WednesdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup: Linsanity to Houston, Obama and Romney to Saddleback? A pro-life âÂ?Â?Wailing WallâÂ?Â?

Rick Warren wants to bring the candidates to his church, Romney gets some Veep advice from Tony Perkins (Allen West, anyone?) and desecrations abound.

Rick Warren is trying to reprise his faith forum from 2008, and his aiming to get Mitt Romney and Barack Obama at his Saddleback Church on Aug. 20 or thereabouts.

This could be an interesting challenge for both candidates, though maybe we are all Mormons now, and Mitt has nothing to worry about?

Romney got some advice from Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council on who he should pick as his running mate. Hint: it has to be a “pro-life conservative,” like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. No surprise there.


But how about the other name on Perkins’ list: Florida Rep. Allen West. He’s an African-American Republican, but might not be the lower-key type – like Tim Pawlenty or Rob Portman – that Mitt is reportedly looking for.

Sodom-on-Hudson strikes again? The New York Knicks send Jeremy Lin and his evangelical witness – and maybe the marketing juggernaut that was “Linsanity” – to the Houston Rockets.

How could they do that?! Well, have you followed the Knicks’ management for the past decade or so?

Anyway, Gotham still has Batman, and Tim Tebow. And lots of evangelical churches.

Minnesota is changing its “Saints” to “Aints,” at least for one August night, and for one minor league baseball team. So how bad could Manhattan be?

The head of Pennsylvania’s American Atheists threatens to desecrate the Quran if the state House of Representatives doesn't drop a “Year of Religious Diversity” resolution.

Trayvon Martin’s accused shooter, George Zimmerman, pleaded with Quran-burning Florida pastor Terry Jones not to hold a rally in his defense. Zimmerman knows he has enough PR problems, it seems.


Israeli lawmaker Michael Ben Ari ripped up a copy of the New Testament and threw it in the garbage and sent newspapers a photograph of his action. A missionary group had sent him the holy book as part of a mass mailing, and he didn’t appreciate it.

Christian pro-lifers in Kansas aren’t making many Jewish friends with their plans to build a replica of the “Wailing Wall” – a.k.a. the Kotel, the remnant of the western wall of the biblical Temple in Jerusalem. The wall is to be part of the first national pro-life memorial (pictured above), and its Christian backers say the Wall is an appropriate symbol for legalized abortion.

Says the editorial page of the Forward: “Find your own symbols. Stay away from ours.”

Could an Alabama shrine become the American Lourdes?

Is the Virgin Mary a civic or religious figure?

The head of the group of U.S. sisters which has come under harsh Vatican scrutiny said today that a key question facing the faithful is “Can you be Catholic and have a questioning mind?”

I’m not sure what I think about that.

Lawsuits against the Obama administration’s contraception mandate took a hit as a federal judge in Nebraska told GOP attorneys general they don’t have standing to sue – yet, at least.

David Gibson

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      Photo credit: Mark Holick via The Forward      

 

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