Phil Dorroll
@phildorroll.bsky.social
Religious Studies professor in South Carolina; research on Islamic and Orthodox Christian theology in Turkish and Arabic; supports 🇺🇦
Pinned
Phil Dorroll
@phildorroll.bsky.social
· Dec 16
I made a starter pack for specialists in Eastern Christian Studies- check it out, share with others, and let me know who else to add!
go.bsky.app/8a9jSuF
go.bsky.app/8a9jSuF
“Our shock is real. So is our outrage. Nothing less than an unequivocal apology – to the nation and to the persons demeaned – is acceptable.
And it must come immediately.”
cc @daviddarmofal.bsky.social
And it must come immediately.”
cc @daviddarmofal.bsky.social
Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, calling for an apology from the White House for a racist social media post - Statements - Archdiocese of Chicago - AoC Portal
Portraying human beings as animals – less than human – is not new. It was a common way in past centuries for politicians and others to demean immigrant groups as each arrived, the Chinese, Irish, Ital...
www.archchicago.org
February 9, 2026 at 11:27 PM
“Our shock is real. So is our outrage. Nothing less than an unequivocal apology – to the nation and to the persons demeaned – is acceptable.
And it must come immediately.”
cc @daviddarmofal.bsky.social
And it must come immediately.”
cc @daviddarmofal.bsky.social
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
From my two-apart series on religiosity:
Iran and Turkey are both experiencing rapid secularization. The common thread? Political Islam corrodes the very religious authority it claims to embody. When faith becomes a tool of state power, it loses its legitimacy as a source of public morality.
Iran and Turkey are both experiencing rapid secularization. The common thread? Political Islam corrodes the very religious authority it claims to embody. When faith becomes a tool of state power, it loses its legitimacy as a source of public morality.
February 9, 2026 at 4:09 PM
From my two-apart series on religiosity:
Iran and Turkey are both experiencing rapid secularization. The common thread? Political Islam corrodes the very religious authority it claims to embody. When faith becomes a tool of state power, it loses its legitimacy as a source of public morality.
Iran and Turkey are both experiencing rapid secularization. The common thread? Political Islam corrodes the very religious authority it claims to embody. When faith becomes a tool of state power, it loses its legitimacy as a source of public morality.
Looking forward to giving this conference presentation*
*Bluesky rant
(@aarweb.bsky.social Southeast regional conference in Greenville, SC)
*Bluesky rant
(@aarweb.bsky.social Southeast regional conference in Greenville, SC)
February 9, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Looking forward to giving this conference presentation*
*Bluesky rant
(@aarweb.bsky.social Southeast regional conference in Greenville, SC)
*Bluesky rant
(@aarweb.bsky.social Southeast regional conference in Greenville, SC)
“There may be moderators who escape psychological harm, but I’ve yet to see evidence of that,’ says Milagros Miceli, a sociologist leading the Data Workers’ Inquiry, a project investigating the roles of workers in AI.”
‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI
‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI
Women in rural communities describe trauma of moderating violent and pornographic content for global tech companies
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 7:39 PM
“There may be moderators who escape psychological harm, but I’ve yet to see evidence of that,’ says Milagros Miceli, a sociologist leading the Data Workers’ Inquiry, a project investigating the roles of workers in AI.”
I unironically believe that:
1) anyone who wants to live in America has the right to be here, bc
2) this country was founded by God to be “an asylum for mankind” (per Paine, Common Sense), and
3) if we abandon this sacred mission in the world, God will abandon us.
1) anyone who wants to live in America has the right to be here, bc
2) this country was founded by God to be “an asylum for mankind” (per Paine, Common Sense), and
3) if we abandon this sacred mission in the world, God will abandon us.
“Living in America” isn’t some special award that we have to dole out carefully. It’s not a prize or a gold medal. It doesn’t hurt me to have neighbors like Liam Ramos. These people are such stupid freaks.
Gonzales on Liam Ramos and his family: "They're not gonna qualify for asylum. So what do you do with all the people that go through the process and do not qualify for asylum? You deport them. I understand that 5-year-old and it breaks my heart. I also think, what about that 5-year-old US citizen?"
February 8, 2026 at 7:08 PM
I unironically believe that:
1) anyone who wants to live in America has the right to be here, bc
2) this country was founded by God to be “an asylum for mankind” (per Paine, Common Sense), and
3) if we abandon this sacred mission in the world, God will abandon us.
1) anyone who wants to live in America has the right to be here, bc
2) this country was founded by God to be “an asylum for mankind” (per Paine, Common Sense), and
3) if we abandon this sacred mission in the world, God will abandon us.
