TuesdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup: Super Tuesday; gay in Maine; Tebow in Vegas.

Super Tuesday is not a new action hero, but could be for Mitt Romney if he crushes it in Ohio and even Tennessee. It’s possible: The primary state races are tightening, and Romney is leading Rick Santorum in national Republican registered voters' preferences by 16 percentage points. He has overtaken Santorum among conservatives and weekly […]

Super Tuesday is not a new action hero, but could be for Mitt Romney if he crushes it in Ohio and even Tennessee.

It’s possible: The primary state races are tightening, and Romney is leading Rick Santorum in national Republican registered voters' preferences by 16 percentage points. He has overtaken Santorum among conservatives and weekly churchgoers.

Santorum has locked up the churchgoers at his conservative Virginia parish, including his former pastor, The New Republic reports: “Tell him to be ‘presidential’ in his campaign,” says Anton Justs, now a bishop.


Santorum, who describes himself as a “Bible-believing Christian” to CBN’s David Brody, is thinking more along the lines of David & Goliath. (Guess which one he is.)

Santorum also says win or lose Ohio, he’s marching on. And he has home-schooling foot soldiers to fill out the ranks.

Mitt, who is worth about $200 million, still has trouble dispelling the impression that he is rich. So his wife Ann takes a whack at it, citing Jesus for back up:

“You know, we can be poor in spirit,” Ann Romney told Fox News' Neal Cavuto. “I don't even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing. It can be here today and gone tomorrow.”

Does money corrupt? The Dish seeks an answer.

At their White House meeting yesterday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave Obama a copy of the Book of Esther, which tells the story of the Jews successfully defeating a genocidal plot by the ancient Persians. That’s Persia, which is where modern-day Iran is located. No doubt it was just meant as a nice Purim gift.

The decision to kill American citizens overseas who are fighting as terrorists “is among the gravest that government leaders can face,” says Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. But the Obama administration is cool with that.


It’s not easy being gay…and Catholic

But it may be easier in Maine, where the Catholic Diocese of Portland will not actively campaign against a statewide referendum seeking to legalize same-sex marriage. Instead, Bishop Richard Malone will focus on teaching parishioners about the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan says no one listens to “fat, balding Irish bishops.” But in Ireland, some are listening to Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, and “60 Minutes” listens in. Maybe it’s the message, not the medium?

To wit: some 20,000 people started lining up as early as 4 a.m. to get into a Las Vegas church to listen to Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos’ Christian QB. Remember him? Maybe not. That was before Linsanity wiped our minds clean.

Hopefully no one is listening to Pat Robertson, who is back to weather “postcasting.”

“If enough people were praying [God] would’ve intervened” to stop the Midwestern tornadoes that killed at least 38 people last week, Robertson said on his TV show.

Maybe he and Rush Limbaugh should work together, or collect unemployment together.

David Gibson

Photo: “David and Goliath” by Caravaggio, via Luther Seminary

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!