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Why are conflicts over holy shrines and other sacred spaces so often violent and intractable? Prof. Ron Hassner (UC-Berkeley, political science) offers an intringuing answer that revolves around the nature and various characteristics of sacred ground. Our discussion covers the breakdown of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in 2000, the recent controversy over the “Ground Zero mosque” in New York City and several other examples.

This is an encore performance of an interview that aired in the fall of 2010. We will be back with a fresh interview next week.

[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]

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David Brody, chief political correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, shares his reflections on the 2010 midterm elections in the US. We discuss the role of evangelical Christians in the Tea Party movement, the impact that religion had on the campaigns of Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle, and the effect that the Ground Zero mosque may have played in the elections. Mr. Brody then discusses what it is like to be a Christian journalist in Washington, DC and a secular media world.

[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]

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Why are conflicts over holy shrines and other sacred spaces so often violent and intractable? Prof. Ron Hassner (UC-Berkeley, political science) offers an intringuing answer that revolves around the nature and various characteristics of sacred ground. Our discussion covers the breakdown of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in 2000, the recent controversy over the “Ground Zero mosque” in New York City and several other examples.

Subscribe to RoR on iTunes or Zune by typing in http://www.researchonreligion.org/podcast into your media player’s podcast subscription box.

[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]

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