Monthly Archives: October 2007
Voices of the `values voters’
By Herbert G. McCann — October 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Quotes from the Values Voter Summit, held Oct. 19-21 in Washington: “It’s terrible, terrible, just terrible. Because we don’t have a clear-cut choice.” _ Dale O’Leary, 66, of Avon Park, Fla., author of the book “A Catholic’s Guide to Defending Marriage.” She likes former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and won’t […]
`Values voters’ are as split over issues as they are on candidates
By Adelle M. Banks — October 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ William and Lyra Hoeft of Florida say they want a president who will “hold our borders” and protect national security. Joe Guarino of Illinois wants someone who will tackle health care. And Jonathan Bell of Arkansas, a recent home-school graduate, says education tops his list. They all agree […]
Move over, Spiderman _ Muslim superheroes land on U.S. shores
By RNS Blog Editor — October 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Move over, Spiderman. There’s a new team of superheroes in town. Meet Jabbar the Powerful, a Hulk-like strong man, and Noora the Light, who can create holograms. Darr the Afflicter wields powerful pain waves. One hero, The Hidden, wears a burqa. All are part of “The 99,” Muslim […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Anglicans in Montreal, San Francisco vote for same-sex blessings TORONTO (RNS) A second Canadian Anglican diocese has voted to approve the blessing of same-sex marriages. Delegates at the Diocese of Montreal’s annual synod voted Friday (Oct. 19) to request that the bishop grant permission for clergy whose conscience permits to […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 20, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Senator cuts $100,000 from religious group WASHINGTON (RNS) Bowing to pressure, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has backed off an attempt to steer $100,000 to a Christian group that supports teaching religious and alternative theories of creation alongside evolution in science classrooms. Vitter has taken heat from educational, religious and civil […]
Sweat lodge allows inmates to `purify’ prison life
By RNS Blog Editor — October 20, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service BRIDGETON, N.J. _ Frederick “Two Feathers” Owle is 38, but he can still remember taking part in his first Native American purification ritual 30 years ago on a Cherokee reservation in North Carolina. The traditional ceremony, which offers prayers to the creator, uses steam trapped under a wood-framed hut called […]
Indians have their own angels in the clubhouse
By Karen Farkas — October 20, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio _ In 22 seasons of triumph, despair and frustration in the Cleveland Indians’ quest for a World Series title, there has been one constant. Chocolate chip cookies. The team’s most dedicated and prayerful fans, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit, have faithfully delivered boxes of the delectable […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 19, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Saudi textbooks, school under federal scrutiny WASHINGTON (RNS) Textbooks used in Saudi Arabian schools and a Saudi-funded school in Northern Virginia have come under scrutiny by a federal watchdog panel charged with monitoring international religious freedom. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has asked to see the textbooks, which […]
Church banned from prison project over gay stance
By RNS Blog Editor — October 19, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A United Church of Christ congregation in Texas has been told it cannot participate in an evangelical Christian program that assists children of prisoners because of the church’s outspoken gay-friendly stance. The Rev. Dan De Leon, pastor of Friends Congregational Church in College Station, Texas, said he learned this […]
COMMENTARY: Authentic evangelism, virtual or otherwise
By Dick Staub — October 19, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The X-Box game Halo 3 was released a few weeks ago and it is HUGE, with more than $300 million in sales in the first two weeks; it is expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue. Within the Christian world, however, Halo 3 is hugely controversial. It […]
Communities are feeling the squeeze of rapid church growth
By Ashbel S. (Tony) Green — October 19, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service ORLANDO, Fla. (RNS) Some neighbors tend to complain about too many Wal-Marts or too many strip joints in their midst. In southeast Orlando, it’s too many churches. About a dozen churches _ Baptist, Nazarene, Pentecostal and independent _ are located within a few miles of each other on city’s outskirts, […]
The UMC and Transgenderism
By RNS Blog Editor — October 18, 2007
Transsexual pastor prompts uneasy questions for Methodists RNS’ Dan Burke covers the issue of transgenderism, as the United Methodists next week consider whether the Rev. Drew Phoenix (formerly the Rev. Ann Gordon), remains eligible for pastoral appointment within the church, in this week’s full-text article, linked above. Quote: The 40-odd members of St. John’s, who […]
U.S. rolls out red carpet for Dalai Lama as China objects
By Daniel Burke — October 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Demonstrating an unprecedented show of support for Tibet, the U.S. on Wednesday (Oct. 17) awarded the Dalai Lama the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, despite strong objections from China. The nation’s most powerful political leaders, including President Bush and a bipartisan congressional delegation, attended the […]
Pope to meet _ but not pray _ with interfaith leaders
By Frances X. Rocca — October 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Twenty-one years ago this month, Pope John Paul II met in Assisi, Italy, with more than 150 leaders of different religions to pray for peace. Images of the white-robed pontiff worshipping in the Basilica of St. Francis alongside colorfully garbed Tibetan Buddhists, Japanese Shintoists and representatives of […]
John Foley, always the American-in-waiting, finally gets a red hat
By Frances X. Rocca — October 18, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Of the 23 men whom Pope Benedict XVI will make cardinals on Nov. 24, probably none has waited longer for a cardinal’s red hat than Philadelphia’s John Patrick Foley. Since becoming an archbishop in 1984, Foley, 71, has attended eight consistories (as the ceremonies for creating cardinals […]
