Government & Politics
COMMENTARY: Twilight falls on a candidate and an era
By James Rudin — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Bob Dole’s losing effort to win the presidency reminds me of a dour seminary dean I once knew who abandoned the security of campus life and tried unsuccessfully to lead a congregation. The congregation is my metaphor for the 260 million people in America today. The seminary is the […]
TOP STORY: UNCOVERING THE TOMB OF JESUS: Archaeologist expects new findings on tomb of Jesus
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service UNDATED _ Restoration work within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem may lead to new evidence that the site is really where disciples laid the crucified body of Jesus, a British archaeologist says. The claim that the rock tomb is the place where Jesus was buried has been […]
TOP STORY: CONTENT-FREE THEOLOGY: Ordinary guy finds fame, fortune, talking with an easy-going God
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service MEDFORD, Ore. _ The latest religious book to crack the best-seller list is written by a man who insists Moses got it wrong. The Ten Commandments are the “Ten Commitments.” Good and evil, right and wrong, don’t exist. You can do your own thing because God judges no one. Even […]
BODY & SOUL: Power can be a vice or a virtue
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (Body & Soul is a regular column exploring the interplay between spirituality and psychology. Pythia Peay is the author of”Putting America on the Couch,”to be published by Riverhead Books in 1997.) (UNDATED) As Americans prepare to vote in the upcoming presidential election, they will be exercising their power as citizens […]
RNS Daily Digest
By Carl Anderson — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service Aid groups urge U.S. action on Zaire crisis (RNS) Alarmed by the possibility that continuing inaction could lead to the deaths of thousands of refugees in eastern Zaire, a group of 18 U.S. aid agencies is urging the United States to take steps to help resolve the crisis _ including […]
CRECHE CULTURE: Manger scenes tell more than just the Christmas story
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service UNDATED _ The scene might be the ruins of an old castle or an ancient temple. Sometimes it’s a village, bustling with activity. It could be a cave, or a rich landscape of mountains and rivers and stars. At other times, it’s a simple barn. No matter how it’s depicted, […]
Religious groups fear `open season’ on tax-exempt status
By Kim Lawton — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ When Colorado voters go to the polls next week, they may hold the tax status of churches, synagogues and mosques across the nation in their hands. Up for grabs on the Colorado ballot is Amendment 11, an unprecedented initiative that would change the state constitution to require most […]
TOP STORY: ADOPTION ETHICS: Adoptees searching for roots discover peace and pain
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service CLEVELAND _ They approached the long table one by one, tentatively, as if answers lay somewhere among the pastel pamphlets or in the understanding faces of the volunteers. “That’s all I know,” Steve Hoffert said, with an almost apologetic shrug. He handed his scantily filled-out form to one of the […]
Little evidence exists that Jesus was born in Nativity Cave
By Kim Lawton — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; … and (Mary) brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them […]
God and the 105th Congress: Religious activists set their agendas
By Kim Lawton — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service UNDATED _ As the 105th session of Congress convenes Jan. 7, political activists of all stripes are readying for another contentious year, and religious groups _ liberal, moderate and conservative _ will be included in the fray. Here, in capsule form, are the major issues of concern to religious groups: […]
NEWS STORY: Abolitionists call on U.S. to help end African slave trade
By Kim Lawton — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ A coalition of modern-day abolitionists and church leaders has called on the U.S. government to help end the buying and selling of Africans in a thriving chattel slavery market. The headline could have been written 150 years ago, but in fact, the events took place Tuesday (Dec. 17) […]
NEWS STORY: Rights group raises case of detained U.S. Christian in Vietnam
By Kim Lawton — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service UNDATED _ Freedom House, a New York-based human rights group, has asked President Clinton to personally intervene in the case of an American woman who has been detained in Vietnam and accused of”illegal religious propaganda”for distributing pens with Christian crosses on them. Man Thi Jones, a 54-year-old nurse from Sacramento, […]
NEWS STORY: PERSECUTION CONCERNS: U.S. condemns Iran for ongoing persecution of religious minorities
By Kim Lawton — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Amid new reports of persecution against religious minorities in Iran, the U.S. State Department has called on the Islamic republic to grant full religious liberty to members of all faiths. The State Department condemned a death sentence imposed on Musa Talibi, an Iranian member of the Baha’i faith […]
TOP STORY: RELIGION AND POLITICS: What’s an evangelical? It depends on who you ask
By Kim Lawton — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Margaret and William Young have a deep faith in Jesus and they believe they should share their faith with others. Margaret, an office manager, frequently listens to the popular evangelical radio program”Focus on the Family”hosted by psychologist James Dobson. She says the show provides valuable insights for raising […]
Saying goodbye: Religious community reacts to cardinal’s death
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (UNDATED) As news of Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin’s death Thursday (Nov. 14) reached people of all faiths, there was an outpouring of sentiment celebrating the life of the Archbishop of Chicago and his work within and beyond the Catholic Roman Church. Here is a sampling of comments: Pope John Paul […]