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Today @cato.org published our report providing the first look at the fiscal effects of the wave of legal & illegal immigration over the last 3 decades. It shows immigrants created surpluses every year, by a combined $14.5 trillion, even as deficits grew www.cato.org/white-paper/...
February 3, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Today @cato.org published our report providing the first look at the fiscal effects of the wave of legal & illegal immigration over the last 3 decades. It shows immigrants created surpluses every year, by a combined $14.5 trillion, even as deficits grew www.cato.org/white-paper/...
The exact same thing happens when people from the coasts visit cities in the South
February 7, 2026 at 7:18 PM
The exact same thing happens when people from the coasts visit cities in the South
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
For all of our different faiths, New Yorkers share a common belief: that our city can be restored. It was an honor to attend yesterday morning's interfaith breakfast alongside so many of New York's faith leaders, and to chart a path forward where we welcome the stranger among us.
February 7, 2026 at 6:45 PM
For all of our different faiths, New Yorkers share a common belief: that our city can be restored. It was an honor to attend yesterday morning's interfaith breakfast alongside so many of New York's faith leaders, and to chart a path forward where we welcome the stranger among us.
Some other wonderful Hadith along the same lines; the pairing of both neighbor and guest has the sense of encompassing everyone you might meet- every other person is either a neighbor or guest, and God brings all of them to you to see if you will treat them as God commands
February 6, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Some other wonderful Hadith along the same lines; the pairing of both neighbor and guest has the sense of encompassing everyone you might meet- every other person is either a neighbor or guest, and God brings all of them to you to see if you will treat them as God commands
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
#cfp We are seeking papers for both a pre-conference workshop for New England-based anthropology PhD Students and early career faculty (March 27) and paper proposals for two panels (all ranks) (March 28). Due by 02.23.2026. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
February 6, 2026 at 11:25 PM
#cfp We are seeking papers for both a pre-conference workshop for New England-based anthropology PhD Students and early career faculty (March 27) and paper proposals for two panels (all ranks) (March 28). Due by 02.23.2026. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
I think we all know the story of Herod, featuring Herod, the hero of the story
"sovereign systematically persecutes small child" has never been morally ambiguous at any time, we have the stories
February 6, 2026 at 10:00 PM
I think we all know the story of Herod, featuring Herod, the hero of the story
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Register for this event taking place February 20-21 at the link attached at the end of the quoted thread!
Registration is now open for the 2026 Orthodox LGBTQ+ Inclusion Retreat, hosted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.
Join us this upcoming February weekend in NYC for a community-building weekend of learning, prayer, and fellowship for LGBTQ+ Orthodox faithful and allies. (1/5)
Join us this upcoming February weekend in NYC for a community-building weekend of learning, prayer, and fellowship for LGBTQ+ Orthodox faithful and allies. (1/5)
February 6, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Register for this event taking place February 20-21 at the link attached at the end of the quoted thread!
One of the revolutionary insights of liberalism (that many across the political spectrum have either through cynicism or radicalism apparently forgotten) was that political leaders are just people, and we can- and in fact must!- expect them to be normal and decent like anyone else
I feel if Zohran does moderately well as mayor both the ultras and the right will go insane
Apollo gift of prophecy
February 6, 2026 at 5:49 PM
One of the revolutionary insights of liberalism (that many across the political spectrum have either through cynicism or radicalism apparently forgotten) was that political leaders are just people, and we can- and in fact must!- expect them to be normal and decent like anyone else
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Killing the CIA World Factbook might seem like small potatoes, but it was a touchstone of curated facts in a sea of disinformation.
February 5, 2026 at 5:58 AM
Killing the CIA World Factbook might seem like small potatoes, but it was a touchstone of curated facts in a sea of disinformation.
Islam was in fact brought to the colonies starting just a few decades after the Mayflower- on slave ships. There were tens of thousands of enslaved West African Muslims in the colonies and the early republic, especially in South Carolina.
(and my faith didn’t come over on the Mayflower either)
(and my faith didn’t come over on the Mayflower either)
This kind of blatant Islamophobia from members of Congress is so normalized that it barely attracts notice. It should not be acceptable to any of us.
February 5, 2026 at 2:44 AM
Islam was in fact brought to the colonies starting just a few decades after the Mayflower- on slave ships. There were tens of thousands of enslaved West African Muslims in the colonies and the early republic, especially in South Carolina.
(and my faith didn’t come over on the Mayflower either)
(and my faith didn’t come over on the Mayflower either)
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Registration is now open for the 2026 Orthodox LGBTQ+ Inclusion Retreat, hosted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.
Join us this upcoming February weekend in NYC for a community-building weekend of learning, prayer, and fellowship for LGBTQ+ Orthodox faithful and allies. (1/5)
Join us this upcoming February weekend in NYC for a community-building weekend of learning, prayer, and fellowship for LGBTQ+ Orthodox faithful and allies. (1/5)
February 4, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Registration is now open for the 2026 Orthodox LGBTQ+ Inclusion Retreat, hosted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.
