Striking ISIS * Googling Hell * Postponing Marriage : Tuesday’s Roundup

The Pope says "yes" to military strikes on ISIS. If you're Googling "hell," chances are you live in a tough neighborhood. And how to prevent that "hormonal rush."

Woman screaming in shower.

For anyone who advocates military muscle to counter the Islamic State, you may now marshall this momentous moral argument: Pope Francis says go ahead and fire.

Woman screaming in shower.

Woman screaming in shower.

Pope backs use of force in Iraq

This is a rarity. The Pope Monday endorsed the use of force to stop radical Islamists from rampaging through Iraq and giving non-Muslims the choice of conversion or death. How rare is papal approval of the use of force? USA Today quotes James Bretzke, a priest and professor of moral theology at Boston College, who reminded that popes have in recent history opposed all military intervention, including World War II. Said Bretzke:


This is the most pronounced endorsement of the use of force of any pope … in the last 100 years.

Pope: Archbishop Romero “unblocked”

“It is important to do it quickly,” Francis said of the beatification of Oscar Romero, the former archbishop of San Salvador and hero of liberation theology who was gunned down in 1980 while celebrating Mass. Francis said Romero’s beatification had been “blocked out of prudence,” but is no longer. Francis’ predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, had not been a fan of liberation theology, which takes an activist view of Jesus’ teachings on social justice.

Where life is tough, they Google the apocalypse

The New York Times’ “Upshot” columnist analyzes Google searches in the toughest and easiest places to live in America — and finds that those living in the hardscrabble locales are far more likely to Google the dark side of religion: terms, for example, such as “hell” and “apocalypse.” On the sunny side of the street, there is a tendency to search for the Ben Stiller’s “Zoolander.” (One of those movies that you may have enjoyed, but shouldn’t admit to it.)

Ferguson’s Disciples of Justice

Here’s Lilly Fowler’s piece on what happened at the overflowing Greater Grace Church in Ferguson, where The Rev. Al Sharpton preached against the militarization of the police, and for more African-American participation in civic life. He also called for more yellow-shirted Disciples of Justice — or DJ’s – who will fan out across Ferguson to keep the peace.

By the way, the Egyptian military government, which came to power by force and stands accused of killing more than 1,000 Egyptian protestors and jailing many others without due process, is calling on the U.S. to act with restraint in Ferguson.

Marriage is like a cold shower

Marriage is a  foundation of life, and not a capstone of a prolonged adolescence, write Pastor Jon Akin and Andrew Walker of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. OK, I get the point. Their Baptist Press piece, a response to a news story about when Southern Baptists should marry, advises that there’s no one Baptist answer to this question, but that more Baptists should consider marrying younger. But they also write:

Frankly, it is indeed our personal opinion that marrying earlier staves off the hormonal rush that comes with sexual temptation.

Maybe it’s because my sex ed course, many a year ago, was sponsored by the New York City Board of Education — but that part about the hormones? Just doesn’t sound accurate to me.

What I love about the roundup is . . .

That after every paragraph I write, I feed myself a chocolate chip, or 10. Not kidding. What do you love about the roundup? Seriously. We want to know.


BYOB: Bring your own Bible

The British Travelodge hotel chain has removed Bibles from its rooms. “With the country being increasingly multicultural, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to just have the Bible,” said a company spokesman. The Church of England says they still want Bibles in Travelodge rooms. Many Americans have similar feelings about the Navy’s June decision to remove Bibles from its 39 guest lodges. Now that directive is under review.

Mark your gay marriage calendars for Thursday

That’s when same-sex marriages, thanks to a 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, are supposed to begin in Virginia. But the state’s attorney general, who supported overturning the marriage ban, is asking the Supreme Court to let the ban stand until the high court can decide the case itself. Wrote Mark Herring to the Supremes:

Although it is painful to keep Virginia’s same-sex couples and their children waiting any longer to enjoy the rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, the rule of law requires that this court be afforded the time needed to settle the question.

Bonus Tracks

David Gibson on how American conservatives consider themselves in a “Babylonian Exile.” 

As the Islamic State spreads in Iraq and Syria, similar groups are claiming territory and challenging governments in Africa

Pope Francis ends his trip to South Korea with an overture to China.

And I shall make an overture to you. If you do not already get this roundup delivered to you for free, without spam, each weekday day in your inbox, sign up for it below. And were it within my powers, I would give you a chocolate chip for each roundup paragraph you read.

– Lauren Markoe

 

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!