Monthly Archives: October 2009
10 minutes with … Bruce Feiler
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
(RNS) Moses, not Jesus, is the religious figure who has most influenced American history, says journalist Bruce Feiler. He makes this claim in “America’s Prophet: Moses and the American Story.” In addition to being a well-known inspiration for the abolition and civil rights movements, Moses was quoted by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and the […]
S.C. Republican officials apologize for offending Jews
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
(RNS) Two Republican officials in South Carolina have apologized for using Jewish stereotypes to defend a U.S. senator. “There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves,” the two county chairmen wrote […]
Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo opposes gay-rights ordinance
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
KALAMAZOO (RNS) The Catholic bishop in southwestern Michigan has issued a statement urging clergy to oppose Kalamazoo’s Nov. 3 gay-rights ballot issue, saying it might lead to behavior that is “contrary to Church teaching.” The Most Rev. Paul J. Bradley, bishop of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, said the ordinance in its current form “is problematic […]
European court: German ethics courses don’t infringe on religion
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
BERLIN (RNS) A mandatory ethics course in Berlin’s public schools does not violate a family’s right to educate children according to religious beliefs, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday (Oct. 20). At issue was a 2006 move by the city-state of Berlin to require ethics classes for all students in grades 7-10. Although […]
Mass. men accused of torching black church plead innocent on another fire
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
(RNS) Two Massachusetts men who face federal charges for torching a predominantly black church after President Obama’s election last November pleaded innocent in state court on Tuesday (Oct. 20) to charges involving an unrelated 2003 fire. Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder accepted the recommendation of prosecution and defense lawyers that Benjamin Haskell, 22, and Michael Jacques, […]
Controversial comic artist draws Genesis
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
(RNS) The Book of Genesis may be a sacred text to many, but it’s also chock-full of sex, violence, and betrayal — elements that underground comic artist R. Crumb was only too eager to take on. “(It’s about) ruling elites victimizing people in sadistic ways, which is human beings at their nastiest,” Crumb said at […]
Celibacy a deal-breaker for some Anglicans
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
VATICAN CITY (RNS) While Pope Benedict XVI hopes to encourage conversions by allowing disaffected Anglicans to continue to use traditional forms of worship, the Catholic tradition of celibate clergy may be an insurmountable obstacle for some potential converts. The Vatican announced Tuesday (Oct. 20) that it will create new national dioceses tailored to Anglicans upset […]
Orthodox leader says climate poses a religious duty
By Tracy Gordon — October 21, 2009
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) It is the religious duty of Orthodox Christians to protect an environment harmed by natural disasters and society’s modern way of life, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said here on Wednesday (Oct. 21). “We are living in a moment in history when we must work for solutions in faith, in love, in hope, […]
Wednesday’s religion round-up
By Daniel Burke — October 21, 2009
Supreme Court Justice Alito said he’s a little frustrated by persistent questions about the court’s six Roman Catholics, and the Supreme Court agreed to consider the detention of Muslim Uighurs at Gitmo. Twitter exploded with atheism on Tuesday, Kentucky counties say their Ten Commandments displays are constitutionally kosher, and two South Carolina Republicans have apologized […]
COMMENTARY: Protecting children from the media gaze
By Phyllis Zagano — October 21, 2009
(RNS) It doesn’t matter whether 6-year-old Falcon Heene was in the balloon or not. He’s become an international joke along with the rest of his family. That’s a sad situation for a first-grader whose moment of network TV fame included becoming ill on camera — twice. The Heene family’s startling launch to celebrity, via televised […]
Ex cathedra smackdown
By Francis X. Rocca — October 21, 2009
Bishops in need of assertiveness training for dealing with recalcitrant members of their flocks ought to sign up for lessons with Archbishop Chrysostomos II, leader of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. Here he is berating some monks who harassed participants at a Catholic wedding: “The Church is certainly a place for healing, and people turn to […]
Kenya says no to Pope
By Mark Silk — October 21, 2009
The archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) thinks it’s just an English thing. “I do not see why it is necessary at this point in history, ACK Archbishop Eliud Wabukala told the Nation.“The Archbishop of Canterbury sent us letters welcoming the offer but for him, it is essentially to deal with the local […]
Anglican Uniates
By Mark Silk — October 21, 2009
It’s NYT’s lead story today, portrayed as a poaching expedition: “In an extraordinary bid to to lure traditionalist Anglicans en masse, the Vatican on Tuesday announced…” Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams begs to differ: It would not occur to me to see this as an act of aggression or a statement of no confidence, precisely […]
Charitable Choice, Jersey style
By Mark Silk — October 21, 2009
Forgive me, but I grew up in Essex County, NJ and put in my time as a daily journalist. So I’m a little bit skeptical that the $87,000 that Gov. Jon Corzine, he of the Wall Street millions, donated last year to St. Matthew AME Church in Orange had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with […]
Human rights activists slam Vietnam over religious persecution
By Tracy Gordon — October 20, 2009
NEW YORK (RNS) Human rights activists are criticizing Vietnam for expelling followers of a renowned Buddhist monk from a monastery, calling it part of a pattern of religious persecution by the Communist government. The criticism, from New York-based Human Rights Watch, echoes concerns raised by the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi about the expulsion of the […]