Join us this upcoming February weekend in NYC for a community-building weekend of learning, prayer, and fellowship for LGBTQ+ Orthodox faithful and allies. (1/5)
Join us this upcoming February weekend in NYC for a community-building weekend of learning, prayer, and fellowship for LGBTQ+ Orthodox faithful and allies. (1/5)
Doomerism is a demonic temptation:
“And if you fall again, then rise again, without despairing at all of your salvation, no matter what happens. So long as you do not surrender yourself willingly to the enemy, your patient endurance, combined with self-reproach, will suffice for your salvation.”
“And if you fall again, then rise again, without despairing at all of your salvation, no matter what happens. So long as you do not surrender yourself willingly to the enemy, your patient endurance, combined with self-reproach, will suffice for your salvation.”
I taught a class on “hope” last year and the few theorists who’ve written on it all point out that hope is the harder choice - that despair is easy and too often fashionable
Too many people on Bluesky think that relentless expressions of despair are a sign of intellectual sophistication.
February 5, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Doomerism is a demonic temptation:
“And if you fall again, then rise again, without despairing at all of your salvation, no matter what happens. So long as you do not surrender yourself willingly to the enemy, your patient endurance, combined with self-reproach, will suffice for your salvation.”
“And if you fall again, then rise again, without despairing at all of your salvation, no matter what happens. So long as you do not surrender yourself willingly to the enemy, your patient endurance, combined with self-reproach, will suffice for your salvation.”
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Need some data hoarders to save the CIA's World Factbook—a definitive source on many topics—since they're now killing it www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell - CIA
www.cia.gov
February 4, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Need some data hoarders to save the CIA's World Factbook—a definitive source on many topics—since they're now killing it www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
Also, it may be tough news for some Americans, but I can assure you that God will indeed hold us to account us for how our individual choices affect people in other countries; there will be no national interest exception on the day of judgment
This is the most egregious case of moral relativism I think I’ve ever seen.
The implication here is that the absolute ethical command that God incarnate explicitly placed above all others is subject to some kind of contextualization.
If *this*command is contextual, there is no morality at all.
The implication here is that the absolute ethical command that God incarnate explicitly placed above all others is subject to some kind of contextualization.
If *this*command is contextual, there is no morality at all.
Speaking on behalf of a religion that actively sought to spread itself to every country in the world whether invited or not, Speaker Johnson would like to share with you the Biblical case for strong borders.
February 4, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Also, it may be tough news for some Americans, but I can assure you that God will indeed hold us to account us for how our individual choices affect people in other countries; there will be no national interest exception on the day of judgment
This is the most egregious case of moral relativism I think I’ve ever seen.
The implication here is that the absolute ethical command that God incarnate explicitly placed above all others is subject to some kind of contextualization.
If *this*command is contextual, there is no morality at all.
The implication here is that the absolute ethical command that God incarnate explicitly placed above all others is subject to some kind of contextualization.
If *this*command is contextual, there is no morality at all.
Speaking on behalf of a religion that actively sought to spread itself to every country in the world whether invited or not, Speaker Johnson would like to share with you the Biblical case for strong borders.
February 4, 2026 at 1:54 PM
This is the most egregious case of moral relativism I think I’ve ever seen.
The implication here is that the absolute ethical command that God incarnate explicitly placed above all others is subject to some kind of contextualization.
If *this*command is contextual, there is no morality at all.
The implication here is that the absolute ethical command that God incarnate explicitly placed above all others is subject to some kind of contextualization.
If *this*command is contextual, there is no morality at all.
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
We are living in a *dramatically* improved world. It's up to us to defend that world, and make things even better.
Even the world of the 2000s is a distant dream. Extreme poverty has straight-up *evaporated* outside of Africa. The 21st century has done things that were aspirational UN goals just a few decades ago.
February 4, 2026 at 6:04 AM
We are living in a *dramatically* improved world. It's up to us to defend that world, and make things even better.
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
An inscription on Roger Sherman’s draft copy of the Declaration of Independence that demonstrates Thomas Paine’s direct involvement in its creation. The inscription reads, “A beginning, perhaps—original with Jefferson—copied from the original with T.P.’s permission” thomaspaine.org/the-sherman-...
February 3, 2026 at 2:56 PM
An inscription on Roger Sherman’s draft copy of the Declaration of Independence that demonstrates Thomas Paine’s direct involvement in its creation. The inscription reads, “A beginning, perhaps—original with Jefferson—copied from the original with T.P.’s permission” thomaspaine.org/the-sherman-...