As a federal appeals court in California heard opening arguments in a landmark gay marriage case, leaders of 26 national religious groups issued a letter on Monday affirming their commitment to “promote and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

According to the AP, the judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seemed “troubled” about whether they could recognize marriage as a civil right for all same-sex couples or only those in certain states.

The 19-year-old Somali-born Muslim arrested in Oregon last week on terrorism charges led a double life, according to the AP, drinking gin & juice with friends, but secretly bent on waging a holy war against America.

A Greek Orthodox church in New York City that was demolished on 9/11 is suing agency that owns Ground Zero, saying it reneged on a pledge to help rebuild the church.

Israel’s most influential rabbi claims that the country’s deadly forest fire is divine retribution for the failure of many Israelis to observe the Sabbath.

After telling his followers “I’m going to fight” four sexual harassment lawsuits, Bishop Eddie Long has quietly opted for mediation with his accusers rather than immediately going to trial, according to reports.

The Archdiocese of Newark and the Newark Star-Ledger are battling over a report that accused the city’s archbishop of shielding at least four priests accused of sexual abuse.

The Vatican must acknowledge the “depth of anger and hurt” provoked by its investigation of American nuns, according to a top church official. Chinese bishops met to choose leaders of its government-backed church amid tensions with the Vatican over who actually runs the church.

Poland’s parliament is getting its first ever African lawmaker, a Christian pastor from Nigeria. Jehovah’s Witnesses say one of their leaders is being persecuted in Russia on trumped up charges.

Three dozen top Israeli rabbis have thrown their support behind a religious ruling that bars Jews from selling or renting apartments to Gentiles. A Palestinian atheist jailed for calling God a “primitive Bedouin,” has apologized. A senior Muslim cleric in Iran says women’s sports are a “dirty” product of the West. Clearly, he’s never watched beach volleyball.

A civil court in California awarded $4.6 million to a pastor who claimed she was slandered by another pastor who called her “of the devil.”

The first-ever English translation of an ancient manuscript suggest that the Magi who visited Jesus’ nativity in Bethlehem may have been from China. The conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has sent nativity scenes (made in China?) to all 50 state governors.

Some nice Jewish boys from Yeshiva University have a Hanukkah hit on their hands. A Catholic, a Buddhist, and a Jew walked into a restaurant … and blessed a hamburger.