Nathan Rein

"I'm not a lawyer, but by publicly alleging libel, aren't you potentially exposing yourself to libel charges in turn?" - Nathan Rein

"Is it your opinion that there are no anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, or anti-gay pages on Facebook? Several comments have made this point, but I'm curious as to whether you actually believe Christians are being singled out for "hate" (what some might call ridicule) more than the other groups you name." - Nathan Rein

"@Joe Carter , did you know that within the academic field of the study of religion, "history of religions" or "history of religion" is a kind of old-fashioned synonym for "religious studies" or "the study of religion"? (It comes from the German, phenomenological roots of the field, i.e., Religionsgeschichte.) It doesn't have anything to do with having a degree in history. In departments or institutions that call the discipline "history of religions," "sociology of religion" is an area of concentration or specialization within the discipline of "history of religions." A person who identifies him- or herself as a "historian of religion", to an academic in the field, is simply saying "I study religion." Easily misunderstood from a position outside the field, but hey, that's just how it is." - Nathan Rein

"The big problem with all these sorts of discussions is that there's a basic failure to define terms. What is meant here by "religion"? Is religion defined primarily in terms of a Tylorian "belief in Spiritual Beings," or maybe ritual practices, or communal identity and solidarity, or even prescribed, authoritative codes of conduct? The notion that religion is a human universal is usually made meaningless by the fact that "religion" is understood so vaguely and intuitively as to render the claim empty. If we're talking about belief in spiritual forces, does that mean that someone who doesn't subscribe to any traditional religious tradition but who takes horoscopes seriously, or who thinks crystals have healing powers, is "actually" religious without realizing it? If we're talking about the existence of enduring institutions, traditions, symbols, codes of conduct, and authoritative identities, is the military a religious institution? Why don't we consider the Pledge of Allegiance to the..." - Nathan Rein