Monthly Archives: December 2011
Something for USCIRF to do
By Mark Silk — December 21, 2011
Gary Trudeau is on the international religious freedom case this morning: Digging a little deeper, I note that Iraq has been a country of particular concern for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom since 2008, and a source of continuous worry since the U.S. embarked on its Iraqi venture back in 2002. So […]
Tuesday Godbytes: (Mis)spelling Hanukkah; Merry Christmas in Klingon; Rob Bell’s Grammar
By Jack Jenkins — December 21, 2011
Today marks the first day of the eight-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. It also marks the beginning of a struggle journalists and bloggers know well – how do you actually spell Hanukkah? God only knows, right? Actually no. Apparently God doesn’t. Someone even wrote a song about it. (It’s ×Â?× ×Â?×Â?×Â?, by the way) Speaking of […]
U.S. jumps to top of charity index
By Tracy Gordon — December 21, 2011
ASHINGTON (RNS) Americans: the most generous people in the world. In this season of giving, that’s no idle gloat. According to a new study, the United States tops a massive global charity survey, rising from fifth place in 2010. The “World Giving Index,” based on 150,000 interviews with citizens of 153 nations, ranks the U.S. […]
Report shows Christianity shifting to Africa
By Tracy Gordon — December 20, 2011
(RNS) With 2.18 billion adherents, Christianity has become a truly global religion over the past century as rapid growth in developing nations offset declines in Christianity’s traditional strongholds, according to a report released Monday (Dec. 19). Billed as the most comprehensive and reliable study to date, the Pew Research Center’s “Global Christianity” reports on self-identified […]
TuesdayâÂ?Â?s Religion Roundup: Big Christianity, Mitt’s Top 10, Palin redux?
By David Gibson — December 20, 2011
First night of Hanukkah is tonight. May your oil last the week. Christianity is the largest religious community in the world, with 2.2 billion adherents, and the United States counts the most Christians of any country, with 247 million believers, the Pew Forum reports. Yet in the birthplace of Jesus, the Middle East, Christians are […]
Muslims caught in reality show crossfire struggle to understand controversy
By Tracy Gordon — December 20, 2011
DEARBORN, Mich. (RNS) When Fordson High School football coach Fouad Zaban was asked to be on a reality show about Muslim family life, his impulse was to decline. “It doesn’t seem like it now, but we kind of like our privacy,” Zaban said. “We are simple people. We don’t do crazy things. … Quite honestly, […]
COMMENTARY: A good year for a silent night
By Tom Ehrich — December 20, 2011
(RNS) This is a year for soft sounds in churches, like babies cooing, lovers wooing, believers holding candles and singing “Silent Night.” This is a year to turn down the volume, to dare to hear the still small voice of God. In a world of bare-knuckles politics, Christians don’t need to outshout the shouters. Let […]
USCIRF reigned in
By Mark Silk — December 20, 2011
So at the eleventh hour last Friday, the House and Senate passed a bill to keep the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom alive. And despite the yelps of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), it included the changes proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). As for the funds to reopen that federal prison in Illinois, […]
Pope certifies miracles for two U.S. saints
By Tracy Gordon — December 20, 2011
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A 17th-century Native American woman who cared for the sick and elderly, and a Catholic nun who worked with lepers in Hawaii, are on the verge of becoming the newest American saints, after Pope Benedict XVI certified miracles due to their intercession, the Vatican announced Monday (Dec 19). The decrees concerned Kateri […]
Muslim push Lowe’s boycott over reality series
By Tracy Gordon — December 20, 2011
LOS ANGELES (RNS) The controversy between Muslim Americans and the Lowe’s home improvement chain will spill into 2012 with a planned boycott of Lowe’s for dropping its advertising from the TLC reality show “All-American Muslim.” Leaders of the Muslim Public Affairs Council urged their members to boycott Lowe’s, and called on more than 50 major […]
GUEST COMMENTARY: Muslims are more ‘All-American’ than corporate cowards
By Tracy Gordon — December 20, 2011
(RNS) Ingrid Mattson, the immediate past president of the Islamic Society of North America, summed up the challenge we Americans face in light of the controversy surrounding sponsorship of TLC’s new reality TV series, “All-American Muslim.” “Freedom of religion is a hallmark of this country,” she said. “It is time to decide whether or not […]
Lawmaker pulls bid to give rabbis control over electricity
By Tracy Gordon — December 20, 2011
JERUSALEM (RNS) An Israeli lawmaker succumbed to public pressure and scrapped legislation that would have given religious officials a say in how the country’s electricity is produced and distributed. Uzi Landau, minister of national infrastructure, on Sunday (Dec. 18) withdrew what was called the “kosher electricity bill,” an amendment to an existing law that would […]
Monday Godbytes: Tim Tebow’s Miraculous Loss; Saudis Snap Up Twitter; Flying Spaghetti Monster
By Jack Jenkins — December 20, 2011
Despite a six-game winning streak, Denver Broncos quarterback and vocal Christian Tim Tebow lost to the New England Patriots last night, 41-23. It was a sad day for Broncos fans, but the Jesus Needs New PR blog thinks Saturday Night Live (and Jesus) foretold the reason for loss before it happened. (also, the Patriots are […]
Monday’s Religion News Roundup: Deaths in threes; Pope Benedict XVI’s fatigue; Jesus goe
By Daniel Burke — December 19, 2011
Is there something religious behind the superstition that famous people die in threes? While appreciations of Christopher Hitchens and Vaclav Havel continue to pour in, news came on Sunday that North Korean despot Kim Jung-il has died of a heart attack. While Hitchens and Kim were ardent atheists, Havel, the former Czech president, was something […]
Ten Commandments scroll goes on display in New York
By Tracy Gordon — December 19, 2011
NEW YORK (RNS) It is an irony of history that the Ten Commandments that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai on two stone tablets are found in their purest form on a strip of ancient parchment so delicate that it is hardly ever seen by the public. A rare exception is being made this holiday […]
