The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Faith

Fourth of July Spirituality: One church leader suggests six spiritual practices for this holiday.  The goals of these practices are to affirm and celebrate this day of our nation’s birth, while imagining the “impossible possibility” of justice, planetary health, and Shalom for the larger world. [Patheos.com]

For many Americans, this holiday weekend involved cookouts and picnics with copious amounts of food.  This article challenges us to eat mindfully as a spiritual experience to “Give[e] us a deep appreciation of all that went into the meal’s creation as well a deep understanding of the relationship between the food on our table, our own health and our planet’s health.” [Huffington Post]

Freedom of religious belief is one of the core values of the U.S. On this day celebrating our nation’s birth, however, some claim that they feel alienated and face accusations of being anti-American because of their lack of belief in God.  [CNN Belief Blog]

With the Pope’s first tweet, the Vatican embraces social media. [BBC News]