Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Rachel Marie Stone

Home
Progressive Christian

2015-04-14T09:52:32-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is Religion Harmful to Children? A Prominent MD Rethinks Jesus.

Last updated on: April 14, 2015 at 9:52 am By Rachel Marie Stone

Dr. Paul Offit was pretty sure that religion was harmful to children. But while writing his newest book on medicine, the co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine was surprised by Jesus. Offit says he always had moderate respect for religion but started to doubt when, as a young attending physician, he saw five children die within 10 days during an outbreak of measles in Philadelphia in 1991. At the center of the epidemic were children who were unvaccinated in accordance... Read more

2015-03-23T13:22:23-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Long before Bittman, the classic, quietly bestselling cookbook about health, faith, and justice

Last updated on: March 23, 2015 at 1:22 pm By Rachel Marie Stone

There were no shortage of nutty Christian diet books in and around the churches and homes I frequented as a child and teenager. Most notable among these, for me, was Gwen Shamblin’s Weigh Down Diet. For whatever help it may have offered to some people, for me, its directives — only eat when famished, take tiny bites, eat slowly, fill up your stomach with calorie free liquids, etc. — supplemented my already-regimented, calorie-counting ways. I’m thankful that The Weigh Down... Read more

More With Less Cookbook

More-with-Less

weigh down diet

2015-02-06T11:30:00-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

No, vaccinating your children (or not) is not a “personal decision”

Last updated on: February 6, 2015 at 11:30 am By Rachel Marie Stone

Actually, it’s the exact opposite of that. Religion is sometimes said to make people abandon reason in order to maintain allegiance to their faith. But I’d say that American politics are threatening to do the very same thing. The President says “you should get your kids vaccinated” — mind you, he doesn’t mandate a thing — and vaccination instantly becomes a question of partisanship? Rand Paul and Chris Christie both stepped up quickly to bang the ‘freedom’ drum, as if... Read more

2015-02-02T20:44:35-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Roald Dahl, Whose Daughter Died of Measles: “It is really almost a crime to let your children go unimmunized.”

Last updated on: February 2, 2015 at 8:44 pm By Rachel Marie Stone

I’ll just make it clear from the outset where I stand: I believe that every Christian, especially the social justice minded, has a duty to vaccinate themselves and their children. For most of today I have been sitting on the couch with my nearly 7 year old son, who has been vomiting and taking tiny sips of water at regular intervals since 6:15 this morning. I am not particularly worried. He is already improving. I am sure it is some... Read more

2015-01-23T17:37:05-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Your right to forgo vaccines ends in our shared airspace

Last updated on: January 23, 2015 at 5:37 pm By Rachel Marie Stone

This piece from The Onion, “I don’t vaccinate my child because it’s my right to decide what eliminated diseases come roaring back” is, next to Eula Biss’ sterling book, On Immunity, the most appropriate response to the vaccine “controversy” that I have ever seen: As a mother, I put my parenting decisions above all else. Nobody knows my son better than me, and the choices I make about how to care for him are no one’s business but my own.... Read more

2015-01-20T13:17:16-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why you should still bring canned goods to food drives

Last updated on: January 20, 2015 at 1:17 pm By Rachel Marie Stone

We live in a time in which most of us are so savvy that we’re in danger of being cynical; so wise to the way the world “actually” works and exploring the hidden side of everything that we are apt to do nothing. Foreign aid? Creates dependency, is imperialism disguised as benevolence, more harm than good. Altruism? Just another way of asserting one’s superiority, ensuring the survival of one’s seed; an ego stroke. “Gift” catalogs where little kids can “buy... Read more

2015-01-14T15:19:24-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

On taking communion: why it’s okay to make crunching noises

Last updated on: January 14, 2015 at 3:19 pm By Rachel Marie Stone

It may not seem like it, but this is a question of serious theological import: it is definitely okay — no, more than merely ‘okay,’ it is meet and right and your bounden duty to audibly chew your communion bread in church. When I was a very small girl — no older than five or six — a young woman in our church, who I liked and admired a great deal, made an offhand comment, in reference to taking communion,... Read more

2014-12-11T10:08:46-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Talking with children about death and God and Christmas (and much more)

Last updated on: December 11, 2014 at 10:08 am By Rachel Marie Stone

One of my sons talks a lot about death, and it comes up in the strangest conversational contexts. Such as: “I like to talk baby-talk.” “Why? Do you want to not grow up and always be my baby?” “No, I want to not grow up so I don’t have to die.” Yeah. Heavy thoughts going on inside that mind of his. He will then sometimes go on to enumerate his fears about people we know who are elderly, or who... Read more

2014-12-06T21:27:54-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Very Foodie Giveaway

Last updated on: December 6, 2014 at 9:27 pm By Rachel Marie Stone

Let me be clear: I do *not* think that right now is “the most wonderful time of the year.” It’s dark. It’s cold. It’s rainy. And all the news is bad. You know it’s rough when you start to feel jealous of the cat. My cat spends his time with his head pressed against the heating grate, sleeping, or else eating. Eating. That is the great thing about this time of year. It’s good napping weather, sure, but it is... Read more

2014-12-04T08:43:10-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Tis the season for really sad songs in church

Last updated on: December 4, 2014 at 8:43 am By Rachel Marie Stone

It is really no wonder that Western European Christians began celebrating Advent in the days and weeks leading up to the winter solstice, the time when the light starts creeping in, ever so slowly. But what’s weirdly incongruous is how American culture — and many churches right along with it — “celebrates Christmas” beginning sometime in October or November with all the holly jollying and ebullient, sometimes false, cheer. I have heard that many Americans find themselves feeling depressed in... Read more

signs of ending all around us

winter solstice

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter Thomas Andrew John

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "health" activism agriculture animals anorexia Anticipating anxiety art autumn Baking beauty beer Bible Big Food binge eating blogging body image Books Bread of Life breastfeeding brokenness candy cartoons celebrity chefs children chocolate Classical Duckfaces Connecting consumption cooking creation care creativity current events death Dessert diabetes Dieting Eating Together Emotional Eating fair trade Faith Family Fannie Farmer fast food fat talk Films Food Food Policy formula feeding Gardening gluten free Grace gratitude guest posts guilt HIV/AIDS holiday hospitality housekeeping Jesus Joy just for fun Justice kindness Local media moment of joy north fork, long island OI parties personal pharmaceuticals photo photography plumpy'nut popular culture poverty pregnancy Preserving real food recipes rest restaurants School Food Seasons spring starvation summer Table Talk taste television theology travel Tuesdays With Fannie Uncategorized winter

Select a Month April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 May 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian