Monthly Archives: November 2011
The Vanity of David Brooks
By Mark Silk — November 15, 2011
David Brooks, ace social psychologist of the New York Times, is put out with all those fellow chatterers who have been heaping obloquy upon JoePa and the rest of the Penn State gang that couldn’t manage to get alleged boy rapist Jerry Sandusky properly brought to the attention of law enforcement. In Brooks’ view, all […]
Catholic bishop backtracks on limiting Communion wine
By Tiffany McCallen — November 15, 2011
(RNS) The Roman Catholic bishop of Phoenix has backtracked on plans to restrict Communion wine at Mass after a local outcry and consultation with other bishops. Bishop Thomas Olmsted had said that Vatican guidelines attached to a new Mass translation curtail the distribution of Communion wine to special occasions such as feast days. Olmsted reversed […]
Gay, Muslim groups relieved by changes to bullying bill
By Tiffany McCallen — November 15, 2011
(RNS) Gay and Muslim groups say they are relieved after a Michigan lawmaker agreed to drop a provision in an anti-bullying bill that would have carved out an exemption for religious or moral beliefs. State Sen. Rick Jones, a Republican, inserted a carve-out for a “sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction” in the Senate […]
Pope to make second trip to Africa
By Tiffany McCallen — November 15, 2011
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI will make his second papal trip to Africa on Friday (Nov. 18), visiting the West African country of Benin for three days, where he is likely to address economic justice, peace-building and interfaith dialogue. During Mass at a stadium in the city of Cotonou on Sunday, Benedict will present […]
Monday Godbytes
By Jack Jenkins — November 15, 2011
Singing prayers and adding pounds? Sarah Morice-Brubaker at Religion Dispatches looks at some studies that suggest an association between worship attendance and obesity. An Amish son cut off his father’s beard, the latest development in the ongoing Amish beard-cutting saga in Ohio. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting today. Want to see […]
Bishops welcome dialogue with Obama as concerns remain
By Tiffany McCallen — November 15, 2011
BALTIMORE (RNS) The standoff between the White House and the nation’s Catholic bishops over gay marriage and other hot-button issues may be easing after a quiet Oval Office meeting between President Obama and the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Still, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York and other prelates made it clear […]
Monday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — November 14, 2011
After a week of enduring comparisons to the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal, Penn State played a football game on Saturday. In a remarkable pregame moment, many of the players and coaches kneeled in prayer. (Photo at left courtesy of the Harrisburg Patriot-News.) Speaking of supplication, Herman Cain says he “prayed and prayed and prayed” […]
The Threat to Religious Liberty
By Mark Silk — November 14, 2011
With Newt Gingrich now perched atop at least one national poll, it seems like a good time to check out what the man has to say about religion in his latest book, A Nation Like No other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters. It turns out there’s a certain amount of Bartonish huffing about the Christianism of […]
Friday Godbytes
By Jack Jenkins — November 12, 2011
Today is 11/11/11. Freaked out yet? Some folks in Egypt sure are spooked: officials are closing access to the Great Pyramid near Cairo after rumors circulated that some groups were planning to hold special rituals to mark the unique date. Jews in the Netherlands are getting nervous that the Dutch parliament will approve a ban […]
N.Y. clerk who refused gay marriage licenses wins re-election
By Tracy Gordon — November 12, 2011
LEDYARD, N.Y. (RNS) The town clerk in Ledyard, N.Y., who drew national attention after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples won re-election on Tuesday (Nov. 8). Incumbent Rose Marie Belforti, a Republican, defeated Ed Easter, of Aurora, who launched a write-in candidacy about six weeks ago after learning of his opponent’s stance against […]
As injured vets return home, congregations reach out
By Tracy Gordon — November 12, 2011
NEWTON, Mass. (RNS) Some wounds of war are all too visible — a missing leg, a shattered arm. The invisible wounds of mind and soul are often more difficult to spot, and equally hard to treat. But those who know where to look can help them heal, and it’s a message that is hitting home […]
Catholic college sues over contraception mandate
By Tracy Gordon — November 12, 2011
(RNS) A small Catholic college has sued the Department of Health and Human Services, saying a new requirement to provide contraceptives contradicts the school’s religious beliefs. Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., said Thursday (Nov. 10) that the mandate, ordered in the health care bill passed last year, is unconstitutional because it violates the school’s […]
COMMENTARY: Blind loyalty is bad loyalty
By Tracy Gordon — November 11, 2011
(RNS) The story related in the Pennsylvania grand jury report had all the ingredients of a classic sex abuse scandal: a popular, successful authority figure suspected for years of molesting boys, a host of higher-ups unwilling to report him to police and a trail of vulnerable children left to suffer unspeakable violations while powerful adults […]
Friday’s Religion News Roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — November 11, 2011
News flash: Pope Benedict XVI is old. And like many other old people, his joints get sore and tired (which is why he uses a mobile platform, left, at St. Peter’s). Doctors call it “arthrosis,” and it’s pretty common for an 84-year-old, but that didn’t stop the British tabs from speculating that it could cause […]
Through a Glass Darkly
By Mark Silk — November 11, 2011
With the Iowa caucuses barely seven weeks away, it would be nice if a blog like this weren’t clueless about about the role of religion in the 2012 election cycle. The problem, however, is that the big religion story in every cycle since 1980 has been the place of the religious right–which is to say, […]
