Monthly Archives: June 2007
GUEST COMMENTARY: Judge Romney by His Platform, Not His Mormonism
By Abraham H. Foxman — June 26, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) With the 2008 presidential race under way, the issue of religion and the religious faith of the candidates _ an issue we thought we might have put behind us _ has once again risen to the fore. Forty-seven years have passed since then-presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy found it […]
Canadian Anglicans Narrowly Defeat Same-Sex Blessings
By Douglas Todd — June 26, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WINNIPEG, Manitoba _ The national governing body of the Anglican Church of Canada on Sunday (June 24) defeated by the tightest of margins a motion to forge ahead with same-sex blessings across the country. The church’s lay and clergy delegates voted to allow same-sex blessings, but church bishops defeated the […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — June 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service House Votes to Change Policy on Overseas Family Planning WASHINGTON (RNS) In a narrow defeat for anti-abortion groups, the House on Thursday (June 21) approved a measure to fund contraceptives for foreign organizations that also provide abortions. The measure passed 223-201, reversing the so-called Mexico City policy that was enacted […]
Oregon Supreme Court Considers Parents’ Circumcision Battle
By Ashbel S. (Tony) Green — June 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service PORTLAND, Ore. _ The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday (June 21) stepped into a legal dispute between a father’s wish to circumcise his 12-year-old son and a mother’s belief that the procedure is harmful. James H. Boldt, 60, a former Oregon resident who now lives near Olympia, Wash., converted to […]
The Gospel According to J.K. Rowling
By Jeff Diamant — June 22, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) I had never read a Harry Potter book until three months ago, when a hopeful editor buttonholed me with a plea: Would I, the newspaper’s religion reporter, write about religious imagery in the series? We reporters don’t freely turn down editors’ assignments, so a force-feeding of all six books […]
Mourners Lay Unclaimed Infants and Fetuses to Rest
By RNS Blog Editor — June 22, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service NEW ORLEANS _ By the side of a grave in Metairie Cemetery, Lise Naccari bowed her head, held her husband’s hand and let herself grieve. Hers was a subdued grief, a polite grief. Her eyes were moist, but she held her composure as the priest intoned a blessing that should, […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — June 22, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service ACLU Wants Jesus Out of Courthouse NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Jesus has no place in the lobby of Slidell City Court, says the Louisiana ACLU, which has asked court officials to remove his portrait within a week or face a possible lawsuit to force the issue. Several people have complained to […]
UCC Marks 50 Years With Speech by Its Most Famous Member
By Daniel Burke — June 22, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) More than 3,000 people attended the United Church of Christ’s General Synod in 2005, and witnessed the mainline denomination’s historic endorsement of same-sex marriage. Attendance at this year’s Synod, June 22-26 in Hartford, Conn., is expected to more than double, according to UCC General Minister and President the Rev. […]
Israel Sees an Immigration of Choice, Not Necessity
By Michele Chabin — June 22, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ For Tanya and Alex Pomson, life was good in Toronto, where the British-born couple had moved in 1996 to advance Alex’s career. He became a tenured professor at York University and she stayed home to raise their four children. But happy as they were in Canada, the Pomsons, […]
Circumspection about Circumcision
By RNS Blog Editor — June 21, 2007
Some Jewish Parents Forgo Circumcision, and Tradition RNS’ Dalia Hatuqa looks the decision of some Jewish parents to skip circumcision of their sons, in this week’s full-text article, linked above. Quote: [S]ome Jewish parents, albeit a tiny minority, are questioning whether removing a baby’s foreskin is essential to Jewish identity. Those like Evans, whose parental […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — June 21, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill, Urges Alternate Research WASHINGTON (RNS) President Bush pulled out his veto pen Wednesday (June 20) for just the third time in his presidency, rejecting a bill that would have eased restraints on government-funded embryonic stem cell research. “Destroying human life in the hopes of saving […]
Free Trips to Israel a New Rite of Passage, Jews Say
By Nicole Neroulias — June 21, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service NEW YORK _ Mark Zemel took his first trip to Israel last month, hoping to see the sights and make new friends during a free 10-day excursion for young Jewish adults. The 26-year-old law student returned with two bags of Aroma coffee for his parents and something they appreciated even […]
Washington Archbishop Speaks Softly and Carries a Light Crozier
By Daniel Burke — June 21, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Finding the right bishop to lead a Catholic diocese, a Vatican envoy once said, requires identifying “the `saint’ who fits the niche.” One year after he was named archbishop of Washington, Donald Wuerl won’t say he’s the right “saint” for the nation’s capital. That’s determined by “the Architect,” […]
COMMENTARY: To Marymount, in Memoriam
By Phyllis Zagano — June 21, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) They closed the original Marymount College the other day. It was 100 years old. Marymount was a small Catholic women’s college in Tarrytown, N.Y. The buildings sit mostly silent now, on 25 acres overlooking the Hudson River at Tappan Zee, just south of Sleepy Hollow, where the headless horseman […]
10 Minutes With … Mitchell Gold
By Shona Crabtree — June 21, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Mitchell Gold is well known for his classic couches and comfy chairs sold nationwide at places like Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn. But Gold, the co-founder and chairperson of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, is increasingly known for his fight against what he calls religious bigotry. Gold recently […]
