Daniel Burke
Daniel Burke worked for Religion News Service from 2006-2013. He now co-edits CNN's Belief Blog.
All Stories by Daniel Burke
Lourdes Mass Draws 55,000
By Daniel Burke — February 12, 2008
More than 55,000 pilgrims turned out for a Mass in Lourdes, France, on Monday to celebrate 150 years since locals were said to be visited by Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Marian shrine is holding events throughout the year including a visit from Benedict XVI. The pope has also offered indulgences for pilgrims or […]
Thoughts on the Anglican Covenant
By Daniel Burke — February 9, 2008
I imagine everyone has had one of those moments when you reflect back on your day and wish you’d said something differently, maybe articulated something more clearly. That happens to journalists a lot. I wrote a short piece on the second draft of the Anglican Covenant released Wednesday, which you can find here. The article […]
Lent Financial Boon for Catholics?
By Daniel Burke — February 9, 2008
As Catholics prepare to enter the Lenten season, choosing to make financial sacrifices for religious reasons may help those concerned about the economic downturn, according to Michele Dillon, professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire. “With the downturn in the economy and the general air of recession, individuals and families who feel they […]
Bush and Prayer
By Daniel Burke — February 8, 2008
President Bush, at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday, said praying has helped him bear the strains of the Oval Office. “I believe in the power of prayer, because I have felt it in my own life,” Bush said at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. “It has helped me meet the challenges of the presidency. I […]
No Street Sign for Murray O’Hair
By Daniel Burke — February 8, 2008
The Omaha, Nebraska city council voted down a proposal to erect a commemorative street sign for Madlyn Murray O’Hair, the founder of American Atheists and plaintiff in the 1960s Supreme Court case the removed sectarian prayers from schools. Irony of the day: Councilman Garry Gernandt said he was contacted by 200 constituents who opposed the […]
Take That, Taliban
By Daniel Burke — February 8, 2008
According to National Geographic, the earliest known oil paintings, according to recently performed chemical analyses, are in caves in Afghanistan. And guess what? They’re Buddhist murals. The finds, dated to around the 7th century A.D., predate the origins of similar sophisticated painting techniques in medieval Europe and the Mediterranean by more than a hundred years, […]
Catholics for Clinton
By Daniel Burke — February 7, 2008
Our friends at the Spiritual Politics blog have crunched some of the numbers from Super Tuesday. One of the more interesting phenomena was Clinton’s apparent success with Catholic voters. Says Mark Silk: “Just about everywhere Obama fared poorly with Catholics on Super Tuesday. In heavily Irish Catholic New England, the margins were big. Likewise in […]
Meditation guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi dies in the Netherlands
By Daniel Burke — February 7, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Indian guru who brought transcendental meditation to the West and popularized it through science and celebrities such as the Beatles, died Tuesday (Feb. 5) in the Netherlands. Maharishi apparently died of natural causes, according to Bobby Roth, a spokesman for the spiritual leader’s Transcendental Meditation […]
Critics unsatisfied after pope tweaks prayer for Jews
By Daniel Burke — February 7, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) According to the old saying, there are two things you should never discuss at a dinner party: religion and politics. There’s nothing that says you can’t read about them, though. And as the presidential campaign season heats up, American publishers are releasing a flood of books on faith and […]
Quite a Reaction
By Daniel Burke — February 5, 2008
Two former members of the Bush administration who had overseen parts of the president’s “faith-based intitiative,” wrote an op-ed last week that was critical of the program. Yesterday, The NYT printed responses from the head of that office, Jay Hein, as well as letters from Barry Lynn head of Americans United for SeparationâÂ?¦, the general […]
Exit Souling
By Daniel Burke — February 4, 2008
Peter Steinfels of the NYT has an article on the continuing dispute between national election pollsters and Democrats about the pollsters’ exit poll questions. Basically, Republicans get asked about faith, Democrats, for the most part, not so much. Howard Dean and other Democrats say this feeds into a media bias that portrays Dems as less […]
New Draft of Anglican Covenant Due
By Daniel Burke — February 4, 2008
For what it’s worth, the Times of London is reporting that new draft of the Anglican Covenant, an agreement between members of the Anglican Communion on common principles, is due out this week. Episcopal leaders had rejected an earlier version because it penalized provinces – or regional churches – that strayed from traditionalist teachings on […]
Shady Dealings Under Enlightenment Tree
By Daniel Burke — February 4, 2008
Reuters had a piece over the weekend about corruption inBodh Gaya, particularly swirling around the tree where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. With the numerous pilgrims who flood the site comes money, and with money comes greed, and, you know the rest. Millions of dollars pour into Bodh Gaya’s main temple, where […]
Yep, We’re Still Not Coming
By Daniel Burke — February 2, 2008
Anglican primates in Africa gave a press conference earlier in the week in which they reiterated their plans not to attend the once-a-decade meeting in Lambeth, England, this summer, and instead convene their own gathering in Jerusalem. Akinola said organizers of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON for the acronimically inclined) are producing a book […]
Kitlers
By Daniel Burke — February 1, 2008
Haaretz has a story about Germany’s Green Party using the picture of a cat that looks like Hitler to condemn the extreme-right parties in Germany and their xenophobic policies. Some people are not amused, among them, a group that says Kitler cats should not be photoshopped b/c there are plenty of naturals around. See the […]
