Monthly Archives: August 2011
BachmannâÂ?Â?s prophecy, joke or not, has lots of company
By Tracy Gordon — August 30, 2011
(RNS) Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is facing a flood of criticism for suggesting, perhaps in jest, that God sent Hurricane Irene and the East Coast earthquake to jolt Washington into changing its spendthrift ways. “I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians,” the Minnesota Republican said Sunday […]
Poll: N.Y. may be more spiritual, but not because of 9/11
By Tracy Gordon — August 30, 2011
(RNS) New York-area residents are more spiritually active since 9/11, a new survey shows, but the uptick in faith may be a matter of coincidence rather than a religious response to the terrorist attacks. The Barna Group found that 46 percent of people living in or near New York City reported attending worship services in […]
Monday’s Religion News Roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 29, 2011
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 […]
Pastor probes `Where Was God?’ in Katrina
By Tracy Gordon — August 29, 2011
(RNS) When Hurricane Katrina roared ashore six years ago, it brought in its wake untold property damage and emotional distress to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, but also something deeper. “Where,” countless people asked, “was God?” Some conservative religious leaders warned that Katrina was a divine rebuke for abortion or perhaps a warning from […]
Religious leaders laud King in memorial service
By Tracy Gordon — August 28, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) An earthquake and a hurricane may have interrupted plans to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the nation’s capital but religious leaders and civil rights veterans on Saturday (Aug. 27) said King’s legacy is unshakable. The interfaith service was the last official event to mark the dedication of the new King […]
`Christian warrior’ charged in mosque arson
By Tracy Gordon — August 26, 2011
Rabbis distribute special Shabbat guidelines for hurricane
By Tracy Gordon — August 26, 2011
NEW YORK (RNS) Observant Jews are permitted to sidestep traditional Sabbath rules on electronics and listen to the radio as Hurricane Irene bears down on the East Coast, according to guidelines distributed to hundreds of Orthodox rabbis. Rabbi Kenneth Brander, dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future, distributed special hurricane guidelines — which […]
Report details roots, funding of Islamophobia machine
By Tracy Gordon — August 26, 2011
(RNS) A small number of conservative foundations are propelling a handful of anti-Islamic activists who are fueling rising levels of Islamophobia, according to a report issued Friday (Aug. 26) by the left-leaning Center for American Progress. The 130-page report identifies seven conservative funders who between 2001 and 2009 gave $42.6 million to eight anti-Islamic causes, […]
Friday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — August 26, 2011
Happy Friday, my little chickadees. Lots of chatter on the Interwebs today about New York Times executive editor Bill Keller’s column on religion and the 2012 presidential campaign. Folks on the right seem to be particularly peeved that he’s only asking questions of GOP candidates. The Jesuits deride the column’s tone. Not to be outdone, […]
9/11 gave birth to aggressive, unapologetic `New Atheists’
By Tracy Gordon — August 26, 2011
(RNS) In September 2001, Sam Harris was an unknown doctoral student who didn’t believe in God. But after the World Trade Center crumbled on 9/11, he put his studies aside to write a book that became an instant best-seller — and changed the way atheists, and perhaps Muslims, are perceived in this country. Published in […]
Work makes Ramadan hard, but not impossible, for Muslims
By Tracy Gordon — August 26, 2011
(RNS) Fasting during Ramadan may be harder for Muslims in countries where they are a minority, but a new survey said Muslims in America and other countries tried to give it their best effort. The study, by the New Jersey-based DinarStandard website that tracks business trends among Muslims, and British-based Productive Muslim Ltd., found similar […]
Activists meet to push change in Methodists’ gay policy
By Tracy Gordon — August 26, 2011
CLEVELAND (RNS) Hundreds of United Methodists are meeting in Huron, Ohio, this week in an uphill bid to make their 12 million-member denomination more gay-friendly. Activists are gearing up for next year’s General Conference meeting in Tampa, Fla., where they plan to fight once again to change the church’s official position that homosexual activity is […]
UCC-affiliated college to ask about sexual orientation
By Tracy Gordon — August 26, 2011
(RNS) An Illinois college affiliated with the United Church of Christ is poised to become the first school in the U.S. to ask prospective students about their sexual orientation. Elmhurst College, located just west of Chicago, said the decision to add sexual orientation to the 2012-13 applications is entirely optional and is aimed at promoting […]
ThursdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup
By David Gibson — August 25, 2011
The upcoming 9/11 anniversary continues to generate religion-themed stories. First off is a hat tip to The Associated Press investigation showing that in the wake of Sept. 11, the New York Police Department became “one of the nation’s most aggressive domestic intelligence agencies” in targeting mosques and Muslim neighborhoods. The NYPD did so with the […]
Fallen 9/11 priest emerges as an icon for gay Catholics
By Tracy Gordon — August 25, 2011
(RNS) When All Saints Church sought to signal its hospitality to gays and lesbians, the Catholic parish in Syracuse, N.Y., turned to a well-known image from the 9/11 attacks: five firefighters carrying a body from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. The body belonged to the Rev. Mychal Judge, a Franciscan fire chaplain who […]
