Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Redeeming Draper * Rumsfeld’s Faith * Meaning or Happiness? *

Bob Marley’s Message: Brooklyn storefront

The next marriage debate: “Wedleases” instead of “wedlock”? Paul Rampell, an estate planner, writes:

In real estate, one may own a life estate in a piece of property. This is comparable to the term of a marriage — a lifetime. And in real estate, one may hold possession of property for shorter terms through a lease.

Yeah, just try getting your security deposit back.

That story leading today’s Roundup is from the Washington Post in honor of its historic transition to, well …

In 1913, great newspapers were rich men's toys. By 1963, they'd become mighty independent corporations. In 2013 …

— David Frum (@davidfrum) August 5, 2013

Speaking of publishing, will actress Leah Remini be the Eric Snowden of Scientology when her memoir of life in the church is published?

Modesty in worship, or a lack thereof, continues to roil Christian blogs. “Why Do So Many Women Show off Cleavage in Church?” they ask at Crosswalk.

Another question: “Is Don Draper beyond redemption?” At First Things, J.L. Wall ponders Dante and “Mad Men.”

And Don Rumsfeld? The architect of the Iraq War says he still has faith that the decision to invade was the right one as he opens up in a rare discussion of religion, with Nicholas Hahn at RealClearReligion:

Ignoring another monstrous threat would have been “immoral,” he says, and imprudent so soon after September 11. Intelligence that Saddam Hussein was reconstituting his chemical and biological weapon arsenal, whether or not it later turned out to be somewhat inaccurate, was not to be discounted. In the end, Rumsfeld insists, “the world is clearly a better place without Saddam Hussein.”

Interesting note: Rummy was raised a Congregationalist, now attends an Episcopal church in DC, but worships at a Catholic church in New Mexico because it’s the only one near his ranch.

As opposed to this successful Alabama high school coach, who was reportedly fired because he didn’t attend the Baptist church associated with the Christian school where he worked as athletic director.

Not Dead Yet: Gary Dorrien joins the discussion of Mainline Protestantism’s enduring afterlife – at least in books.

I bet Marilynne Robinson could keep it alive, literarily, by herself. Here she is on the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Don’t worry, be happy? Maybe it’s better to pursue a meaningful life than a simply happy one, a new study suggests.

Somewhere, Victor Frankl is smiling. But we still like Bob Marley.

Popular Christian writer and speaker Margaret Feinberg is battling breast cancer, and writes about it.

The “Fittest Man on Earth” talks to The Blaze about his winning formula: faith.

Faith-based dorms? Even conservatives aren’t sure they want to go there.

Oh, Barney Frank comes out as an atheist. Atheists wonder why he waited.

Are bishops trying to explain away Pope Francis’ remarks on gays and not judging too quickly?

The Forward says Jews can learn from the pontiff’s comments.

Gays are gaining acceptance among Mormons, according to a gay Mormon writer.

And a controversial Pakistani TV host is using his program to get people to adopt what he says are abandoned babies. Ethical?

My favorite story of the day: Julia Smucker walked into a parish where she’d never attended Mass before, and was startled to hear a priest with a speech impediment:

To my chagrin, my first thought at this realization was, “How did this guy make it through seminary?” Then my mind strayed a little further down that path and thought that he must, perhaps, have some remarkable pastoral gifts … still a little condescending in my thinking, maybe. But then something else happened: I found myself hearing the collect like I’ve never heard a collect before. And thus proceeded what must have been the most simultaneously halting and transcendent Mass I’ve ever attended, full of pregnant pauses culminating in words like mysteries … petitions … Jesus Christ … bread of life … majesty … memory … salvation … worthy … mercy … words made fuller and weightier in the anticipation, each culmination its own miniature eschaton.

So Amazon’s Jeff Bezos just bought the Washington Post for $250 million? You can get the Daily Religion News Roundup here for free, every day. Beat an Internet billionaire and sign up in the box below. Cheers.

David Gibson