Monthly Archives: April 2007
At Virginia Tech, Trying to Explain the Unexplainable
By Kein Eckstrom — April 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (This story was written by Kevin Eckstrom and reported by Amy Green, Marcia Z. Nelson, Rachel Pomerance and Andrea Useem.) (UNDATED) Sometimes, the Rev. William King says, the answers to the tough questions just don’t come. And when they do, they don’t come easily, or often they come up short. […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — April 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Twin Cities Airport Boosts Fines for Muslim Taxi Drivers (RNS) Starting next month, taxi drivers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport who refuse to pick up passengers having alcohol will face stiffer penalties. The Metropolitan Airports Commission adopted the measure Monday (April 16) in large part because of Somali Muslim […]
Groups Take Sides in Fight Over Hate Crimes
By Laura Turner — April 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Congress will soon consider legislation that extends hate crimes protections for homosexuals, bisexuals and those with gender identity issues in the same way that people are protected now because of race and creed. It’s setting up a bitter battle between traditional faith communities, which teach that homosexuality is […]
NEWS FEATURE: At Virginia Tech, Trying to Explain the Unexplainable
By Kein Eckstrom — April 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (This story was written by Kevin Eckstrom and reported by Amy Green, Marcia Z. Nelson, Rachel Pomerance and Andrea Useem.) (UNDATED) Sometimes, the Rev. William King says, the answers to the tough questions just don’t come. And when they do, they don’t come easily, or often they come up short. […]
Got a Catholic Question? Boy, 7, Has the Answers
By Laura Turner — April 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Among the faithful gathered at the 7 a.m. Mass at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill, one face in the front pew always stands out. James Higgins, 7, has been attending daily Mass since he was 3 years old. His parents, Stephen and Lauren, never have to […]
COMMENTARY: And The Truth Shall Set You Free …
By Tom Ehrich — April 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Let’s call this new group “Deceivers Anonymous.” (The name “Cheaters Anonymous” is already taken, by a group focusing on adultery.) Impetus for another addiction-recovery group comes from a steady stream of hearings, memos, e-mails and news reports that reveal a systemic disease of deception. World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — April 17, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Archbishop of Canterbury Says He Will Meet With U.S. Bishops TORONTO (RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said Monday (April 16) that he will visit the United States this September after U.S. Episcopal bishops declared an “urgent need” for a meeting with the spiritual leader of world Anglicanism. Speaking at […]
COMMENTARY: Working for Each Other, and Working for God
By Dale Hanson Bourke — April 17, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service LUSAKA, Zambia _ To many Americans, foreign aid is primarily a handout they see in televised images of disaster response or food distribution to refugees. What they see is a benevolent _ but often one-dimensional _ view of how the U.S. responds to international needs. But in Zambia, one of […]
Church May Finance Ministry By Selling Its Windows
By RNS Blog Editor — April 17, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service ELIZABETH, N.J. _ At the turn of the last century, this city was a thriving industrial powerhouse and the congregation at St. John’s Episcopal Church reflected the city’s success. Wealthy professionals and industry captains filled its pews and their money filled its collection plates. A multimillion-dollar endowment was built and […]
Scholar Finds Indian Roots to Gospel Music
By RNS Blog Editor — April 17, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Jazz musician and Yale music scholar Willie Ruff, who uncovered the links between 18th century Scottish singing and black gospel music, has connected another group to the style: American Indians. A descendant of an Oklahoma tribe contacted him after learning about a 2005 Yale conference on line singing, an […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — April 14, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Church Arsonists Given Additional 2-Year State Sentences CENTREVILLE, Ala. (RNS) Three confessed arsonists pleaded guilty Thursday (April 12) to burning five rural churches last year, and under their plea agreement will serve two years in state prison. The sentences are in addition to the federal sentences of eight to nine […]
Bush Finds a Friendly Audience at Catholic Prayer Breakfast
By Daniel Burke — April 14, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ President Bush preached to the choir at the National Catholic Prayer breakfast Friday, promoting the “dignity of life,” parochial schools and immigration. “You know how to make a Methodist feel right at home,” Bush said, addressing the 1,700 Catholics in attendance, including several bishops and Supreme Court Justices […]
In Iraq, Women’s Fashion Doesn’t Mix With Islamic Custom
By James Palmer — April 14, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service BAGDHAD, Iraq _ For two years, Faiza Abdal-Majeed has carried a headscarf in her purse for emergencies. For a woman in the Iraqi capital four years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, these can include passing unlawful checkpoints manned by armed militiamen, impromptu forays through neighborhoods controlled by religious zealots, […]
A Brief History of Public Prayer
By RNS Blog Editor — April 13, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service TRENTON, N.J. _ Legislative prayers and controversies about them go back to the founding of the republic. Here are some key developments: 1774: Over the objections of delegates John Jay and John Rutledge, the Continental Congress establishes a tradition of opening its sessions with a prayer by a paid chaplain. […]
Legislators’ Prayers Are Common but Controversial
By RNS Blog Editor — April 13, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service TRENTON, N.J. _ “Let us pray. Mother and Father of us all, we give thanks for the women who have been part of our life’s journey …” Spoken aloud at a public high school graduation, these words probably would trigger a lawsuit. But in the New Jersey Legislature, where they […]
