Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup: Ramadan ending * Holy warrior * Biblical dinosaurs

Today is the last day of Ramadan. U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, declares himself a holy warrior and says "I am the shooter.” Dinosaurs and biblical characters co-existed, says Ken Ham.

Eid celebration
A food laden table.

Eid celebration

Today is the last day of Ramadan. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m invited to a big iftar tonight. Eid ul-Fitr, the feast of the fast breaking, begins Thursday.

Hussein Rashid, a professor at Hofstra University, disses those who say a Ramadan observance called Laylat ul-Qadr, which translates as the “Night of Power” or the “Night of Destiny,” may be the reason for the closure of U.S. embassies in Africa and the Middle East.


Two U.S. Senators came to Egypt Tuesday with a message for the country’s new military-backed leaders: Release Islamist figures as a gesture to the Muslim Brotherhood or risk making “a huge mistake.” Egyptian leaders meanwhile bristle at the suggestion.

U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, accused of staging the Fort Hood massacre, declared himself an Islamic holy warrior Tuesday and insisted that “the evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter.

A gay English couple with five children from surrogate mothers, and a sixth on the way, say they will sue the Church of England for denying them a gay wedding. Same-sex marriages will become legal in England next year, but the church isn’t budging from its opposition.

The Texas Freedom Network, a nonprofit civil liberties group, posted on its website last week that it had discovered that six people chosen to review biology textbooks for the state had ties to creationism. That was later amended to four. Still.

Speaking of creationists, dinosaurs and Biblical characters did co-exist, says Ken Ham, the president/CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis. In fact, they traveled together on Noah’s Ark.

The committee putting together a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (USA) dropped the popular hymn “In Christ Alone” because the song’s authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God being satisfied. As expected, a culture war ensued.

The Assemblies of God may be losing one of its defining characteristics: speaking in tongues. The Assemblies  grew more than twice as fast as the American population in 2012, but more members are holding their tongues.


Is there any question that Pope Francis is an international pop culture hero? Jeff Weiss suggests a few comparisons to the pope. But really, who can outmatch him?

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is pushing Troy University, a public school in Alabama, to abandon its plans to open a residence hall for religious students.

A third of Americans want to delay their inevitable deaths and live to be least 120, or even older, according to a new Pew study.

A high-ranking official with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, was busted and accused of soliciting a prostitute. In a graveyard. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one.

A group of punk rockers are speaking up against radical monks at the forefront of a bloody campaign against Muslims in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, a nation of 60 million people.

Anyone who doubts that Mormons can play basketball, may want to watch this video. In it, two tie-wearing missionaries challenge some locals to a pickup basketball game in Henderson, Texas.


 

Eid mubarkak, everyone. Sign up below for the Roundup and we’ll keep you updated on what how to greet your interfaith neighbors.

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