WednesdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup: Joel Osteen on Mitt Romney, Joe the Plumber on Barack Obama, Paul Ryan on Catholicism

It’s official: Mitt Romney is a Christian. Joel Osteen tells me so. Osteen is also set to sell out Nationals Park for a prosperity prayer rally this Saturday. Billy Graham has a different take: “Instead of serving God, we serve money and things – and they end up controlling us.” The “God gap” persists, and […]

It’s official: Mitt Romney is a Christian. Joel Osteen tells me so.

Osteen is also set to sell out Nationals Park for a prosperity prayer rally this Saturday.

Billy Graham has a different take: “Instead of serving God, we serve money and things – and they end up controlling us.”


The “God gap” persists, and Romney has the “very religious” by 17 points over President Obama and Obama has the “moderately religious” by 14 points and the nonreligious by 31 points.

Joe the Plumber, newly-minted Republican candidate and born-again Christian, puts himself in the first category. He also says he doesn’t question Barack Obama’s faith and says those who do are not being Christian! To which he adds this charitable reading:

“After Barack Hussein Obama suddenly cast-off his Muslim roots, rejected his mother’s disbelief in God, turned tail on the Islam of his early life and converted to Christianity – BLAM – he’s elected President. Anyone who believes the two things are not connected is being disingenuous at best. I don’t know how or when it happened, whether when he was partying at college or five minutes before he first decided to run for office, but it doesn’t matter – he came to Christ and he is my brother.”

Thanks, bro.

You think American politics is tough? Check out the race to succeed the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Chuck Colson will be buried privately with full military honors at Quantico National Cemetery.

Paul Ryan will be facing some pointed questions about his understanding of Catholicism when he delivers a lecture at Georgetown University tomorrow.

The Supremes will hear arguments today on Arizona’s tough immigration law, a statute that has no love among most religious groups.

The Mojave Desert cross can stay under a new land-swap deal.

One of the Arab world’s most popular comedians isn’t laughing: an Egyptian court confirmed his jail sentence for offending Islam.

David Gibson

Photo credit: Joel Osteen via The Washington Post
 

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