Week of 7/8 - Traditionalism vs. Modernism in Religion

Our topic for your perusal this week is traditionalism vs. modernism in religion.

These days, most religions (among other things) tend to have at least two differing viewpoints within the same framework.  There are those who believe in a more traditional, literal view of their holy scripture, and adhere to that - for example, the commandment to "Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy".  The most immediate examples of this that I can think of are the restaurant franchise Chick-Fil-A, which is inevitably closed every Sunday, and the Westboro Baptist Church, which... ... well, topic announcements are supposed to be neutral, so I'll just say that they're very vocal about their beliefs.  The other viewpoint(s) that we'll be looking at for this week's topic deal with a more modern-day view of messages and teachings, and a belief in a more open-minded, accepting view of society and people in general - for example, a church that openly welcomes non-hetero members into its fold.

We'll be looking at these differing viewpoints across (potentially) multiple religions throughout the week.  I'm interested in seeing what thoughts will be shared about the validity of either (or both, or all) sides of the issues, and how our contributor's experiences may have influenced their thoughts.  Pendleton will start us off tomorrow, and I'll be back on Saturday to wrap up.