Monthly Archives: March 2006
“Returning” Allen’s integrity
By Tracy Gordon — March 22, 2006
Quote of the Day: Pastor Joshua Harris of Gaithersburg, Md. “Our concern is for his soul. Our desire-and Claude shares this -is for him to walk with humility and integrity.” -Senior Pastor Joshua Harris of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md., on church member and former Bush administration adviser Claude Allen, who is facing felony […]
St. Augustine Parish; fighting for evolution; Roe v. Wade for men
By RNS Blog Editor — March 22, 2006
Protesters are occupying an historic New Orleans church to save it, reports Bruce Nolan in Tuesday’s RNS report: Activists opposed to the closure of historic St. Augustine Parish occupied its vacant rectory before dawn Monday (March 20) and said they would not leave until the Archdiocese of New Orleans promises to reopen the parish, which […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 21, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Two More Episcopal Bishops Enter Race for Presiding Bishop (RNS) The race to become the next presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church has gotten more intense with the entrance of two new nominees _ Bishop Charles Jenkins of New Orleans and Bishop Francisco Duque-Gomez of the missionary diocese of Bogota, […]
In Ghana, More Than 1,000 Women Exiled to Hell of `Witches Camp’
By RNS Blog Editor — March 21, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service YENDI, Ghana _ Mariama Bawa is a witch. At least that’s what her family members say. They believe she caused her 25-year-old son to be struck and killed by lightning, so they have sent her here, to the Ngani witches camp in the northern lands of this West African country. […]
Hindus of India Believe Cremation Eases Soul’s Passage Into Next World
By RNS Blog Editor — March 21, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service VARANASI, India _ In the Hindu religion, fire is considered a sacred gateway to the spiritual world, explained Hindu priests in India. A cremation ceremony is intended to dissolve the attachment between the soul and the physical body, so that the soul can have a smooth transition to the next […]
India: Land of Holy Cities, Hindu Temples and Erotic Statues
By RNS Blog Editor — March 21, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service PUSHKAR, India _ We came a long way for a camel fair, and we left with a blessing. The town of Pushkar, on the edge of a sacred Hindu lake surrounded by stone steps and a sea of sand, was about as far from home as my wife and I […]
Witch hunt in Ghana; the cultural riches of India
By RNS Blog Editor — March 21, 2006
In Monday’s RNS report Sherry Amatenstein reports from Yendi, Ghana, on widows who are labeled and treated as witches because their communities no longer believe them to be valuable human beings: Mariama Bawa is a witch, her family members say. They believe she caused her 25-year-old son to be killed by lightning, so they have […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 18, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Presbyterians Say They Must Cut National Staff (RNS) The Presbyterian Church (USA) must cut $9.15 million from its budget and may be forced to lay off as much as a quarter of its 600-person national staff, most of whom work at denominational offices in Louisville, Ky. The denomination’s General Assembly […]
Students, Many Motivated by Faith, Clean Up New Orleans on Spring Break
By Bruce Nolan — March 18, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service NEW ORLEANS _ Thousands of college students who might have spent spring break sunning in Acapulco or on Florida beaches this year are pouring into New Orleans to sleep in dormitory tents or on classroom floors, eat off paper plates and spend a week of vacation hauling foul muck out […]
With Disclaimer on Mormonism, New HBO Show Dramatizes Religious Polygamy
By RNS Blog Editor — March 18, 2006
(RNS) So guys, you think having three wives would be a dream. All the attention. All the authority. All the sex. But guess again. A profile published in The New Yorker magazine a few years back portrayed the life of one polygamist as excruciatingly hectic, with the poor sap all but consumed by the many, […]
Graham interview
By Tracy Gordon — March 18, 2006
Quote of the Day: Evangelist Franklin Graham “If people think Islam is such a wonderful religion, just go to Saudi Arabia and make it your home. Just live there. If you think Islam is such a wonderful religion, I mean, go-go and live under the Taliban somewhere. I mean, … you’re free to do that.” […]
Spring break in New Orleans; Big Love
By RNS Blog Editor — March 18, 2006
In Friday’s RNS report Bruce Nolan reports that college students are spending spring break this year helping out in New Orleans: Thousands of college students who might have spent spring break sunning in Acapulco or on Florida beaches this year are pouring into New Orleans to sleep in dormitory tents or on classroom floors, eat […]
Religion Press Release Services now available on RSS feed
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
Religion Press Release Services, which distributes paid press releases on behalf of those trying to get their religion-relevant releases in the hands of religion editors and reporters as well as others who are interested in religion coverage, is now available as an RSS feed. Receive updates on your Web site, your blog, your Yahoo! page-the […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service U.S. Muslim Groups Demand Release of Funds Held by Suspect Charities (RNS) Muslim organizations demanded Thursday (March 16) that the U.S. Treasury Department release millions of dollars in donations held by charities whose assets have been frozen because of suspected ties to terrorism. “If the government obstructs the purpose of […]
Southern Baptists at Less Than 1 Percent of Baptism Goal
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A Southern Baptist Convention campaign to baptize 1 million believers in a single year has barely gotten off the ground as it approaches the six-month mark. The program’s Web site lists 1,555 baptisms from 141 churches as of Thursday (March 16), meaning only a fraction of a percent _ […]
