Ukraine between an independent European identity and Russian influence. The Russian church, which claimed to have more than 11,000 parishes, was dominant, particularly in the eastern part of Ukraine, which abuts Russia and has many Russian-speakers. The other churches had around 5,500 parishes between them, many in the west.

Russias annexation of Crimea, a Ukrainian province, in 2014 hardened attitudes to the Russian Orthodox church. In Ukraine opinion polls showed that support for its leader, Patriarch Kirill, plummeted from 40% of the population in 2013 to 15% in 2018. Orthodox believers left the Russian-affiliated church for the independent churches in droves. In 2018, Petro Poroshenko, then Ukraines president, asked the Orthodox churchs overall leader, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, to grant Ukraines church autocephaly, or full self-governing status. Patriarch Bartholomew later told the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank, that he had rejected seven such requests from Ukraines independent churches, but the appeal from the president and parliament convinced him. After the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received tomos, the document confirming its autonomy, at least 500 formerly Russian parishes switched to its jurisdiction. It is recognised internationally by a handful of Orthodox churches and many other faith groups. But Russia has refused to accept the church. It broke off relations with Constantinople following its decision to grant autocephaly. Those Orthodox churches that have subsequently recognised Ukraines have received similar treatment from Moscow.

In Russia, the split still rankles. Vladimir Putin, the countrys president, has said that autocephaly was intended to divide the peoples of Russia and Ukraine. In July, months before he sent 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian border, Mr Putin claimed that the countries spiritual unity was under attack. Supporters of the Russian church, which still controls thousands of Ukranian parishes, marched in Kiev that month. But for all the noise, church autonomy in Ukraine is almost certainly irreversible and will hasten the cultural divorce from Russia. Last month, in a sign of that growing divide, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine proposed moving Christmas Day to December 25th.

More from The Economist explains:How well do lateral-flow tests for covid-19 work?Do boycotts of sports events, such as the Beijing winter Olympics, work?Where else in the world celebrates Thanksgiving?

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Why did the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox churches split? - The Economist

I have written much about suicide ideation since the passing of my dear son in August 2020. Mental health is a topic that should be front and center in all our minds and hearts, not just for those who know loved ones and friends who have succumbed to the demons of the day.

Since Skylers passing, I have doubled down on my mantra of doing some good every day and my desire to live life more intentionally. This was his mantra as well, and I would like to expand on his vision as I outline suggestions for modern day peace.

In my studies of monks and those who have dedicated their lives to discovering their identity, I have found keys to create the peace and abundant life we all seek. These keys apply to everyone, whether you consider yourself to be spiritual, religious, nonspiritual, nonreligious, secular or atheist. All can benefit.

In his book Letters from the Desert, the late Carlo Carretto, an Italian Catholic and Jesuit youth advocate, was very busy doing wonderful things. Still, he felt he hadnt really made the connection with God he desired. So, in his mid 40s he left for the desert to find his center. He left his entire life and friends behind and spent 10 years in the desert of northern Africa with a few of his Little Brothers, living as monks, to discover answers to his deepest questions.

For Carretto to leave his busy and seemingly fulfilling life behind in this way is an inspiration to me and has made me desire to go to my own desert to gain answers to my own questions. I have also discovered that this process is ongoing, not a one and done event. In this way, as we find the rituals and rhythms that elevate our souls, peace and purpose expand in our daily lives.

Experiencing peace begins with finding our sacred space. For Carretto, it was the desert in northern Africa. For us, it will be wherever we decide. This becomes our symbolic desert. For example, I have two spaces that invite the meditation and reflection needed to grow my peace and focus my purpose. One is my one-hour walk in the hills of my town each morning, and one is my office, where I am surrounding by many friends my books. These spaces are symbolic of my own monastery, a place set apart.

In their monasteries, the monks prepare questions that invoke deep thought and meditation. These questions are answered over time as we invoke our own monastic routines. Lets consider questions we might ask in three phases of our lives. Your questions may be vastly different, but you will get the idea.

These questions are foundational to establishing a life of purpose, but as we mature in years, there are other questions:

And then, if you are in the phase of life I am in (retirement age), you might ask:

In all of these questions and processes, we can learn to live our lives more intentionally and find peace in the process as we discover and rediscover our purpose. If you are a person of faith, then finding this purpose may include discovering what Gods purpose is for you also.

Ponder where your desert might be and the discoveries you will make as you go there. In part two of this discovery of finding modern day peace, we will explore shaping our own domestic monastery (building out own pillars of peace) as we listen for the ringing of the bells.

