Monthly Archives: April 2012
Catholic bishops say Ryan budget fails moral test
WASHINGTON (RNS) A week after Republican congressman Paul Ryan claimed his Catholic faith inspired the cost-cutting budget plan passed by the House, the nation’s Catholic bishops reiterated their demands that the budget protect the poor and said the GOP measure "fails to meet these moral criteria." By David Gibson.
‘The Voice’: New Bible translation focuses on dialogue
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) The name Jesus Christ doesn't appear in "The Voice," a new translation of the Bible. Instead, Jesus Christ is Jesus the Anointed One or the liberating king -- a more accurate translation for modern American readers, says David Capes, lead scholar for The Voice Bible. By Bob Smietana. 500.
Bishop to reopen 12 closed parishes
CLEVELAND (RNS) Bishop Richard Lennon on Tuesday announced that he will reopen 12 churches whose closings were reversed by the Vatican last month. By Michael O'Malley.
Murder-suicide desperation prompts soul-searching in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) After a botched murder-suicide involving a desperate older couple, experts in health and legal services are asking how two very poor people with disabilities found themselves in such desperate circumstances. By Rick Bella.
Why Ross Douthat thinks we’re ‘a nation of heretics’
(RNS) New York Times columnist Ross Douthat doesn't mince words in his new book "Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics." In an interview with Religion News Service, Douthat explains his definition of heresy, why he thinks Mitt Romney and President Obama are both heretics, and why more Americans should argue about religion. By Daniel Burke.
COMMENTARY: Survival of the fittest
(RNS) The future, it seems, belongs to the nimble and adaptive. When situations change, you catch the wave early and you adapt. You stop fighting old wars. But where do you find the nimble and adaptive? By Tom Ehrich. About 700.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Richard Land, Bible Belt pregnancy and women really are nicer.
Pope turns 85 amid speculation of resignation
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI turns 85 and marks the seventh anniversary of his papacy amid renewed speculations about his health and possible resignation. By Alessandro Speciale.
Richard Land accused of lifting Trayvon Martin comments
(RNS) Richard Land, the Southern Baptist Convention's top public policy ethicist, has been accused of plagiarism after he criticized Democrats and civil rights leaders for exploiting the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. By Greg Horton.
GUEST COMMENTARY: When religion and spirituality collide
The Anglican fight over gay clergy is usually framed as a left and right conflict, part of the larger saga of political division. But this narrative obscures a more significant tension in Western societies: the increasing gap between spirituality and religion, and the failure of traditional religious institutions to learn from the divide. By Diana Butler Bass.
MondayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup: Titanic near-miss, PopeâÂ?Â?s passage, Richard Land — plagiarist?
Ohio congressman Tim Ryan on a mission to bring meditation to the masses
(RNS) Rep. Tim Ryan is on a mission to bring mindfulness to the masses. In a Q&A, the Ohio Democrat explains how meditation helped him avoid burnout, how it resembles praying the rosary, and why you don't have to be a Buddhist to meditate. By Daniel Burke.
Alumni don’t want Desmond Tutu to speak at Gonzaga
SPOKANE, Wash. (RNS) A group of alumni at Gonzaga University is pressing the school to rescind an invitation to Archbishop Desmond Tutu as commencement speaker, saying the anti-apartheid activist supports abortion and homosexuality. By Tracy Simmons.
Group says ‘Titanic’ film gets ‘women and children first’ doctrine all wrong
(RNS/ENInews) A Texas-based Christian ministry says James Cameron's 1997 film still delivers a decidedly un-Christian message: That "class warfare" aboard the doomed Titanic resulted in the disproportionate deaths of poor, female and young passengers. By Ron Csillag.
London mayor axes ads that suggests homosexuality can be cured
LONDON (RNS) London's mayor has axed an ad campaign spearheaded by two conservative Christian groups because their ads suggest homosexuality is a disease that can be cured through prayer. By Al Webb.