Handel’s “Messiah” was first performed on this day in 1742. So, Hallelujah and all that. I like this version, by the way.
China locked down a Tibetan monastery and clashed with local residents as they tried to block troops from arresting monks.
The State Department says the Vatican has been served with court papers stemming from decades-old accusations that a Wisconsin priest molested as many as 200 deaf boys.
A Swiss judge has acquitted three Hindus arrested for planning to burn the Bible and the Quran because they believe the books encourage violence and contain pornography.
The Justice Department says a South Carolina jail is violating inmates’ rights by barring them from reading anything other than the Bible. Virginia’s Department of Corrections settled a lawsuit filed by an inmate who was not allowed to order sermons on CD.
Arizona Gov. Brewer vetoed a bill that would have prohibited denial or revocation of occupational licenses based on religion because it might have prevented the suspension of police officers who practiced polygamy in an FLDS-controlled town.
Chicago is abandoning ordinance that would block protesters from causing a disturbance outside of places of worship – that is, a Scientology church – where services are taking place.
A litigious preacher in Ohio is suing a school district because it doesn’t allow his daughter to wear shirts that say “God Hates Muslim Gays.” I believe Westboro Baptist Church has that phrase copyrighted, anyway.
Bahai’s unveiled their newly renovated holy site in Israel.
Oops. An Italian publisher has yanked copies of a book on Catholic Church teaching after a translation error implied the Vatican approved of contraception. Strippers were part of a professor’s extra-credit symposium on business ethics at La Salle University, a Catholic school in Philly. Students say the dancers kept their clothes on.
Kate Middleton has been confirmed as a member of the Church of England as she prepares to marry Prince William. Curiously, none of the reports I’ve seen mention what religion Middleton practiced before her confirmation, though they seem to imply she was Catholic. The Church of England is adopting new rules to prevent sham marriages.
A journalist believes he may have tracked down iron nails used to crucify Jesus. Visitors will again be able to see the pulpit and sit in the Atlanta sanctuary where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached.