Monthly Archives: March 2009
Academic ayatollah?
By Daniel Burke — March 24, 2009
As expected, conservative Catholics are hopping mad about Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama to give the commencement address this year. Notre Dame officials, however, aren’t backing down. Jesuit Tom Reese says such squabbles have become as much a part of spring as blooming tulips – though not nearly as pretty. “People need to recognize […]
High court rejects evolution suit against Cal
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 24, 2009
A long-standing lawsuit against a UC Berkeley evolution web site by a Roseville woman who takes the Bible literally has been rejected without comment by the U.S. Supreme Court, the court announced today.
Religion in poll symbols? We can do nothing: SC
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 24, 2009
NEW DELHI: Many an election symbol in India, where religion is intrinsic to the way of life, can be associated either with God or his elements. Can these symbols be used by political parties without being accused of wooing voters in the name of religion, which is a grave electoral malpractice?
The African sense of the sacred
By Francis X. Rocca — March 24, 2009
As if to refute claims that he fails to appreciate African litugrical styles, Pope Benedict told reporters on his flight back from Angola yesterday that he had been “greatly impressed by the spirit of concentration in the liturgies, the strong sense of the sacred” that he witnessed during a week-long trip to Africa. “In the […]
FDA ordered to rethink age restriction for Plan B
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 24, 2009
A federal judge ordered the Food and Drug Administration yesterday to reconsider its 2006 decision to deny girls younger than 18 access to the morning-after pill Plan B without a prescription.
Another week, another church to visit
By Tracy Gordon — March 24, 2009
(UNDATED) Growing up, Suzanne Strempek Shea was warned by priests and nuns not to step foot in a Protestant church or else the “roof would fall in and we’d go to hell.” Which, in a way, helps explain why Shea decided to spend a year on the road visiting 50 churches, a different one every […]
Obama walks religious tightrope spanning faithful, nonbelievers
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 24, 2009
WASHINGTON — In the early days of his administration, President Barack Obama has developed an unusual pattern as he talks about religion: He regularly puts nonbelievers on the same footing as religious Americans.
COMMENTARY: Say no to Sundays
By Tom Ehrich — March 24, 2009
(UNDATED) For five decades and in growing numbers, American Christians have been saying no to Sunday church. I think it is time we listened. We have labeled them “unchurched,” “nonbelievers,” “former Christians,” “happy pagans,” “lost,” and a “mission field” that’s “ripe for harvest.” These negative terms imply that the absent have a flaw that needs […]
Factbox: Role of religion in Israel’s armed forces
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 24, 2009
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Following are facts about how the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accommodate Orthodox Jews.
Obama honoris causa
By Mark Silk — March 24, 2009
I’ve always thought it was dopey for Catholic institutions of higher learning to bar on-campus appearances by prominent people who are pro-choice–sort of the spiritual equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting la-la-la-la. But it’s not clear to me that giving President Obama an honorary degree, as Notre Dame proposes to do, […]
Science and Plan B
By Mark Silk — March 24, 2009
In his order reversing the Bush administration’s restrictions on federal funding of stem cell research earlier this month, President Obama received some undeserved criticism for minimizing the role of moral values in shaping science policy. Yes he did, in his signing statement, insist that promoting science “is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted […]
DuBois: A man to watch, and maybe to dine with
By Adelle M. Banks — March 24, 2009
Joshua DuBois, the executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, has made at least two lists of note in recent days. On Sunday, the Root, an online magazine focused on African-American perspectives, named him among 10 people in “Washington’s New Black Pack: Ten to Watch in Mr. Obama’s Washington.” The […]
Saudi clerics urge ban on women appearing in media
By Adelle M. Banks — March 23, 2009
A group of Saudi clerics urged the kingdom’s new information minister on Sunday to ban women from appearing on TV or in newspapers and magazines, making clear that the country’s hardline religious establishment is skeptical of a new push toward moderation.
Pope wraps up week-long trip to Africa
By Tracy Gordon — March 23, 2009
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Closing a week-long visit to Africa on Monday (Mar. 23), Pope Benedict XVI urged citizens of war-ravaged Angola to work for “national reconciliation,” and reminded the country’s longstanding president of government’s duty to serve the “common good.” “Never tire of promoting peace, making gestures of forgiveness and working for national reconciliation, so […]
Court says church can brew hallucinogenic tea
By Tracy Gordon — March 23, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) A church in Ashland, Ore., can import and brew a hallucinogenic tea for its religious services, under a federal court ruling issued March 19. Judge Owen M. Panner issued a permanent injunction that bars the federal government from penalizing or prohibiting the Church of the Holy Light of the Queen from sacramental […]
