Monthly Archives: August 2010
Monday’s roundup
By Daniel Burke — August 16, 2010
President Obama has recalibrated or clarified his support for Muslims’ right to build a mosque two blocks away from ground zero in NYC. At an iftar dinner at the White House on Friday, Obama said Muslims “have a right to to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower […]
Age-old Amish experience a 21st century boom
By Tracy Gordon — August 16, 2010
ELIZABETHVILLE, Pa. (RNS) Paul “Chubby” Chubb cranks up the engine of his big Dodge pickup and sets off on his daily rounds, running errands for the Amish, taking them shopping, delivering goods and making friends along the way. “People like them here,” Chubby, 82, said of the Amish. “If people have a bad word, they […]
Spamming the mosque
By Mark Silk — August 16, 2010
I get a lot of spam on Spiritual Politics (still waiting for that captcha program), and mostly it has to do with product promotions–replica rolodexes, male sex products–and fulsome but sadly unspecific tributes to the blog’s high quality. Over the past couple of days, however, there has been a slew of messages relating to the […]
Evangelize and spin
By Alfredo Garcia — August 14, 2010
Over at the “Jesus Needs New PR” blog, Matthew Paul Turner posted a video of how successful proselytizing can lead to big bucks.
Study: Orthodox Jews more open to counseling, but needs remain
By Tracy Gordon — August 13, 2010
NEW YORK (RNS) Most Orthodox Jews who seek professional counseling do so for marriage problems despite the community’s relatively high marital satisfaction rate, according to a new study released Friday (Aug. 13). The findings, reported in “Psychological Disorder and Stigma: A 25-Year Follow-up Study in the Orthodox Jewish Community,” surveyed members of Nefesh, the International […]
Christian leaders praise Taize community on 70th anniversary
By Tracy Gordon — August 13, 2010
GENEVA (RNS/ENInews) World Christian leaders are paying tribute to the ecumenical Taize community in eastern France, which is marking the 70th anniversary of its founding in 1940 by Brother Roger Schutz, who died in 2005. In a message in advance of the Saturday (Aug. 14) commemoration, Pope Benedict XVI described Schutz as a “pioneer in […]
Financial woes lead to president’s resignation at Methodist college
By Tracy Gordon — August 13, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) Trustees at Birmingham-Southern College on Wednesday (Aug. 11) accepted the resignation of President David Pollick after a months-long controversy over accounting errors and overspending. The financial mismanagement helped put the United Methodist-affiliated liberal arts school in deep financial trouble. Pollick, 62, had been president since July 2004. Earlier this year, Pollick said […]
Monks sue for the right to build and sell caskets
By Tracy Gordon — August 13, 2010
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) When St. Joseph Abbey decided to open a woodshop on All Saints Day 2007 to sell handcrafted caskets to the public, the hope was that the sales would pay for the medical and educational needs of the abbey’s 36 Benedictine monks. The board regulating Louisiana’s embalmers and funeral directors, however, would have […]
Katharine Jefferts Schori, Embattled Episcopal Bishop, Seeks Allies Overseas
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 13, 2010
Huffington Post (RNS):Contrary to what they say about Las Vegas, what happens in one branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion rarely stays there. And no one knows this more than the former Episcopal bishop of Sin City, Katharine Jefferts Schori, who is now presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Read more.
Ramadan Road Trip: Muslim Men Try To Break Their Fast In 30 States In 30 Days
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 13, 2010
Huffington Post (RNS): Two young Muslims are hitting the road for Ramadan, determined to acquire a broad–and speedy–picture of American Islam by breaking the holy month’s daily fast in a different state each evening. Full story.
Baha’ leaders sentenced to 20 years in Iran
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 13, 2010
Houston Chronicle (RNS): Seven top leaders of the Baha’i faith who have been incarcerated in Iran since 2008 have each received jail sentences of 20 years after six months of court hearings, according to the Baha’i World News Service. Read more.
Friday’s roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 13, 2010
More gay marriage news: The federal judge who overturned California’s ban on same-sex marriage lifted his stay yesterday and said couples can start marrying next Wednesday. Opponents filed an immediate appeal with the 9th Circuit asking for a more permanent stay. Judge Vaughn Walker hinted, however, that he’s not sure the opponents have legal standing […]
The Apocalypse is supposed to be a good thing, right?
By Tracy Gordon — August 13, 2010
(RNS) As “Left Behind” co-author Tim LaHaye sees it, the United States is inching ever closer to the Apocalypse, and he’s not shy about who’s to blame. “Our president doesn’t seem to get it,” LaHaye recently told talk show host (and former presidential candidate) Mike Huckabee. “He doesn’t understand that some of the things he’s […]
The GOP’s Nativist Gene
By Mark Silk — August 13, 2010
As it rose to power in the late 1850s, the Republican Party absorbed the anti-Catholic populists of the American Party who live in historical memory as the Know-Nothings. So called because they denied all knowledge of what their party stood for, the Know-Nothings contributed a nativist gene to the GOP that it has never managed […]
Calif. judge lifts stay, permits gays to marry Aug. 18
By Tracy Gordon — August 13, 2010
(RNS) Same-sex couples can begin marrying in California again on Aug. 18 after a federal judge lifted a stay on his recent ruling that struck down California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. “Based on the trial record, which establishes that Proposition 8 violates plaintiffs’ equal protection and due process rights, the court cannot conclude that […]