Steve Hitz is a co-founder of Launching Leaders Worldwide, a nonprofit organization that provides young adults with tools for personal leadership and faith. He is the author of Launching Leaders: An Empowering Journey for a New Generation, and Entrepreneurial Foundations for Twenty and Thirty-Somethings.

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How people struggling with their mental health can find peace | Opinion - Deseret News

Even the choreographer Reggie Wilson sees how many would think that his new piece, Power, is just another version of they stood shaking while others began to shout, which premiered in 2019.

How many people have made pieces inspired by Mother Rebeccas Black Shaker community? he said, dissolving into a characteristic fit of laughter. But while the two works have some similar movements, he added, theyre really not the same piece at all.

When Wilson became aware of Mother Rebecca Cox Jackson, a Shaker eldress who formed her own community in Philadelphia in the 19th century, he was immediately intrigued about how Black and Shaker traditions intertwined or didnt. Shaker worship incorporated dance. Both of Wilsons works are based on an imaginative speculation: What might Mother Rebeccas worship have looked like?

And the look matters, at least in Power, which is to have its New York premiere at the Harvey Theater at BAM Strong, Thursday through Saturday, Covid permitting. (A community performance in conjunction with the Academys tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is scheduled for Monday.)

For Power, Wilson engaged two costume designers as collaborators: Naoko Nagata, with whom he has a long history; and Enver Chakartash, who designed the vivid, patterned costumes for his Citizen (2016). He wanted both of their voices. As this project started, I was just like, well, heres a crazy thought, Mr. Wilson: Why dont you have two costume designers? he said. Who gets to do that?

He added: I think it is the first time that Ive thought about the costume design as the major collaboration.

Chakartash and Nagata were involved from the start, working separately with Wilson and the dancers at Hancock Shaker Village, a museum and farm in the Berkshires. (Power was also developed at Jacobs Pillow, the dance institution nearby, where it received its world premiere.)

Half of the time was with Enver there and the other was with Naoko, Wilson said. I asked them not to speak about what they experienced until both had come back. I figured why just have them start off doing the same thing right away?

Power opens with Wilson singing and moving, almost tenderly, pieces of fabric, which become the designs for the opening trio billowy, diaphanous skirts that later expand into dresses and overalls as costume changes happen onstage or in the wings. Throughout, sleek dancewear is also on display. For Wilson, the costumes create a world or, specifically, three landscapes that brings his vision of the Shakers to life.

It had to do with us not wanting it to settle into one place or time, Wilson said. It keeps mutating and it goes from more dance-y and athletic to kind of more historical character to more design.

While the designers studied Shaker materials shoes, fabric, lace and needlework at Hancock, Wilson and the dancers learned reconstructed Shaker dances from a video by the Enfield Shaker Singers, directed by Mary Ann Haagen. Its just like, let me start seeing what this actual movement feels like on the body, Wilson said. Because looking at it is one thing; trying to do it is another thing.

For Power, the idea is to capture different iterations of a question that Wilson is pondering: What if the Shakers of Mother Rebeccas community learned a dance from one of the New England communities and then took it back to theirs? How would it change and morph? And this all unfolds within Wilsons lens of postmodern dance.

Recently, Wilson spoke about this new piece and how his company, Fist and Heel Performance Group, has reacted to dancing communally its emotional and the power it helps to create, both internally and externally. Here are edited excerpts from a recent conversation.

Why does Mother Rebecca Cox Jacksons community interest you so much?

Most Shaker communities are rural. [Jacksons] was urban and primarily women. And primarily Black with a few Jewish women and a couple of men. So its like, what did it look like?

So much of the research that Ive done is thinking about Black worship traditions and shout traditions. I was like, OK, so here was a woman itinerant preacher with the possibilities of this folk spirituality, right? So maybe they did this? Basically, Power is multiple versions of it could have looked like this or it could looked like that.

You have talked about the power of the dances and how power manifests as energy. Can you elaborate as to how that relates to the piece?

When I was first starting and I landed on the title Power, it seemed like such a different model of power not patriarchal power, but a kind of feminine or matriarchal power from within. This also matches my interpretation of a lot of Africanist practices, where, during initiations, you are on your own individual search. Like you are receiving your gift from God, you are receiving what your role in the community is supposed to be. And the way you enter into spirit and trance is going to be slightly different than the person next to you.

Its individual?

Its this individual power in relationship to the communal. Not just the community, but the communal.

What is the difference?

