Thursday’s Religion News Roundup

A Catholic hospital in Chicago is the first in the nation to offer services to stop an abortion already in progress for women who change their mind. Iowa’s Catholic bishops are pushing for a voter referendum to upend the unanimous 2009 decision by the state Supreme Court that legalized gay marriage; they also want “whatever […]

A Catholic hospital in Chicago is the first in the nation to offer services to stop an abortion already in progress for women who change their mind. Iowa’s Catholic bishops are pushing for a voter referendum to upend the unanimous 2009 decision by the state Supreme Court that legalized gay marriage; they also want “whatever we can take” to limit abortions.

Speaking of gay marriage, both sides are gearing up for fights this year in New Hampshire, Maryland, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Indiana, Wyoming and Iowa. One Maryland lawmaker says after listening to Maggie Gallagher and the National Organization for Marriage, he’s actually more inclined to support gay marriage. “The demonization of gay families really bothered me,” he said.

Pagans and witches in Rip Van Winkle’s (fictional) hometown are fighting New York officials over whether an historic inn should be tax-exempt as a religious retreat (the pagans) or pay taxes as an entertainment venue (the state).


A federal court in Denver said the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs can go ahead with a prayer luncheon today where the main speaker is a veteran who describes the U.S. Marine Corps as “U.S. Marines for Christ.”

A drywall installer in North Carolina (“Jihad Joe,” perhaps?) pleaded guilty to charges of wanting to join jihadis and attack American targets.

FLOTUS took her healthy-eating campaign to two Atlanta-area churches. “We’re supporting faith leaders who want to build healthier congregations,” she said. “So why not start an exercise ministry where folks inspire each other to get active?”

The WSJ says the Episcopal Church‘s oldest and most prestigious seminary sees its salvation in selling off much of its NYC property to condo developers.

A seminary president’s (self-published) 1,200-page Christian biography of George Washington shot to No. 1 on Amazon after Glenn Beck told listeners, “Go out and buy this book today.” The top D.C. lobbyist for Orthodox Judaism says Mormons are facing a “Joe Lieberman moment” as Mormons Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman gear up for White House bids.

Lawmakers in Quebec voted to ban ceremonial Sikh daggers (kirpans) from the provincial capitol. A Catholic church in Brazil is fining brides $300 if they’re late to their own weddings (which they tell me isn’t all that unusual in Brazil).


The Church of England is making changes to its Baptism Rite to make it, as one bishop said, “not inquisitorial, but aspirational.” The Guardian says the baptisms will sound more like the BBC and less like the KJV.

Another bombing, another eight Shiite pilgrims dead in Iraq; maybe one day these stories won’t be so routine. A former religious affairs minister in Pakistan is facing an arrest warrant for a kickback scheme that involved botched travel reservations for Hajj pilgrims.

A top leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood says the group won’t put forward its own candidate, and doesn’t want an Iranian-style Islamic theocracy. But, he adds, “Secular liberal democracy of the American and European variety, with its firm rejection of religion in public life, is not the exclusive model for a legitimate democracy.” Ouch.

Another top leader of the Brotherhood says supporters of democracy have nothing to fear. Egypt’s Copts (and many Americans), meanwhile, aren’t so sure. The State Department, meanwhile, has started an Arabic Twitter feed.

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