Lots O’ talk on the InterWebs today about a woman who was no mean schmoozer herself.
I speak, of course, about Oprah, the O, the goddess of gab, the avatar of aspiration, the bishop of the boob tube, the … well, you get it. Her last live show broadcasts today.
“I am the messenger to deliver the message of redemption, of hope, of forgiveness, of gratitude, of evolving people to the best of themselves,” Oprah once said, sounding very O-racular, WaPo notes.
One scholar told CNN: “In an era in which religion was increasingly portrayed as either idiotic or extremist, Oprah plotted a middle way in which her viewers could be both believers and critics, both consumers and missionaries. She criticized religious institutions on her show but she encouraged spiritual practices.”
CT once called her one of America’s most influential spiritual leaders, which must have been a bit painful for the evangelical mag.
HuffPo says that Oprah was “curiously hesitant to talk about the influence and importance of religion,” but noted that she seemed to like Buddhists, and promoted the work of Eckhart Tolle, who is kinda/sorta Buddhish.
Changing channels, now…
Pope Benedict XVI assured survivors of Missouri’s tornado – the deadliest in the U.S. since 1950 – that he was praying for them.
Six months after B16 sparked worldwide controversy with comments about condoms, a Vatican conference this weekend will consider the morality of using condoms to combat HIV/AIDS.
The Church of Scotland voted to allow the possible selection of gay and lesbian ministers, according to the Beeb, but a final decision will not be made until 2013. Earlier a church assembly voted to accept gay and lesbian clergy provided they had declared their sexuality and were ordained before 2009. Let’s not make this too complicated, shall we?
American Muslims, including boxing legend Muhammad Ali, asked Iran’s supreme leader to free two American hikers who have been detained for 22 months.
The liberal American Values Network say GOP leaders like Rep. Paul Ryan can either follow Ayn Rand or Jesus, but not both. Howard Dean called the GOP’s far right the “hate wing.” “They hate Muslims, they hate gays, they hate immigrants, and the rhetoric in the primaries shows that,” said Dean.
A new study says mainline Protestants have bigger brains than born-again Christians, Roman Catholics and the religiously unaffiliated. The brain component in question is the hippocampus, which regulates emotions and stores memories. If you had to stereotype a Christian lineage with highly regulated emotions and long memories, which would you choose?
Santa Monica may be the next city to put a circumcision ban on the ballot, after San Fran. A Florida state commission says the Diocese of St. Augustine likely discriminated against Latinos when it cut staff because of a budget crunch. There’s a new Mormon musical in Massachusetts.
Yr hmbl aggregator,
Daniel Burke
