Monthly Archives: September 2005
Catholics on Communion and ecology
By RNS Blog Editor — September 22, 2005
Vatican correspondent Stacy Meichtry writes on Wednesday about the debate on how Catholics receive Communion, and cites as an example a group not recognized by the Vatican. “Lefebvrists,” as the Vatican calls them, or members of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), as they refer to themselves, consider themselves observant Catholics who are loyal […]
Richard Land on Religious Freedom
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2005
Quote of the Day: Southern Baptist religious liberty expert Richard Land “The greatest threat to religious freedom in America are secular fundamentalists who want to ghettoize religious faith and make the wall of separation between church and state a prison wall keeping religious voices out of political discourse.” -Richard Land, president of the Ethics & […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Nazi Hunter Simon Wiesenthal Dies at 96 JERUSALEM (RNS) Simon Wiesenthal, the Jewish concentration-camp survivor who dedicated his life to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice and combating anti-Semitism, died Tuesday (Sept. 20) in Vienna at age 96. Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League and a Holocaust survivor, said, […]
Oy Vey! Book Offers Guidance to Wrestling with Jewish Guilt
By Christa Brown — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service LOS ANGELES _ It came to her, the rabbi’s daughter, while she was sitting in her grandmother’s church. It was the voice of guilt. Ruth Andrew Ellenson, whose mother converted to Judaism and whose father runs Hebrew Union College, where most Reform rabbis are trained, had gone to church to […]
Some See Larger Role for Churches After Storm
By Isaiah Murtaugh — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ While some traditional disaster responders have been faulted for their pace in the face of Hurricane Katrina, many religious organizations have quickly welcomed, clothed and fed thousands of storm victims. Their no-red-tape response follows a trend of faith-based organizations playing an increasing role in functions traditionally performed […]
COMMENTARY: When Rebuilding New Orleans, We Need Visionaries, Not Politicians
By Tom Ehrich — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service DENVER _ At a “Frontier Dinner” _ buffalo hump roast, “prairie vegetables” and sourdough bread _ guests were invited to reflect on the “frontiers” they deem most important. They cited several _ such as emerging globalism, Christianity beyond fundamentalism _ but the one that occupied almost the entire evening was […]
Disaster Prep Pays Off for Mormons
By RNS Blog Editor — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. _ Following America’s greatest natural disaster, one church stood ready to face the aftermath more than others in the area. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) always has a “disaster plan in place before the storm,” said Mary Strength, a local church member. Strength […]
Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple, but Where Are the People?
By Bruce Nolan — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service BELLE Chasse, La. _ It was shortly after 10:30 a.m. when the Rev. Argile Smith, dressed informally this remarkable Sunday (Sept. 18) in slacks and shirt sleeves, rose before a remnant of his scattered Southern Baptist congregation and summoned them to prayer. The white steeple still stood atop First Baptist […]
COMMENTARY: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Saying `I’m Sorry’
By RNS Blog Editor — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Perhaps the dumbest sentiment ever uttered in a movie was in the 1970 hit “Love Story,” when actress Ali McGraw immortalized the phrase “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” At the time, I thought this sentiment was immensely profound. (In my defense, I was only 10 years […]
American Baptists Fear Gay Issue May Cause Split
By Adelle M. Banks — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A California-based group of churches has announced plans to begin the process of withdrawing from the American Baptist Churches USA, bringing the denomination closer to a possible split over an ongoing debate about homosexuality. The divide between American Baptists and local church bodies appears to be growing wider with […]
Suicides a Disturbing Undercurrent to Abuse Cases
By Calvin Woodward — September 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service PORTLAND, Ore. _ A week before he died, Larry Lynn Craven called his lawyer, as he often did, to say that he could no longer live with the demons of his childhood sexual abuse. “He had called me, crying and depressed and saying that he wanted to commit suicide,” Daniel […]
Jewish guilt; Faith-based disaster relief; Mormon preparedness
By RNS Blog Editor — September 21, 2005
Sarah Price Brown starts off Tuesday’s RNS report with a review of a new book, “The Modern Jewish Girl’s Guide to Guilt,” edited by Ruth Andrew Ellenson: It came to her, the rabbi’s daughter, while she was sitting in her grandmother’s church. It was the voice of guilt. Ruth Andrew Ellenson, whose mother converted to […]
Hurricane Katrina—Act of God?
By Tracy Gordon — September 20, 2005
Quote of the Day: Bishop Carlton D. Pearson of Tulsa, Okla. “God is a good God and doesn’t have or need to throw temper tantrums like a spoiled and undisciplined child, in order to get his way or because he appears not to have it. We should not attempt to reduce God to such mundane […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — September 20, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Daughter Says Graham is `Depressed’ About Inability to Aid Storm Victims (RNS) Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of famed evangelist Billy Graham, said her father is “a little depressed” that he can’t do more to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. In a phone interview with The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press, […]
Religious Leaders See Progress in Advancing U.N. Anti-Poverty Goals
By RNS Blog Editor — September 17, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service NEW YORK _ With street demonstrations, urgent admonitions and determined prayer, representatives of several faith traditions pressured world leaders to commit to the U.N. Millennium Development goals of 2000, which aim to halve global poverty by 2015. By Friday (Sept. 16), the last day of their three-day rally timed to […]
