Monthly Archives: December 2006
Islamic Hajj Has Been Marred by Tragedy
By Omar Sacirbey — December 28, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service DECEMBER 1975: A fire sparked by an exploding gas cylinder sweeps through a tent city at Mina, a desert location east of Mecca where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims camp on their way to perform rites at Mount Arafat and Jamarat. Some 200 pilgrims die. NOVEMBER 1979: Saudi militants opposed […]
Saudis Build in Flexibility to Keep Hajj Safe
By Omar Sacirbey — December 28, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) If God cuts you some slack, Saudi Arabians officials are telling Hajj pilgrims, you’d better take it. That’s the message for the estimated 2.2 million Muslims arriving for Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that begins Friday (Dec. 29), as part of a safety campaign intended to prevent stampedes […]
For Muslims, Hajj is an Immensely Spiritual Journey
By Nancy Haught — December 28, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service PORTLAND, Ore. _ Before local Muslims begin their pilgrimage to Mecca, Amr Khalifa works to prepare them in two ways: for an intimate encounter with Allah, or God, and a very public one with millions of their fellow believers. “Every action has an intention behind it,” Khalifa tells a group […]
GUEST COMMENTARY: During Hajj, God Opens His Arms to Welcome You Home
By Hesham Hassaballa — December 28, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The desert was hot, and the land was barren, devoid of water or vegetation. In this vast nothingness, he simply left his wife and young son and walked away. His wife was startled. “What are you doing?” she asked. He neither answered nor turned back to face her. “Where […]
GUEST COMMENTARY: Discord in the Heartland
By Phyllis Zagano — December 28, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) You don’t generally think of Nebraska as a hotbed of controversy, Catholic or otherwise. Lately, however, what began as a relatively minor imbroglio has boiled over into wider Catholic circles. Ten years ago, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., said Catholics who belonged to any of 12 organizations, including […]
10 Minutes With … Archbishop George Carey
By Kristen Campbell — December 28, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) He may have retired as Archbishop of Canterbury four years ago, but Lord George L. Carey has hardly stepped off the global stage. During a recent visit to the United States, Carey sat down to discuss the state of the Anglican Communion and his take on Pope Benedict XVI’s […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Carter, in Letter to U.S. Jews, Defends Use of `Apartheid’ in Book (RNS) Former President Jimmy Carter, under fire from Jewish leaders for describing Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands as “apartheid” in a new book, has written an open letter to U.S. Jews to defend and clarify his use of […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Jury Gives $115,000 to Woman Who Declined to Discuss Her Faith HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS) A federal jury has awarded a Huntsville woman $115,000 in damages after finding she was fired as a medical clinic office manager when she chose not to discuss her relationship with God with a doctor. The […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Jury Gives $115,000 to Woman Who Declined to Discuss Her Faith HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS) A federal jury has awarded a Huntsville woman $115,000 in damages after finding she was fired as a medical clinic office manager when she chose not to discuss her relationship with God with a doctor. The […]
Publishers Try to Make the Good Book an Easier Read
By Jeff Diamant — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A few years ago, on the theory that many readers of the Bible don’t have any idea what a manger is, the American Bible Society replaced the word in a new edition with the phrase “feed box.” The change never caught on. All you have to do is sing […]
Publishers Try to Make the Good Book an Easier Read
By Jeff Diamant — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A few years ago, on the theory that many readers of the Bible don’t have any idea what a manger is, the American Bible Society replaced the word in a new edition with the phrase “feed box.” The change never caught on. All you have to do is sing […]
Bakker Son Finds Peace With Family as Cameras Keep Watch
By Shona Crabtree — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) After a year of being closely shadowed by a camera crew, this month Jay Bakker, the tatooed and pierced son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, finally is getting his private life back. The rest of us, however, have a chance to watch his year in review on […]
Bakker Son Finds Peace With Family as Cameras Keep Watch
By Shona Crabtree — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) After a year of being closely shadowed by a camera crew, this month Jay Bakker, the tatooed and pierced son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, finally is getting his private life back. The rest of us, however, have a chance to watch his year in review on […]
COMMENTARY: We’ve Been Here Before
By Tom Ehrich — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Picture a congregation gathered to decide its future. Feelings were strong. Disharmony was rife. Carefully coordinated plans were being executed, an information war was ratcheting to a new level designed to convey unstoppable momentum. In this church, people who once got along have drawn verbal swords. Two stood and […]
COMMENTARY: We’ve Been Here Before
By Tom Ehrich — December 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Picture a congregation gathered to decide its future. Feelings were strong. Disharmony was rife. Carefully coordinated plans were being executed, an information war was ratcheting to a new level designed to convey unstoppable momentum. In this church, people who once got along have drawn verbal swords. Two stood and […]
