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2025-08-21T16:39:07-04:00

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 the Death of James Dobson

Last updated on: August 21, 2025 at 4:39 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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I woke up this morning and found out that James Dobson was dead. It’s hard to even know what to say, when an evil man dies. As a Catholic, I’m supposed to say “May God have mercy on his soul,” and that’s sticking in my throat just now. My mother taught me not to speak ill of the dead, but this particular dead man committed the sin of scandal so many times that I feel I’d be sinning myself if... Read more

Education and Religion

Family, Parenting and Religion

American Christianity

2025-09-07T17:43:13-04:00

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.

I Shouldn’t Have to Talk About Eugenics

Last updated on: September 7, 2025 at 5:43 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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I shouldn’t have to talk about eugenics. Eugenics is one of those ideas that was stupid to begin with and never should have had a renaissance: like miasma theory, or the myth that vaccines cause autism. Yet here we are. Everything that was old is new again. When I was a teenage conservative who thought all Christians had to be Republicans, I was told that Democrats who were pro-choice were pro-eugenic. They wanted to eliminate disabled babies to create a... Read more

Health, Fitness and Religion

Family, Parenting and Religion

2025-08-19T00:41:36-04:00

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 Gathering Storm and a Butterfly

Last updated on: August 19, 2025 at 12:41 am By Mary Pezzulo

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If I am just overreacting lately, I’ll be pleased. But I don’t think I am. If things never get any worse in the United States, but just stay exactly as they are, it’ll be better than I expect. But I think they’ll get worse, and I think they’ll get worse quickly. I don’t know how it feels to be in a great big city right now. I only know how it feels to be in a small town... Read more

History and Religion

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2025-08-16T23:54:48-04:00

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.

An Assumption Day Offering

Last updated on: August 16, 2025 at 11:54 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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Assumption Day was a puzzling day, as all Marian feasts are to me. Other people have an easy time envisioning the Blessed Virgin as their mother, and I don’t. I would like to know what it’s like to feel close to a mother. I have never known what to do to make a mother love me, not once. Earning love from a mother, even placating a mother, was always impossible. I don’t know how to do that. “Mother” is one... Read more

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Women in Religion

2025-08-14T14:49:48-04:00

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.

Summer Ends, In a World Without Mercy

Last updated on: August 14, 2025 at 2:49 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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Summer ends, first with a bang, and then a whimper. I had been moping at home for several weeks, worrying about the Artful Dodgers and the end of the world, entertaining Jimmy’s Boy, going to the lake when it wasn’t too hot. But then I helped out with the end-of-summer camp at the church outreach, reading storybooks out loud until I was hoarse. It felt relaxing to not have any time to think. I didn’t worry about anything for five... Read more

Family, Parenting and Religion

Home and Religion

2025-08-03T22:59:50-04:00

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.

The Children in the Cloister

Last updated on: August 3, 2025 at 10:59 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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They came in during the Liturgy of the Word. I was in my hiding place, in the room across from the cry room. It doesn’t seem to have a purpose of its own; it’s just a room where they sometimes hang coats and vestments, and where they keep the defibrillator and the first aid kit. People line up there to get to the bathroom. I call it my cloister. I still can’t stand to sit in the congregation, and... Read more

2025-08-01T23:36:16-04:00

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.

A Just Society Cares About People

Last updated on: August 1, 2025 at 11:36 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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I’m not saying that you have to agree with me on everything, politically. In fact, I think it’s better if you don’t. I think in a healthy democracy, you’re supposed to have a huge diversity of reasonable people, all of whom love their country and none of whom want to deliberately hurt anyone, but all of whom see things a little differently. I think you’re supposed to have stuffy conservatives and starry-eyed liberals and a few genuine libertarians and... Read more

Politics and Religion

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2025-08-01T12:55:58-04:00

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 Library at the End of the World

Last updated on: August 1, 2025 at 12:55 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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We’ve been going on drives. Adrienne and I usually drive to the lake to go swimming, but sometimes we drive other places. We drove down to Wellsburg, where I once met that homeless woman, just to stand on the pier and feel the Ohio river tugging at it. On the way back we passed a log cabin built in 1788, when Wellsburg, West Virginia was called Buffaloe, Virginia, and Steubenville was nothing but a fort. We drove to Moundsville,... Read more

Home and Religion

2025-07-30T01:16:05-04:00

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.

In A Nation that Does Not Welcome Children

Last updated on: July 30, 2025 at 1:16 am By Mary Pezzulo

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Jimmy’s boy comes by to inspect the garden at least twice a day. He is terribly lonesome now that the Dodgers are gone, and there’s still a few weeks before school begins again. I said he’ll be old enough to take lessons at the church outreach this year, and I’ll be honored if he’ll come to my art class. I promised I’d take him to the dinosaur museum as soon as we catch up on bills and renew our membership,... Read more

Family, Parenting and Religion

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America

American Christianity

2025-07-26T14:02:49-04:00

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.

I Care About Other People. It’s Terrible that You Don’t

Last updated on: July 26, 2025 at 2:02 pm By Mary Pezzulo

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You have to understand, I actually care about other people. No, I’m not a perfect or even a very good person. I’m often awful. But I genuinely do care about other people. And I thought most everyone did. I used to think that the world was full of people who genuinely care about others. When I was a teenager, when I was in the pro-life movement, carrying my cardboard sign on the bus to the March for Life, I... Read more

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