At the urging of a local radio host (always the best counselors), a troop of Rhode Islanders burst into the Statehouse and interrupted a children’s choir by loudly singing “O Christmas Tree” during a tree-lighting ceremony.
Gov. Lincoln Chafee had said he wanted to honor religious diversity by calling the Statehouse Spruce a “Holiday tree,” and suggested that would-be Christmas Warriors do something nice, like feed the poor, instead of protesting.
Bishop Thomas Tobin did not take the advice, calling Chafee “divisive” and hosting his own tree-lighting ceremony.
NPR sat down with Santa Claus, who said that kids this year are asking for things like a job for daddy, or someone to buy their house.
Santa may not be at the OWS protests (he’s reportedly very busy this time of year) but Jesus would be there, says Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council counters that Jesus was a free marketer, not an Occupier.
A Pakistan-based extremist group claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated bombings aimed at Afghan Shiites, according to the NYT.
An Australian Shiite was sentenced to 500 lashes in Saudi Arabia for an unspecified blasphemy offense.
The three top Republican presidential candidates will speak at a Republican Jewish Coalition forum in Washington today.
LGBT activists are hailing Hillary Rodham Clinton’s speech at a UN event in Geneva, in which the secretary of state said that religious convictions should not trump gay rights.
Meanwhile, President Obama issued an order that all U.S. foreign agencies should “ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.”
Rick Perry seized on the memo, saying, “this is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country. Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many Americas of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong.”
Reuters reports that Canadian imams plan to condemn honor killings in Friday sermons this week, after the high-profile trial of a father accused of murdering his three teenage daughters.
Mainline Protestants are warring over whether to revive their flagging denominations by focusing on congregational growth, rather than national agencies.
Billy Graham returned to his North Carolina home after a six-day hospital stay.
A New York rabbi famed for holding jailhouse bar mitzvahs was fined for receiving a gift from an inmate.
A Canadian teen was arrested for torching a Jewish classmate’s hair after making anti-Semitic comments, according to the Forward.
The Vatican held a conference on tatooing. “I was gobsmacked,” said one participant. “It seemed so unlikely.” No word on whether B16 displayed any ink.
Yr hmbl aggregator,
Daniel Burke
