Monthly Archives: October 2011
Less than half of Americans know Romney’s a Mormon
By Tracy Gordon — October 27, 2011
(RNS) Less than half of Americans know that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a Mormon, despite recent media attention focused on his faith, a new survey shows. Just four in 10 Americans — 42 percent — identified the former Massachusetts governor as a Mormon, according to the Washington-based Public Religion Research Institute. That figure […]
Penn Jillette’s 10 Commandments for atheists
By Tracy Gordon — October 27, 2011
(RNS) In his new book, “God, No!” atheist magician Penn Jillette tells how he was challenged by conservative radio host Glenn Beck to come up with an atheist’s version of The Ten Commandments. “I wanted to see how many of the ideas that many people think are handed down from (G)od really make sense to […]
Magicians say their craft makes them see faith as just hocus-pocus
By Tracy Gordon — October 27, 2011
(RNS) Magician Penn Jillette and his shorter, quieter partner Raymond Teller have mystified audiences around the world with their card tricks and other illusions that would make even Harry Houdini proud. With a Showtime TV series that seeks to disprove supernatural beliefs, including religious ones, the duo have long been a public face of atheism […]
ThursdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup
By David Gibson — October 27, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI told representatives of the world’s religions – as well as non-believers – gathered today in Assisi that all faiths must continue to “purify” themselves of any tendency to violence and terrorism, and that goes for his own Catholic Church as well: “It is the task of all who bear responsibility for the […]
Author goes from unbeliever to (imperfect) saint
By Tracy Gordon — October 27, 2011
RNS) Raised in a secular home by a nonreligious mom and an angry atheist dad, Jana Riess could not have imagined herself as any kind of saint, let alone a latter-day one. But step by inexorable step, God beckoned her, Riess says, toward belief in Jesus Christ, degrees in religious studies, a possible career in […]
Activists bemoan low priority given to religious freedom
By Tracy Gordon — October 27, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) Religious freedom advocates on Wednesday (Oct. 26) lamented America’s failure to protect the faithful abroad, saying things have gotten worse, not better, since the issue first gained traction more than a decade ago. The soul-searching session, sponsored by the conservative Family Research Council, brought together panelists from government, academia and nonprofit groups who […]
`Amish Bernie Madoff’ won’t fight fraud charges
By Tracy Gordon — October 26, 2011
SUGARCREEK, Ohio (RNS) An investment broker dubbed the “Amish Bernie Madoff” has decided not to fight federal charges that he defrauded thousands of investors out of nearly $17 million. Monroe Beachy, 77, intends to reject his lawyer’s legal advice and plead no contest at an arraignment in Youngstown on Thursday (Oct. 27), defense attorney Gerald […]
Wednesday Godbytes
By Jack Jenkins — October 26, 2011
Religion Dispatches has some reflections on Halloween in the United States, including commentary on “Jesus Ween.” Yeah, you heard that right. Good Magazine has a report on a church in San Jose, California that is divesting millions from Bank of America as a sign of solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. (Unrelated: Good magazine […]
Faith groups target `Super CommitteeâÂ?Â? on poverty
By Tracy Gordon — October 26, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) As the deadline for a federal deficit-reduction plan looms, religious communities are holding prayer vigils, phoning politicians and organizing letter campaigns in a bid to protect safety net programs for the poor. The national “Faithful Budget Campaign,” led by a coalition of about 25 mainline Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim organizations, is targeting […]
Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — October 26, 2011
What’s in a name? With apologies to Shakespeare, the more pertinent question presented by yet another stellar AP investigation is: Where is a name? If you’re a Muslim living in NYC and you’ve changed your name recently, the answer may be “in a NYPD file.” Muslims who change their names to sound more traditionally American […]
Mormonism: Abrahamic or Judeo-Christian?
By Mark Silk — October 26, 2011
Four years ago, Richard Land, who took over the public affairs division of the Southern Baptist Convention sometime in the last millennium, had the clever idea of identifying Mormonism as the “fourth Abrahamic religion”– after Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Land was seeking to provide some cover for Mitt Romney, whom he didn’t exactly endorse for […]
Tuesday Godbytes
By Jack Jenkins — October 26, 2011
Hey sportsfans: Religion Dispatches has an article entitled “Tim Tebow, Protestant Saint.” Yup. With the recent release of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs‘ biography, conversations about the technology mogul’s faith have sprung up anew. The Friendly Atheist blog notes that Steve Jobs reportedly stopped going to church at an early age, but the Independent […]
Hindu festival of lights goes mainstream
By Tracy Gordon — October 25, 2011
(RNS) Happy Diwali! Happy Di what? It’s a Hindu holiday — and an important one — celebrated this week by Hindus all over the world, including an estimated 2 million in the United States. But do most Americans even know what Diwali is all about? Many Hindu Americans say no, and they’re working to change […]
Muslims call for reforms 10 years after Patriot Act
By Tracy Gordon — October 25, 2011
(RNS) A Muslim civil rights group is accusing the FBI and other federal agencies of “bad policing” and flaunting the Constitution in a 56-page report released to mark the 10th anniversary of the Patriot Act. The Tuesday (Oct. 25) report by Muslim Advocates, “Losing Liberty: The State of Freedom 10 Years After The Patriot Act” […]
Muslims combat radicalization with online tools
By Tracy Gordon — October 25, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) A Muslim organization is working to counter radicalization by providing the work of progressive Islam scholars online in simple, youth-friendly language. Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV), a nonprofit group that has established liberal Muslim communities in the U.S. and Canada, created the “Literary Zikr” website to provide an alternative to the fundamentalist versions […]
