Monthly Archives: September 2010
Kenyan faith leaders seek ban on toxic brews
By Tracy Gordon — September 18, 2010
NAIROBI (RNS/ENInews) Faith leaders in Kenya hope to collect 1 million signatures to petition President Mwai Kibaki to rescind a new law legalizing traditional brews that have left hundreds dead. Christian, Hindu and Muslim leaders are concerned the law will lead to increased alcohol abuse in Kenya. “We are opposed to the legalization of alcohol […]
Faith leaders in Kenya are trying to collect 1 million signatures in a bid to overturn a new law tha
By Tracy Gordon — September 18, 2010
Pope, in typical British form, talks frankly and candidly
By Tracy Gordon — September 18, 2010
LONDON (RNS) Seemingly unfazed by months of protests from secularist critics, Pope Benedict XVI deployed unusually forceful language on Friday (Sept. 17) to defend the “legitimate role of religion” in public life. Benedict, on the second day of his four-day visit, seemed to be taking cues from the general temperament of his British hosts: polite […]
Friday’s roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — September 17, 2010
Apologies for the late delivery, due to technological snafus … Five men have been detained in London for allegedly hatching some sort of terrorist plot (specifics are very hazy) against Pope Benedict XVI. Making the rounds today, B16 appealed for religious tolerance and respect for religious freedom. He’s meeting with Anglican Communion head Rowan Williams […]
Charity report: U.S. ties for fifth in global giving
By Kevin Eckstrom — September 17, 2010
Houston Chronicle (RNS): The U.S. tied with Switzerland for fifth place in a “world giving index” by the British-based Charities Aid Foundation that measured charitable behavior across the globe. Read more.
Values voters see common cause, if not agenda, with tea party
By Tracy Gordon — September 17, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) With its emphasis on lower taxes and smaller government, the “tea party” movement hasn’t spent a lot of time on the social issues that animate social conservatives — abortion, gay marriage or stem cell research. But that doesn’t worry Leigh-Ann Bellew, the New Jersey leader of a conservative mother’s group, who sees “faith-based” […]
Confession Time
By Mark Silk — September 17, 2010
The Al Chet, the omnibus confessional prayer said repeatedly by worshipers during Yom Kippur, includes atonement for speaking ill of others and otherwise not controlling one’s tongue. In this regard, it’s good to note some prominent members of my tribe acting on their need to repent. There’s the New Republic‘s Martin Peretz, who made an […]
Report finds spike in U.S. poverty levels
By Tracy Gordon — September 17, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) The number of people in poverty in America increased to its highest recorded point last year, and the poverty rate rose to its highest level since 1994, new statistics show. The Census Bureau released data Thursday (Sept. 16) that showed a significant annual increase in poverty, rising 1.1 percentage points to 14.3 percent […]
Definition of family shifting, scholar says
By Tracy Gordon — September 17, 2010
(RNS) The definition of who makes a family is shifting in the minds of Americans to include more same-sex couples, new research shows. Brian Powell, a sociologist at Indiana University, surveyed more than 1,500 people on the definition of family in 2003 and 2006 for his new book, “Counted Out: Same-Sex Relations and Americans’ Definition […]
Judge demands proof of repairs to imam’s apartment building
By Tracy Gordon — September 17, 2010
UNION CITY, N.J. (RNS) A judge denied a city request for custodial receivership of two apartment buildings owned by the imam who wants to build a controversial mosque near Ground Zero, but demanded that he prove that safety and health code violations are being addressed. State Superior Court Judge Thomas Olivieri on Wednesday (Sept. 15) […]
IHOP, the restaurant, sues IHOP, the church
By Tracy Gordon — September 17, 2010
(RNS) Usually known for serving 24/7 breakfasts, the International House of Pancakes has instead served a suit to the International House of Prayer, a Missouri church, for trademark infringement. The restaurant chain — which uses the website IHOP.com — said the Kansas City church — whose website is IHOP.org — is intentionally misleading customers. “We’ve […]
Pope arrives in U.K., overshadowed by abuse
By Tracy Gordon — September 17, 2010
LONDON (RNS) Arriving in Scotland for the start of a four-day trip to Britain, Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday (Sept. 16) reiterated the threat of “aggressive forms of secularism” and deplored the abuse scandal that has provoked the greatest crisis of his papacy. At a welcoming ceremony hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in Edinburgh, and […]
Life Begins At Conception, Says New Mo. Law
By Kevin Eckstrom — September 16, 2010
Huffington Post (RNS): It’s a question that has perplexed philosophers, theologians and scientists for thousands of years. Pythagorean Greeks, early Christian church fathers, Talmudic rabbis, Sunni and Shia scholars, Hindu Brahmin and modern bioethicists have grappled with the fundamental, ultimately unknowable, mystery: At what point in our biological development are we infused with a soul? […]
Thursday’s roundup
By Daniel Burke — September 16, 2010
Aboard the papal plane en route to Scotland, Pope Benedict XVI made his strongest criticism to date of his church’s handling of clergy sexual abuse, saying it had not been “sufficiently vigilant” or “swift and decisive” in protecting children. It’s the first state visit to Britain by a pope, and, fittingly, Benedict’s first meeting on […]
COMMENTARY: The myth of a `Christian nation’
By Tracy Gordon — September 16, 2010
(RNS) The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan is credited with saying that “everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts.” Some leaders of the religious right would have us believe that America was founded as a “Christian nation.” The facts, however, say otherwise. While the Founding Fathers, […]
