Monthly Archives: December 2006
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — December 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Progressive Groups Want `Left Behind’ Video Game Off Wal-Mart Shelves (RNS) Progressive religious groups, concerned by the violence and theology in the “Left Behind” Christian video games, have asked Wal-Mart not to sell them. The “Left Behind: Eternal Forces” game is a spinoff from the best-selling “Left Behind” apocalyptic series […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — December 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Portland Archdiocese Lays Out $75 Million Sex-Abuse Settlement PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) The Archdiocese of Portland revealed details of a $75 million plan on Monday (Dec. 19) to pay off more than 150 people who have accused priests of sex abuse and to get out of bankruptcy. Insurance companies will pitch […]
How to Handle Grief at the Holidays
By RNS Blog Editor — December 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Allow yourself to make plans but change them if necessary. If you are going to a Christmas party, take your own car so you can leave if you don’t feel like staying. Visit stores during non-peak times to avoid the hustle and bustle. Also, consider shopping for gifts via […]
For the Grieving, It’s Heartache at the Holidays
By RNS Blog Editor — December 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Ashley Covington sat cross-legged on the floor, puzzled over what to write on a Christmas ornament to honor her big brother Matthew, who died in April. “It’s kind of hard because you don’t know what to say,” said Ashley, whose 18-year-old sibling was working on his truck when it […]
Graham Says Burial Place Still Undecided
By Adelle M. Banks — December 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Evangelist Billy Graham said he and his wife are still “prayerfully” considering their burial place, his first statement on a family struggle that has become public. “Contrary to recent media reports, my wife Ruth and I have no disagreement about our future, for we know that after we each […]
COMMENTARY : A Courageous Christmas
By Tom Ehrich — December 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service INDIANAPOLIS _ At my father’s retirement center, “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” with twinkly lights, decorated trees, red and green ribbons decking the halls, visiting carolers, and Christmas sweaters on the ladies. All that’s missing is the rest of it: far-flung children, young again and giggling beside […]
The Artist Formerly Known as Cat
By Tracy Gordon — December 19, 2006
Quote of the Day: Singer Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) “Being in the position I am today, I do feel like a looking glass, where people living in the West can view Islam, and Muslims can view another culture. I feel comfortable looking at both and living in these two distinct zones.” -Singer/songwriter Yusuf Islam, […]
Everything is Closed … Might as Well Have a Baby!
By Tracy Gordon — December 19, 2006
Quote of the Day: Brynn Kushner of College Park, Md. “When I was younger, my mom told me that I was born on Christmas because, being Jewish, she had nothing better to do that day.” -Brynn Kushner of College Park, Md., writing in a Washington Post forum about being Jewish during the Christmas season (Dec. […]
Episcopal Split Accelerates as Virginia Parishes Vote to Leave: With optional trim to 600 words
By Daniel Burke — December 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Conservative Episcopalians’ steady exodus from the Episcopal Church accelerated Sunday (Dec. 17) as eight Virginia congregations _ including two large, historic parishes _ voted to leave the national body. The Diocese of Virginia has lost 12 congregations and about 18 percent of its average Sunday worship attendance in recent […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — December 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Egyptian Court Rules Against Baha’is on ID Cards (RNS) In a move described by many as an assault on religious freedom, an Egyptian court ruled Saturday (Dec. 16) against including the Baha’i faith on government-issued identification cards and other official documents. The Higher Administrative Court concluded that the government could […]
Christmas Wars Prove Lucrative Fundraising Opportunity for Advocacy Groups: With optional trim to 70
By Daniel Burke — December 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) For Conservative Christan groups, this year’s hot gift is a weapon for fighting back in the “War on Christmas,” be it a button, a bumper sticker or a memo with advice to the troops. The Mississippi-based American Family Association says it has sold more than 500,000 buttons and 125,000 […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — December 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Gay Civil Unions TRENTON, N.J. (RNS) State lawmakers voted Thursday (Dec. 14) to make New Jersey the third state in the nation to allow gay couples to form civil unions with all the rights and responsibilities of married couples. The historic votes by both houses of […]
Groups Hope to Make Bottled Water a Moral Issue
By Timothy Isaiah Cho — December 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. Thou shalt not … drink bottled water? Rooted in the notion that clean drinking water, like air, is a God-given resource that shouldn’t be packaged and sold, a fledgling campaign against the bottling of water has sprung […]
Ohio Case Draws Attention to Burgeoning Church-based Scams
By RNS Blog Editor — December 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service ELYRIA, Ohio _ Sarah Presnell did not think she would ever come home from the hospital. Before she went in, the Tennessee woman got her finances in order for her elderly husband and disabled daughter. She cobbled together $25,000 from the couple’s savings and her daughter’s meager earnings from bundling […]
Religious Leaders Urge U.S. Push for Darfur Peacekeepers
By RNS Blog Editor — December 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Hundreds of rabbis, pastors and other religious leaders have asked Andrew Natsios, the Bush administration’s special envoy for Sudan, for a “comprehensive diplomatic offensive” on Darfur from the United States to help ensure a peacekeeping force can protect the people of Darfur. The letter organized by the Washington-based Africa […]
