I have a confession: after boldly trumpeting here on the blog that I don't turn on my computer from Saturday night to Monday morning, this weekend I violated my own rule. (It was the Olympic Games, see, and I was desperate to know how the gymnastics competition was going, see . . . .) And you know what? I don't feel very rested this week. Matthew Sleeth's forthcoming book 24/6 (out in November) explains this emptiness, arguing that the Sabbath isn't a luxury but a necessity. Oh.

(RNS) I don't believe the Olympics should be a religion, but I also don't think athletic competition should be completely secular. Sports and religion belong together because health involves both body and soul. By Henry G. Brinton.

The likelihood that this year's Democratic Party platform will support same-sex marriage and condemn the Defense of Marriage Act creates as bright a culture war line as one could wish with the Republicans, for whom the sanctity of the Old-Time Nuptuality has long been an article of partisan faith.

(RNS) Likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney unveiled his Catholic outreach team today - with some prominent names on the list. 

(RNS) Likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney unveiled his Catholic outreach team today - with some prominent names on the list. 

(RNS) The Obama administration's policy requiring most employers to provide free birth control coverage in their health insurance policies takes effect on Wednesday -- a deadline that has sparked apocalyptic warnings from conservatives. By David Gibson.

(RNS) It could get pretty crowded at Chick-fil-A this week - and not because of the fast-food restuarant's famous waffle fries. By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) The Republican Jewish Coalition has launched a $6.5 million ad campaign, titled “My Buyer’s Remorse,” targeting Jewish voters in battleground states who have changed their minds about Obama. By Steve Strunsky.

(RNS) For Mitt Romney the answer to the Palestinians is crystal clear: Give up. After all, in his view Palestinians are “culturally” defective and God is on the other side. By Sam Bahour.

(RNS) As 150,000 Orthodox Jews in North America celebrate the completion of a seven-year Talmud study program August 1, it’s easier than ever to study scripture, with the advent of websites, podcasts and smartphone apps. By Chris Lisee.

(RNS) Instead of turning on each other, as the wealthy and powerful want us to do, let's name the bad and incompetent behavior of the wealthy and powerful - and hold them accountable. By Tom Ehrich.

A Dutch man has a dream and builds a replica of Noah's ark. The Democrats may put a pro-gay marriage plank in their national platform. And a Jewish pool party gets shut down.

Did Chick-Fil-A's Dan Cathy disrespect gay marriage or didn't he? That is the question exercising the tiny world of religion news criticism, wherein GetReligion's redoubtable Terry Mattingly has chastised the MSM for supposing that he did. 

Was Christianity Today's Mark Galli right about the Colorado shooting? And is the post-Aurora massacre debate a replay of the faith-or-works argument?

(RNS) Religious minorities continue to suffer loss of their rights across the globe, the State Department reported Monday (July 30) in its 2011 International Religious Freedom Report. By Adelle M. Banks.