Monthly Archives: October 2005
A 14-Year-Old Memorizes all 114 Chapters of the Quran
By RNS Blog Editor — October 13, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service PISCATAWAY, N.J. _ For three hours a day, every day for four years, young Asahn Kadeer has practiced memorizing the Quran, its curvy Arabic letters, dots and slanted dashes dancing in his head. When not immersed in class work, PlayStation 2 or watching the Philadelphia 76ers, the 14-year-old learned to […]
Study Says Religion Leads to Societal Problems
By RNS Blog Editor — October 13, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The article is long, laced with academic terms and written for sociologists, but the message is clear: More religion seems to mean more troubles, not less, for nations and regions around the world. Data from the last 10 years seem to indicate that the United States, by far the […]
COMMENTARY: Iraqi Constitution Only Appears to Protect Religious Freedom
By RNS Blog Editor — October 13, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) On Saturday (Oct. 15), Iraqi citizens will vote on a new constitution. Once it is approved and enacted, Iraq will become the first real Muslim democracy _ one that combines Islam with the foundations of representative democracy and the rule of law. This is a historic moment for Iraq, […]
To Flex its Muscle, Religion Goes to the National Mall
By Adelle M. Banks — October 12, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Decades ago, praying civil rights activists gathered there. This month, an evangelist-led festival and an interfaith gathering of African-Americans occur one weekend apart. And on Veterans Day, “atheists in foxholes” will take their turn. Where is the place people of faith, and no faith, gather to make a […]
U.S. Justice Department Investigates Church Zoning Case
By RNS Blog Editor — October 12, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In a nationally watched case about a church’s freedom to build where it pleases, the U.S. Justice Department has invoked the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act to investigate the way a New Jersey township has treated a 5,000-member megachurch. The probe of Rockaway Township’s treatment of Christ […]
COMMENTARY: Uproar Over Nominee Reveals Our Conflicted Common Life
By Tom Ehrich — October 12, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Despite a stellar career, Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is coming to resemble Peter Sellers’ character “Chauncey Gardiner” in the brilliant 1979 film “Being There.” In the film, self-absorbed people projected onto the unworldly Chauncey whatever they wanted. In their eyes, he became wise by mouthing television platitudes, repeating […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 12, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Religious Relief Agencies, Already Busy, Aid South Asia (RNS) Religious relief agencies, already faced with numerous disasters in the last year, have begun assisting survivors of a massive earthquake in South Asia. After a 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook Pakistan, India and Afghanistan on Saturday (Oct. 8), Catholic Relief Services staffers already […]
Pastor’s wife on Harriet Miers
By Tracy Gordon — October 11, 2005
Quote of the Day: Church member Kaycia Key, on Supreme Court Nominee “Let’s just say she makes a joyful noise unto the Lord.” -Kaycia Key, wife of the pastor at Valley View Church, where Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers served as an active member and Sunday school teacher. Key said she expects the nominee to […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 11, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Senate May Call Dobson to Share Info on Miers Nomination WASHINGTON (RNS) James Dobson, the influential head of Colorado-based Focus on the Family, has said he knows information about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers that “I probably shouldn’t know.” Now senators say they want the same information, and could subpoena […]
COMMENTARY/REVIEW: `Just Like Heaven’ Raises Spiritual, Not Religious, Questions
By RNS Blog Editor — October 11, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) When heaven (or something just like it) beats hell (or at least the apparent manifestations of that region’s administrator) at the box office, I have to take a look. “Just Like Heaven,” rated PG-13, opened in mid-September as the No. 1 movie, ahead of the “Exorcism of Emily Rose.” […]
Muslim Author Addresses Prejudice in `My Name is Bilal’
By RNS Blog Editor — October 11, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The way it started out, the way it was originally written, the child in the story only had to deal with a basic fear shared by kids everywhere. That maybe, because he wasn’t exactly like them, he wouldn’t be liked or accepted by his peers. But events took a […]
Palau Festival on National Mall Emphasizes Party Evangelism
By Adelle M. Banks — October 11, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Undeterred by drenching rain and a flood warning on its first day, a crowd of enthusiastic Christians sang worship songs and cheered for Jesus at the “DC Festival” Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 8-9) on the National Mall. Dressed in a denim shirt and holding a small black Bible […]
Church Waits to Restore Jesus Statue, Symbol of Hope for New Orleans
By RNS Blog Editor — October 11, 2005
NEW ORLEANS _ The fingers of Jesus _ or at least the two stone versions of them shorn off the left hand of the statue in the garden behind St. Louis Cathedral _ will not be restored until New Orleans is, Catholic Archbishop Alfred Hughes has decided. Katrina reduced the serene courtyard in the rear […]
Have a little faith?
By Tracy Gordon — October 11, 2005
Quote of the Day: Interfaith Alliance President Rev. C. Welton Gaddy “It appears that the White House is soliciting support for (Supreme Court nominee) Harriet Miers by focusing on her evangelical faith. Just as opposition to a candidate for the Supreme Court because of their faith is wrong, so is using faith to garner support. […]
Reports Say Vatican Document Will Admit Celibate Gays to Priesthood
By RNS Blog Editor — October 8, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ A forthcoming Vatican document on homosexuality is expected to restrict gay men’s entry into the priesthood but not ban them outright, providing they have been celibate for at least three years and have not publicly disclosed their homosexuality. Candidates who participate in gay pride rallies or associate […]
