Jewish Cuisine 101 * Hail Satan * St. Ken, Martyr and Virgin : Thursday’s Roundup

(RNS) For the culinarily Jewish among us, it's the feast before the fast ... Unless you want a "Jew-sized" salad in Mississippi. Barbie and Ken have new jobs, and the pope may be having second thoughts on Communion for divorced Catholics.

It’s been too long since I’ve spent a few morning minutes with you, dear readers, so let’s get to it:

Challah back, y’all

It’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, so happy 5775 to all our members of the Tribe. For those of us who are merely culinarily Jewish, here’s a spiritual guide to the Rosh Hashanah dinner table (apples and honey in 2nd grade was my introduction to Judaism), or you can whip up Mrs. Markoe’s brisket or Yonat Shimron’s honey cake with the recipes in our handy-dandy ‘Splainer guide to the High Holy Days.

gefilte fishFor the more adventurous among us, NPR offers a sweet and salty history of gefilte fish. I’ll pass, thanks. My own people were burdened with the legacy of pickled herring, and I’m still in therapy over that.


Or, if you’re looking for a case of Jewish heart burn, a rabbi in Jackson, Miss., says he was kicked out of a local restaurant because of his faith, after a waiter asked if he wanted a regular- or “Jew-sized” salad. Irony: the restaurant accused the rabbi of disrespecting THEM. Oy.

Hate the sin, expel the sinner

Russell Moore, the Southern Baptists’ policy guru, says the decision to expel a gay-friendly California church was “sad but necessary,” but says no, welcoming divorced couples is waaaaay different than welcoming gay ones.

Fellow Baptist Jimmy Carter, perhaps not surprisingly, takes a different view: “I never knew of any word or action of Jesus Christ that discriminated against anyone,” Carter told a college audience in Grand Rapids.

Brian Pellot gets the best headlines

All hail Satan, free speech champ.”  ‘Nuf said.

Two Argentinian artists, Marianela Perelli and Pool Paolini, produced 33 dolls of various religious figures for a show named "Barbie, The Plastic Religion," which opens in Buenos Aires on Oct. 11.

Two Argentinian artists, Marianela Perelli and Pool Paolini, produced 33 dolls of various religious figures for a show named “Barbie, The Plastic Religion,” which opens in Buenos Aires on Oct. 11.

Yes, but what about her dream house?

Barbie as the Virgin Mary? Ken as an arrow-pierced St. Sebastian or a Crucified Christ? Two artists in Argentina say yes; Italian Catholics say no.

Careful what you ask for

‘Cuz you might just get it, says Religion Dispatches’ Diane Winston, on more religion in politics. She takes a dim view of the media’s treatment of a new Pew poll that found Americans want more religion in public life. “News outlets are playing the culture war card because the fight over religion’s role in politics is second only to naked nubile actresses in arousing public attention.”


Come out, come out wherever you are

A group of atheists, humanists and others has a new “Openly Secular” campaign to get nonbelievers to come out of their political and social closets, but our own Kimberly Winston asks how that’s gonna work when the mission includes Richard Dawkins, who hasn’t exactly made friends with many religious people (or, for that matter, many atheists).

The again, maybe not

So you know how the pope is apparently *this* close to opening up the sacraments to divorced and remarried Catholics? Not so fast, says a Spanish bishop, who says Francis told him earlier this year “‘this was established by Jesus Christ and the Pope cannot change it.”

Isolating ISIS

For people who say Muslims have not condemned other Muslims hell-bent on extremism and violence, a coalition of Islamic scholars issued a detailed rebuke to the Islamic State yesterday, saying savages who would behead children are not very good Muslims.

Following on that: The Islamic State is neither Islamic nor a State. Discuss.

It’s good to be back with y’all, and we’ll see you again soon. Make sure we have your email address so you don’t miss a beat with the daily Roundup.

 

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