Monthly Archives: August 2006
Christian Scientists Chafe Under New Health Care Law
By Bridget MacDonald — August 29, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BOSTON _ The nation’s first law requiring citizens to carry health insurance is drawing spiritual healers into the political fray as they fight for the right to refuse coverage for medical services. By July 1, 2007, all Massachusetts residents must be able to prove that they have health insurance. Certain […]
Book Urges Teens to Use Blogs for Good, Not Bullying
By RNS Blog Editor — August 29, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Beware the wrath of a dumped boyfriend or girlfriend spreading rumors about a former partner on MySpace. Pity the middle school student whose clothes, popularity or appearance becomes the object of derision in public chat rooms frequented by classmates. These days, teenagers and their parents don’t have to look […]
Jackie Mason: Not a Jew for Jesus!
By Tracy Gordon — August 28, 2006
Quote of the Day: Comedian Jackie Mason “While I have the utmost respect for people who practice the Christian faith, the fact is, as everyone knows, I am as Jewish as a matzo ball or kosher salami.” -Comedian Jackie Mason, in court papers filed as part of a $2 million lawsuit against Jews for Jesus […]
A Year After Katrina, Churches Continue Recovery and Rebuilding Work
By Kim Lawton — August 26, 2006
c. 2006 Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly NEW ORLEANS _ In the blistering summer heat of the Crescent City, Southern Baptist volunteers are putting the finishing touches on a new development of Habitat for Humanity homes _ rare signs of construction in the city’s still-devastated Ninth Ward. Just a few miles away, United Methodist volunteers are […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — August 26, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Mattson Elected First Woman to Head Major Muslim Organization (RNS) North America’s largest Islamic organization elected Ingrid Mattson, a Canadian-born convert and Islamic scholar, as president this week (8/22), making her the first woman to lead any major Muslim organization on the continent. Mattson, whose many roles include director of […]
BYU, Reed at Opposite Ends of College Religiosity Poll
By RNS Blog Editor — August 26, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Considering that 98 percent of the students are Mormon, some classrooms are converted into worship spaces on Sundays, and alcohol and drugs are banned from campus, perhaps it’s not surprising that Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, received the sacred No. 1 spot on the list of schools where […]
A Year After Katrina, Churches Continue Recovery and Rebuilding Work
By Kim Lawton — August 25, 2006
c. 2006 Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly NEW ORLEANS _ In the blistering summer heat of the Crescent City, Southern Baptist volunteers are putting the finishing touches on a new development of Habitat for Humanity homes _ rare signs of construction in the city’s still-devastated Ninth Ward. Just a few miles away, United Methodist volunteers are […]
Christian Video Game Designer
By Tracy Gordon — August 25, 2006
Quote of the Day: Christian Video Game Designer Ralph Bagley “There are people out there who think that if it’s a Christian game it has to be about putting two animals on an ark. But how many people are going to play that?” -Ralph Bagley, designer of a Christian video game and spokesman for the […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — August 25, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Poll Shows Declining Religious Influence on Society (RNS) A solid majority of Americans believe that the earth is getting warmer, that religion’s influence on society is waning and that the U.S. is a Christian nation, according to a new poll released Thursday (Aug. 24). The poll, a joint effort of […]
RNS Clips: Hospitals Create Areas for Muslim Prayer—Beliefnet.com
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 25, 2006
Janice Neumann’s story on Muslim prayer rooms-not chapels-in hospitals can be found here. OAK LAWN, Ill-The corridor of a bustling hospital is not the best place for kneeling in devout prayer, many Muslim families and doctors have learned. But praying in a chapel comes with its own set of problems-forbidden pictures and statues of living […]
Presbyterian Fights Over Property Heating Up
By Daniel Burke — August 25, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) When married parents break up, the most contentious legal scrums are often over who gets custody of the children. When congregations walk away from the Presbyterian Church (USA), the biggest battles are often about who keeps church property. As the 2.4 million-member denomination deals with the fallout from its […]
New Books Sew Faith, One Stitch at a Time
By Cecile Holmes — August 25, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Books espousing the Zen-like benefits of knitting, crocheting and quilting abound as enthusiasts for the sewing arts praise their similarity to prayer and meditation. The new titles highlight a growing movement linking faith and the sewing arts, one offering practitioners the opportunity to bring spirituality out of houses of […]
Matisyahu Makes Reggae Kosher for the Masses
By Jeff Diamant — August 25, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service MORRISTOWN, N.J. _ Moshe Herson seemed perplexed. Never before had the 72-year-old Orthodox rabbi been asked to listen to reggae to see if he could hear Talmudic overtones. Of course, until three months ago, no Hasidic Jew had ever been crowned Best New Entertainer at the International Reggae and World […]
COMMENTARY: Welcome to the Real World of Bigotry
By James Rudin — August 25, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Why do public figures damage their public images by spewing words of prejudice and contempt? Recently, Sen. George Allen, R-Va., former Atlanta mayor and civil rights leader Andrew Young and actor/director Mel Gibson have seriously harmed their personal reputations and shattered the superficial protection of celebrity. Because of their […]
An Army of One
By RNS Blog Editor — August 24, 2006
New Society of Priests Has One Goal-and One Member RNS’s Daniel Burke reports on the foundation of a new Roman Catholic society of priests-the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life-in this week’s full-text article, linked above. Quote: Pavone imagines society members, free from diocesan and parish duties, burgeoning into an army of priests ready to […]
