Monthly Archives: December 2013
A&E reinstates ‘Duck Dynasty’ patriarch Phil Robertson after backlash
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — December 27, 2013
(RNS) Suspended for his comments about sexuality and race, Phil Robertson, the patriarch of A&E’s popular “Duck Dynasty” reality show, was reinstated Friday.
ANALYSIS: Philadelphia abuse reversal conveys a painful lesson
By David Gibson — December 27, 2013
(RNS) This week’s court decision that freed a senior cleric in Philadelphia who had been jailed for shielding an abusive priest was a symbolic setback for victims’ advocates but one with a substantial, and discouraging, message for their cause: None of the churchmen implicated in cover-ups during the worst decades of abuse will likely ever face charges.
Pope Francis craze may be idolatry, says Catholic writer Elizabeth Scalia
By Jonathan Merritt — December 27, 2013
Pope Francis receives an 88% approval rating from American Catholics; Popular Catholic writer wonders if we're guilty of idolatry.
Photo Slideshow: 2013 Faith and the Obama White House
By Sally Morrow — December 27, 2013
President Obama and family are captured in photographs during moments of faith in 2013.
2013 marked shifts in views on social issues
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — December 27, 2013
(RNS) The year 2013 ushered in a number of data milestones in American public opinion on issues such as same-sex marriage and personal freedoms.
Same-sex couples shatter marriage records in Utah
By Marissa Lang — December 27, 2013
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) In the week since a federal judge overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, the number of weddings in the state has skyrocketed, shattering records and accruing thousands of dollars for Utah’s 29 counties.
COMMENTARY: Lessons learned by a young priest
By Tom Ehrich — December 27, 2013
(RNS) The anniversary of my ordination isn't a day when I go all gooey inside at remembering ordination. It is a day when I ask, "What was I thinking?" And then the larger question: "What was God thinking?"
Cool lists * Cover-up cleric * Duck Dynasty Chick-fil-A mashup: Friday’s Religion News Roundup
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — December 27, 2013
The first Catholic official to be convicted for covering up for clergy sex abuse has seen his conviction overturned. Everyone is making lists to wrap up the year. And your daily dose of Duck Dynasty updates is in today's roundup.
Iran’s Charter of Citizens’ Rights could worsen religious freedom in the country
By Brian Pellot — December 27, 2013
University of Oxford lecturer Nazila Ghanea has long tracked Iran’s record on religious freedom. Ghanea says the president’s new draft Charter of Citizens’ Rights could further impoverish human rights understandings and the situation of Iran’s religious minorities.
Catholic official’s child endangerment conviction overturned on appeal
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — December 26, 2013
(RNS) A Pennsylvania appeals court ruled unanimously that Monsignor William J. Lynn was wrongly convicted of child endangerment for his handling of priest sex abuse complaints,
Canadian authorities to rule on foster care for children in reclusive sect
By Ron Csillag — December 26, 2013
TORONTO (RNS) Last month, about 150 members of the group Lev Tahor ("Pure Heart") decamped from a village north of Montreal to Chatham, Ontario, about 200 miles southwest of Toronto. Comprising about 40 families, the sect fled just before a Quebec court ordered 14 children into foster care.
From a 5th-grader, uncomfortable truth about religious conflict
By Charles C. Haynes — December 26, 2013
Kwanzaa radio program continues 20-year tradition of instilling values
By Amanda Greene — December 26, 2013
(RNS) “A Season’s Griot” has been produced for more than two decades as the only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa radio show in the country.
How do Mormons teach the Old Testament?
By Jana Riess — December 26, 2013
As Mormons start 2014 and turn to a new Gospel Doctrine topic, let's explore ways we can teach the Old Testament more honestly and effectively.
After historic ruling, Utah couple spends first Christmas as Mrs. and Mrs.
By Marissa Lang — December 26, 2013
(RNS) Christmas this year brought the warm consistency of tradition, of family and friends, of food and gifts and decorations hung with care. But it also brought the realization that in the five days since a federal judge overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriages, so much had changed for the state's gay and lesbian couples.
