Mitt Romney preaches American exceptionalism, a Philly priest gets jail time, and the Catholic Church gave Obama his start: unintended consequences?

One of the possibly unintended consequences of the megachurch phenomenon is that there are now all these huge air-conditioned, sound system-equipped auditoriums available for rental by public school departments for the purpose of holdinng graduation ceremonies. And as some have availed themselves of the facilities, so as night follows day, there have been lawsuits challenging the practice.

(RNS) Monsignor William J. Lynn, the first U.S. Catholic official convicted for covering up the sexual abuse of children, was sentenced to 3-6 years in prison on Tuesday (July 24). By David Gibson.

NEW YORK (RNS) So who is the funniest Catholic in the Western world: New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan or Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert? By David Gibson.

(RNS) The Olympics began in ancient Greece as a festival to honor a single god, Zeus. But organizers of the games must now navigate myriad sacred fasts and holy days. By Chris Lisee.

JERUSALEM (RNS) Despite international pressure -- including support from both U.S. presidential candidates -- the International Olympic Committee has refused to include a moment of silence at Friday's opening ceremony to honor Israeli athletes killed by terrorists at the games 40 years ago. By Michele Chabin.

(RNS) A federal appeals court has upheld Georgia’s ban on bringing guns to places of worship. By Adelle M. Banks.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) Episcopal Bishop Kee Sloan of Alabama voted in favor of his church's new ritual for blessing same-sex unions - but he won't allow priests in his diocese to perform it. By Greg Garrison. 

The surface of the pool reflects the building when it is still.    And so it is with our hearts.   When we achieve peace and tranquility in our own hearts, then our hearts become mirrors for God.

(RNS) The privileged see only the prizes they think they earned. Soon, to protect their delusions, they buy politicians and demand that they chase wealth for the greedy by turning the frightened against the vulnerable. By Tom Ehrich.

Monsignor Willam Lynn's sentencing day. Ramadan in Finland. Mike Hucakbee feasts on Chik-fil-A.

Christian Piatt didn't want to be a father a second time. But when his wife got pregnant, he decided to write about pregnancy from a man's POV, resulting in the funny and honest memoir PregMANcy: A Dad, a Little Dude, and a Due Date. Here he talks to FS about the ups and downs of being an expecting dad.

Family Research Council’s new vice president Jerry Boykin has a penchant for making bizarre, conspiratorial claims about President Obama and extremist attacks on Muslims, and at a Massachusetts synagogue last week even wondered whether President Obama is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Responding to a questioner who asked if Obama is “a member of the Muslim Brotherhood,” Boykin replied, “you probably don’t know, and my answer is, I don’t know.”  Video courtesy of Right Wing Watch

(RNS) Thousands of people wearing red shirts gathered in downtown Columbia, Mo., in response to word of a planned protest by the Kansas-based group Westboro Baptist Church. By Kellie Kotraba.