Monday’s Religion News Roundup

So, Irene was kind of a bust, at least for those of us here in the mid-Atlantic. But BU’s Stephen Prothero makes an interesting point: If modern science allows us to know exactly when and where a hurricane is going to hit, does that diminish our view of God, or at least tame our view […]

So, Irene was kind of a bust, at least for those of us here in the mid-Atlantic. But BU’s Stephen Prothero makes an interesting point: If modern science allows us to know exactly when and where a hurricane is going to hit, does that diminish our view of God, or at least tame our view of God who was once seen to send messages or inflict punishment through Mother Nature?

For her part, Michele Bachmann thinks Irene was a divine bulletin for politicians, and Glenn Beck thought it was a “blessing from God” and a reminder to stockpile supplies.

Meanwhile, coming out of the weekend, it looks like most of the news out there can be filed away under C for “Catholic” :


From the Dept. of Well That Didn’t Take Very Long, B16 is sending Archbishop Edwin O’Brien to a post in Rome after just four short years as archbishop of Baltimore; O’Brien will take over for another American, the cancer-stricken Cardinal John Foley, as head of a group devoted to advocating for Christians in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Charles Chaput is packing his bags in Denver and getting ready to head Back East to his new post in Philly. The only question: is he a Pat’s or Geno’s fan?

A group of left-of-center Catholics is urging the Obama administration to carve out greater exemptions for religious groups in new rules that mandate insurance coverage of contraceptives.

And note to Galileo: there are still Catholics out there who believe the Earth is the center of the universe.

The WSJ profiles a (former) Mormon actor in Broadway’s hit “Book of Mormon.” Clark Johnsen says he drifted away from the church when he was unable to turn the gay off, like a light-switch (OK, maybe you have to see the show to get that joke).

Police in Spain say a Mexican drug runner tried to smuggle in 92 pounds of cocaine into Madrid, figuring that if his plane landed at the same time as the pope’s did for World Youth Day, police might not notice. But they did.


Over in Ireland, the country’s top Catholic prelate says any attempt to break the seal of the confessional (related to sexual abuse) would violate religious freedom. In China, the hard-line communist official who had been keeping tabs on Tibetan Buddhists is now in charge of keeping tabs on a heavily Catholic province outside Beijing.

In Turkey, the Islam-inspired government is promising to return properties that were seized from minority religious groups, or pay for properties that were seized and later sold. In India, they’re trying to do a census of the caste system.

And then there’s the guy in Cuba (top left) who was born with 24 fingers and toes (6 on each appendage) because, he says, God commanded it.

— Kevin Eckstrom

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