Religion and Spirituality

[Editor's Note: President Obama's announcement to support gay marriage has a lot of implications among black voters, especially among the religious community which has historically shied away from backing gay rights. BlogHer LaShaun Williams of The L Factor feels the President has turned his back on African American voters in the process. Read on to see why. --Grace]  Read more

[Editor's Note: Do you have friends who think like you, politically and religiously? A lot of people do. But Neely Stoller writes about her friendship with another blogger -- Ashley from Ashley's Carnival Ride -- who happens to have different beliefs about politics and religion. She tells us why being friends with people who are different is not only possible, but wonderful. --Grace] Ashley is a Christian Republican. I am a Jewish Democrat...but lets be real....Liberal. Yes we are best friends.  Read more

[Editor's Note: In our society, sometimes there's this idea that fighting racism is for black people (or Latinas, or Asians, or Native Americans...). Well, The Mormon Child Bride doesn't think so! She's talking straight to the leaders of her religion, the LDS church, in this blog post. --Grace]  Read more

[Editor's Note: Happy Thanksgiving! Tomorrow is Black Friday ... or Buy Nothing Day. How will tomorrow set the tone for your holiday season? Caroline has some suggestions if you want to keep it low-key in 2011. -Rita]  Read more

(Editor's Note: With the NYC Marathon less than a week away, we'll be featuring some of our favorite posts from runners in the BlogHer Network. Whether you're a newbie looking for inspiration, a veteran looking for advanced training trips or a spectator interested in following your favorite runner, check back for posts on Marathon Mania. The first in the series is from Dorothy Beal of Mile Posts and it's one of the most popular posts on her blog.  Read more

[Editor's Note: While Halloween usually depicts death as something ghoulish and scary, the Mexican holiday the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, has a different take. Living in California, my kids learn about this holiday in school. But in case you're not that familiar with the event, Shelly from This Eclectic Life has a great rundown of the Day of the Dead as celebrated in her hometown in Texas. --Grace]  Read more

This time of year, Christians often wrestle with Halloween traditions — a harmless dress-up night or a celebration of the Devil? Participate or separate? Joy, of the Joy in This Journey blog, asked her husband, Scott, to edit and re-run his thoughts on Christians and Halloween today: Image: hanna_horwarth via Flickr      Read more

[Editor's Note: Governor Rick Perry is an evangelical Christian. Mitt Romney is Mormon. Rev. Dr. Jeffress backs Perry because of his standing as a Christian, which is all well and good -- except that he calls Mormonism a cult and suggests that Mormons are not Christians. Tina from Little Tots/Big Ideas sets him straight.  Read more

[Editor's Note: As part of our ongoing look at different cultural rituals -- both traditional, and with a twist. The Jewish High Holy Days, or Days of Awe, are the ten days from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur. It's a time of reflection and repentance. Who better than BlogHer Blogging and Social Media editor Melissa Ford to explain what the Jewish High Holy Days would look like if lived out on the Interwebs. No matter what your faith, I think you'll be able to relate. --Grace]  Read more

[Editor's Note: I love how wood turtle from Womanist Musings shows us how a typical day in the life of a Muslim woman is probably a lot like yours or mine. --Grace] The Face of Islam Image credit: quinn.anya via Flickr  Read more