My trusty religion calendar tells me that today is the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, when Eastern Orthodox Christians commemorate the Virgin Mary’s slipping into the big sleep before her bodily resurrection into heaven.
Over in Iowa, another Christian mother jolted her presidential campaign by winning a straw poll on Saturday; then Rep. Michele Bachmann played dodge-ball with David Gregory on “Meet the Press.” Texas Gov. Rick Perry officially launched his campaign this weekend, setting up a “spiritual primary” between the two Christian conservatives, as the AP has it.
And let’s not forget about the so-called “Mormon primary” between Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr., who have “strikingly different religious self-portraits,” according to the Boston Globe.
Speaking of religious races, an Ohio pastor was elected bishop of the newish North American Lutheran Church, which split from the ELCA after the vote to allow non-celibate gay clergy in 2008.
Calling out “Long Live the Dalai Lama!” a Tibetan Buddhist monk burned himself to death in China. It’s unclear exactly why the 29-year-old monk immolated himself, but tensions have increased since China seated its hand-picked Panchen Lama at a Tibetan monastery.
Tsunami victims in Japan are honoring the spirits of deceased relatives in Buddhist ceremonies.
An Indonesian man who survived a deadly mob attack by Muslim hard-liners was sentenced to six months in prison, a harsher sentence than some of his assailants received.
Catholics in Kansas City have filed a civil lawsuit charging that the archdiocese allowed a priest who was found with child pornography to attend children’s birthday parties and preside at a First Communion.
Followers of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs are planning to erect a 38-foot tall statue of the convicted sex offender at a compound in Short Creek, on the Utah-Arizona border.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said he will sign a bill that bans protests near military funerals, even though similar measures have been ruled unconstitutional.
A Virginia school board is removing a Sherlock Holmes novel from the 6th grade reading list after a parent’s complaint that it is derogatory toward Mormons. Meanwhile, Romance novels lead to better sex, say some Mormon women.
Catholic parishes worldwide are asking women not wear miniskirts, sleeveless shirts or low-cut blouses, according to Our Sunday Visitor. “We like seeing you in church,” says the Rev. Anthony Stubeda of Silver Lake, Minn., “just not so much of you.”
Yr hmbl aggregator,
Daniel Burke