How do you bring yourself in relationship to others? By being fully yourself. And its not about minimizing or squishing yourself, but about tailoring or customizing it to be able to exist next to another.

Theres so much dancing in this piece, and I think its going to feel so good to see it in person. I know thats not the only point, but

It is!

Is it like this piece is an energy?

Its power. The piece is about power, and its the type of power that is internal and external at the same time.

When I was doing a lot of research with the Spiritual Baptists from Trinidad and Tobago, they say higher heights and deeper depths. So youre always working in two directions at the same time. The Shakers also had a saying: Hands to work, hearts to God. To me, its so postmodern, too!

How?

Its just like [the postmodern choreographers] David Gordon or Trisha Brown. Each step has its own power, its own trajectory. It has its own there goes the word! It has its own power. And how do you give the agency and the care to each step?

Its like the mundane. What they did at Judson [Dance Theater, the 1960s experimental collective] was putting the mundane back on the table.

And this is putting simplicity back on the table?

Its putting simplicity, its putting everyday-ness, its putting labor, its putting work. The labor of a step, the labor of whether its an arabesque or a Caribbean step or a folk Irish step. Its all powerful, and its all valuable.

Its all equal?

Yes. Its all equally valid and its all equally powerful. Can I put the ballet next to the Fosse? Wheres the Fosse? Now youre going to look for the Fosse. [Laughs]

Is there really a Fosse moment?

Im sure there is. Theres always a Cunningham, a Balanchine, a Fosse. Theres probably one or two Sabar steps from Senegal. Theres probably some steps from Zimbabwe.

So we learned the patterns and the steps of these reconstructed Shaker dances. Thats the core material. Now, if we want to Africanize it and Reggie-fy it, what do we do? Its just taking this original thing and then playing with it.

What does simplicity mean to you in regard to the piece?

In thinking about how complex you can get with a simple kind of repetitiveness. When we started learning the reconstructed Shaker dances, we started seeing the patterns that were coming up and how it felt and impacted the religious and the nonreligious members of Fist and Heel. That was interesting. Seeing it actually manifested on bodies weaving back and forth and how those patterns played out and also seeing the emotional impact it was having on some of the dancers.

In what way?

There was one dancer who cried. I was like, Oh my God, were never going to get through this. [Laughs] And its somebody in the company that is a complete atheist and not agnostic, but atheist. And I was just like, Well, you apparently are having some conversation with Mother Ann. Mother Ann [Lee] was the founder of the Shakers.

Has it affected you emotionally?

[Pauses] As much as any of my pieces do, so yeah. I do joke that weve all become Shakers, but nobody is trying to actually go the whole nine yards and move up to Sabbathday Lake in Maine.

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Reggie Wilson Explores the Power of Moving Together - The New York Times

For me, and many like me scattered all over the world, Christmas will always be spelt Calcutta.

The Calcutta I knew and loved embodied the spirit of the Yuletide season which, like the mellow December sunlight, seemed to seep into the houses and streets so that the city appeared to glow with a borrowed radiance.

From the mazy lanes behind Ripon Street and Elliot Road rose an aroma of cakes, each made to an Anglo-Indian recipe as prized as a family heirloom, given to be baked by Muslim bakeries, and to be eaten as an ecumenical prasad by Christians, Hindus, and atheist Marxists alike.

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Christmas city: Calcutta, the City of Joy, was never more joyous than in the Yuletide season - The Times of India Blog

My earliest reading memoryI was being read a picture book of Waltzing Matilda by my dad, when my nose started bleeding again; Id been hit with a ball in the face earlier in the day. A big drop splatted right in the middle of the book and I remember thinking: Uh oh Ive ruined a book! I still have that book and I still see the dried-out splotch.

My favourite book growing upThe BFG by Roald Dahl. It was the first book that didnt feel like homework. There was a darkness to it that felt forbidden, but still on the right side of scary. I felt very proud when Id finished it, but also sad as I didnt want it to be over. A feeling Ive grown used to over the years.

The book that changed me as a teenagerI was not a big reader as a teenager. I had too much else going on, like being a failed delinquent, football, and helping look after my mother. But I read The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, a nonfiction book about a convergence of weather patterns in a north Atlantic storm that made waves so big they broke the equipment used to measure them, and a human story that weaves through the scientific data. It hooked me on a life of reading nonfiction, and the true seismic shift of reading that book was the realisation that storytelling wasnt just about fiction.

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The writer who changed my mindRichard Dawkins, in my very early 20s, about the difference between agnosticism and atheism. I read some of his work at a turbulent time in my life. I had just lost my mother, having been raised Catholic, and feeling the church was wildly hypocritical, I became, as I used to say, devoutly atheist. But I came to understand that this too was a story, and one that was as potentially closed-minded as any of the major religions. Agnosticism, on the other hand, left open the possibility that we humans couldnt possibly know everything. I have given up on trying to be sure of anything and it is liberating. Ironically, Dawkins himself is a famous atheist, but there is a relief in being absent from the arrogance of both atheism and religion. The only main difference in all this is the story we tell ourselves.

The book that made me want to be a writerThe Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I came to it late in life, and realised immediately the raw kinetic power of picture books as a vehicle for art and storytelling.

The book or author I came back toMy dad always insisted I read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I tried in my mid 20s, but couldnt get my head around the cadence of it, and gave up. Years later, he prompted me again. This time I stuck with it admittedly out of respect for my dad and am thankful for doing so. It was the first time I ever had a physical reaction to a book, like Id been winded or punched in the gut.

The book I rereadAt Home by Bill Bryson. It explains why our homes are the way they are, how we got there through trial and error and centuries of history.

The book I could never read againA Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I adored this in my early 30s, the academic toilet humour of it. I tried reading it again, but perhaps too much has changed, or the humour is no longer fresh.

The book I am currently readingI currently have five books on the go. I know this infuriates some people, but its how I do it. Im not in the same mood every evening.

My comfort readJohn Grisham novels on long flights.

Theres a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers is published by HarperCollins Childrens Books (20). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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Oliver Jeffers: Catch-22 was the first time I had a physical reaction to a book - The Guardian

Back in 2010, Elana Kagan and Sen Lindsey Graham engaged in a delightful banter that made headlines.

The South Carolina Republican asked Kagan, who had been nominated to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, where she had been on Christmas Day. Kagan replied, You know, like all Jews, I was probably in a Chinese restaurant.

The entire room resounded in laughter and a round of applause.

The celebration of Christmas has always been part of my life and I love the season. But how do non-Christians deal with this very Christian holiday? I posted this question on my Facebook page: As of Dec. 15, I have received 146 answers.

The first the very first, mind you post confirmed the validity of Kagans response. Jews traditionally eat Chinese food and watch movies, a Jewish friend wrote. Taking in a film, although not cited by Kagan during her conversation with Graham, is indeed on the agenda for many Jewish families at Christmas. A non-Jewish friend posted, I used to work for a Jewish company, and a co-worker told me that Christmas Eve was Hebrew Night at the Nashville cinema. Maybe Christmas Day, too.

Another response reflected how national customs play a role in determining how Jews observe Christmas. By celebrating Christmas despite being Jewish. Path of least resistance. This friend wrote that Jews born in the Soviet Union grew up with the tradition of putting up a New Years tree and getting presents from a Santa-like figure on New Years Eve, followed by a feast.

My friend was referring to Ded Moroz (Grandpa Frost). Like our Santa, he wears a long fur coat and sports a beard. Unlike our Santa Claus, however, Grandpa Frost is accompanied by a female helper named Snow Maiden, who is his granddaughter.

Grandpa Frost and Snow Maiden survived the fall of communism and remain a vital part of the Russian New Years celebration. Indeed, the Wests Santa Claus is seen as an unwelcome rival who poses a threat to a beloved Russian tradition.

When I attended Altons Unitarian church, we had a traditional Christmas Eve service that included singing carols such as Silent Night. A friend from my Unitarian days posted, When she was much younger, one of my granddaughters once said that UUs [Unitarian Universalists] are like Jews except we get to have Christmas.

Another UU friend, who now lives in another state, shared I still love the Christmas hymns. We've told the kids that we are celebrating Jesus who we think was a very good man kind of like MLK.

Several friends posted that they observe pagan rituals. I celebrate Yule on the night of the solstice, a San Francisco friend wrote. I light a log with three candles maiden, mother and crone and do a full Yule ceremony. Many ancient cultures built enormous bonfires on the winter solstice to encroach on the darkness and encouraged the sun to grow strong again. This tradition lives on among contemporary pagans. A friend who lives in the Riverbend posted that her family builds a fire to welcome the sun back.

Several friends affirmed that one neednt be a Christian to enjoy Christmas. Its simply human nature and culture to celebrate abundance at the darkest hour of the year.

No one owns Christmas but the celebrant, whether Pagan, Atheist, or Christian, one noted. As though to confirm that assertion, a New Mexico friend posted, Im an atheist who loves Christmas. There are no rules I need to follow, so I simply take the parts I like gathering, giving, sharing and loving -- and ignore the nonsense parts.

