Monthly Archives: October 2007
Welcome, Cardinal Foley
By RNS Blog Editor — October 25, 2007
John Foley, always the American-in-waiting, finally gets a red hat RNS’ Francis X. Rocca profiles John Patrick Foley, who will be one of the 23 men elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on November 24, in this week’s full-text article, linked above. Quote: Both the lateness of Foley’s elevation, and the widespread pleasure it […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Surgeon general nominee opts out of transgender hearing WASHINGTON (RNS) President Bush’s nominee for surgeon general will recuse himself from his role as head of the United Methodist Church’s top court as it considers a case on transgender clergy. Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr., whose nomination has stalled over comments […]
Some Christians torn on what to make of Halloween
By RNS Blog Editor — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Cindy Cathcart was angry with God and on the brink of divorce and suicide on Oct. 30, 1998, when her nephew dragged her to “Hell House.” Without it, she says now, she’s not sure where she would have ended up. Though raised Lutheran, she had repeatedly refused her sister’s […]
10 Minutes with … Matt Riley
By Adelle M. Banks — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Matt Riley, a second-year student at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Conn., helps lead “The Left Behind,” a club of atheists and agnostics at one of the nation’s premier training grounds for clergy. Along with co-leader Christy Groves, Riley has given nonbelievers a place of their own on […]
Tibetan Buddhists find home in heart of the Bible Belt
By RNS Blog Editor — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service ATLANTA _ Snuggled between the 1950s bungalows and the towering custom homes of Atlanta’s Dresden Drive, the new structure with yellow turrets, a gilded roofline and tall tapering windows is a source of curiosity to neighbors. The Dalai Lama has just added another notch in the Bible Belt with the […]
Pennsylvania judge nullifies weddings by online ministers
By Daniel Burke — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Anna and Casey Pickett fell in love during a college class on Transcendental literature, reveling in the nature-loving rhapsodies of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. It was only natural, then, that when the couple married last July, they would stand beside a rustic lake in Pennsylvania, with […]
Muslims chide pope for not moving faster on dialogue
By Frances X. Rocca — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News ServiceVATICAN CITY _ Muslim leaders who attended an interfaith peace conference with Pope Benedict XVI chided the pope for not responding to a recent olive branch from Muslim scholars, and complained that the reaction of a high Vatican official “misses the very point of dialogue.”Their complaints stem from an open letter, […]
COMMENTARY: Radio Free Pittsburgh
By Phyllis Zagano — October 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Planned Parenthood is right up there with the Ku Klux Klan in trying to force its beliefs onto the airwaves of National Public Radio. About seven years ago, the Missouri chapter of the Ku Klux Klan sued KWMU-FM, the radio station of the University of Missouri (St. Louis). Like […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Pope names 23 new cardinals, including two Americans VATICAN CITY _ Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday (Oct. 17) said he will elevate 23 men, including two Americans, to the highest ranks of the Roman Catholic hierarchy when he makes them cardinals at a ceremony next month in Rome. Eighteen of […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Israel claims artifacts dating to First Temple JERUSALEM (RNS) Israeli archaeologists who have been inspecting maintenance work done by Muslims on the Temple Mount have discovered what they believe are artifacts dating back to the time of the First Jewish Temple. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said workers […]
Catholics push small movie with a big message
By Herbert G. McCann — October 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Cardinal Justin Rigali wears a lot of hats: archbishop of Philadelphia, prince of the church, shepherd of souls, and lately, film promoter. For several months, Rigali has been urging his flock to see the new film, “Bella,” and has asked parishes to host special screenings. Rigali and others say […]
COMMENTARY: Thou shalt zip it
By Tom Ehrich — October 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Last week, on a noisy corner in a busy city, I led a retreat titled, “Pathways to a Deeper Faith.” At the risk of seeming absurd, I wanted this retreat to find its center in silence. We had no woodland trails, serene ponds or quiet corners in a lodge. […]
The Ten Commandments, 1956 vs. 2007
By RNS Blog Editor — October 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (Eds: `A’ in each category represents the 1956 film by Cecil B. DeMille and `B’ the current version.) Moses A. Charlton Heston B. Voice of Christian Slater Voice of God A. No on-screen credit (Heston may have supplied the voice of God) B. Elliott Gould Pharaoh Rameses A. Yul Brynner […]
New Ten Commandments film features a new love story
By RNS Blog Editor — October 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The image _ Charlton Heston as Moses _ has been carved into the minds of generations. Few who have seen the Cecil B. DeMille blockbuster can forget Heston’s majestic, commanding presence as he comes down from Mount Sinai and thunders to a wayward people, “Those who will not live […]
Ron Paul’s pastor brother keeps eye on race
By Ted Roelofs — October 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. _ David Paul is the assistant pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church here and never was much for politics. This year, however, he feels as if he has a ringside seat. That would be thanks to his younger brother Ron, whose maverick campaign for president is upstaging many […]