Two replies were particularly memorable. My friends and I make a Christmas dinner and take it to a migrant shelter in Mexico, an old high school classmate posted. A romance writer who rescues animals wrote, I visit with a 95-year-old Christian neighbor who is alone on the holiday.

The empathy and compassion of these two women embody the very essence of Christmas.

John J. Dunphy is an author, the Godfrey 15th Precinct Democratic Committeeperson and recording secretary for the Godfrey Democrats.

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No one owns Christmas but the celebrant - Alton Telegraph

In 1996, John Updike released his 17th novel, In the Beauty of the Lilies, a story about a Presbyterian minister, Clarence Wilmot, who loses his faith, leaves the ministry and becomes an encyclopedia salesman. In a strange case of art imitating life, Updike was narrating my story. I was a Baptist minister who had slowly been losing my faith. That same year, I left the ministry and embarked on a second career in technology sales.

While Updike captured my painful but liberating movement from Christianity to agnosticism, he failed to narrate the stigma and stereotypes associated with being an agnostic or atheist.

Some equate atheism with being immoral and even amoral.Some of the criticism leveled at nonbelievers comes from the suspicion that those who do not believe in God could not possibly believe in anything else, moral or otherwise.Several years ago, a coworker, upon learning of my agnosticism, said, So you just believe and do anything you want? That he had engaged in several extramarital affairs was lost on my hypocritical colleague but not on me.

The notion that atheists and agnostics do anything they want to do is not uncommon; however, it is woefully and recklessly ignorant.

Comedian and atheist Penn Jillette says hes often asked, Without God, whats stopping you from raping all you want? Jillettes response? I do rape all I want, and the amount I want is zero.

The late Christopher Hitchens had a standing offer to name a moral thing that was done in the name of religion that hadnt been done by an atheist. Morality isnt the sole provenance of religion, and immoral persons can be found in pews and prisons alike. A former member of my second congregation, a deacon in a cross-town Baptist church, axe murdered his wife and mother-in law, believing God directed him to do so. Thank God he wasnt an atheist!

It is precisely because of these religious prejudices and stereotypes that many agnostics and atheists do not discuss their worldviews in public or even private settings, and if they do, they dont necessarily tell the truth.

Timur Kuran, in Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification, argues that social pressures can make people say that they want and believe something they really dont want or believe. Kuran calls this preference falsification, a phenomenon that occurs when you make an inaccurate public statement about your actual preferences or beliefs.

Some of the criticism leveled at nonbelievers comes from the suspicion that those who do not believe in God could not possibly believe in anything else, moral or otherwise.

These same social pressures have forced many LGBTQ persons to remain in the closet, for fear of condemnation (often at the hands of the Religious Right), rejection by family, and in the case of Matthew Shepard, torture and death. The 2015 Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage, however, gave some LGBTQ persons the courage to come out of the closet and affirm their true sexual identity. While we as a country and society have miles and miles to go before we sleep on the issue of LGBTQ rights, we have made measurable strides in the last few years.

The same cant be said for our nations and societys view of atheists and agnostics. In spite of the Obama administrations passing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 2016, many Americans still do not want atheists teaching their children or marrying them. They would, according to surveys, prefer a female, gay, Mormon or Muslim President to having an atheist in the White House.

To be sure, no closet, neither LGBTQ nor atheist, has ever been padlocked. The choice to come of out of either closet is free and deeply personal. But if the LGBTQ closet is largely empty, the agnostic closet remains, with stigma and stain awaiting anyone who decides to leave it.

Last year, I wrote a book in which I discuss my journey from minister to agnostic and critique popular religious notions like everything happens for a reason. I have friends who reviewed my book online, some of whom masked their names to avoid being outed by their association with a controversial topic and agnostic author.

I dream of a day when the atheist closet is empty. When epistemic humility is the intellectual norm and credal dogmatism is the outlier. I envision a world where the burden of proof for an invisible supreme being falls on the believer, not the skeptic. Until then, I hope that the flickering flame of my own religious journey will be a beacon of courage and hope for those cloistered in the last closet.

David Ramsey was a Baptist minister for 10 years, serving as senior minister to two congregations in Virginia. He earned a bachelors degree from Wake Forest University and a master of divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School. He also was a fellow in religion and leadership development at Princeton Theological Seminary.

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Atheism and agnosticism: The last closet Baptist News Global - Baptist News Global