religion

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Parents Leaning on Religion to Dodge Vaccines for Children

Faith often used to cover other objections

(Newser) - Parents are turning to state laws allowing religious exemptions to keep their children from being vaccinated, the Associated Press reports. Such shots are often required for children to attend preschool; though sects such as the Christian Scientists have real religious objections to medicine, some parents distrustful of the science behind...

Thompson Losing Evangelicals
Thompson Losing Evangelicals
Sep 27, 2007 12:31 PM CDT

Thompson Losing Evangelicals

Balk at endorsing candidate who won't talk about his religion, doesn't back gay marriage ban

(Newser) - Fred Thompson, once the longed-for alternative to a field of uninspiring GOP candidates, didn't get through his campaign's first official month before the religious right started jumping ship, Politico reports. Thompson's refusal to back a gay marriage ban, past lobbying for an abortion-rights group, and refusal to talk religion has...

Prisoners Sue Over Religious Book Limits

In the wake of post-9/11 crackdown, First Amendment concerns arise

(Newser) - The removal of  hundreds of thousands of  religious books  from federal prison libraries is drawing fire—not just from inmates, but from chaplains and other religious leaders. In the wake of 9/11, the Bureau of Prisons issued an approved list of religious books for institutions it controls, the Times reports,...

Pope Blasts Wasted Weekends
Pope Blasts Wasted Weekends
Sep 10, 2007 8:25 AM CDT

Pope Blasts Wasted Weekends

Sundays are time to reflect on dangers posed by humanity, he says

(Newser) - Pope Benedict has urged Catholics to  keep Sunday special amid the  "mad rush" of the modern world. He encouraged people to set the day aside for reflection on faith and the dangers humans pose to the world, including destruction of "God's creation," an apparent reference to environmental...

ACLU's Alter Ego Invites God Into Courtroom

Center scores wins for religious right with free speech arguments

(Newser) - A legal center that champions the Christian right is scoring victories and becoming “a very, very significant player in constitutional law,” one analyst says. The American Center for Law and Justice has made waves in the legal world by defending prayer at high school football games and supporting...

Thousands Honor Mother Teresa
Thousands Honor
Mother Teresa
Sep 5, 2007 2:52 PM CDT

Thousands Honor Mother Teresa

Devotees flock to observe anniversary of beloved nun's death

(Newser) - Thousands visited Kolkata (Calcutta), India, today to remember Mother Teresa 10 years after her death. At the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, where the nun lived and died, the local archbishop led a Mass where rich and poor joined to pray for her, Reuters reports. "I hope she...

God's No 'He' Man in Reform Judaism's New Prayer Book

Gender-neutral book took 20 years to develop

(Newser) - After 20 years of development, Reform Judaism's new prayer book hits the shuls in about a month with a gender-neutral text that eliminates references to God as "He." The new prayer book, "Mishkan T’filah," is intended to offer something for everyone, from those who prefer...

Gospel Lives in the Oval Office
Gospel Lives in the Oval Office
Aug 29, 2007 12:41 PM CDT

Gospel Lives in the Oval Office

New biography reflects on Billy Graham's counsel to 8 of last 9 presidents

(Newser) - Billy Graham has seen US leaders laid bare, from skinny-dipping with LBJ to long walks on the beach with GWB. A new book details the ailing 88-year-old preacher’s rendezvous with presidents past, including counseling Ford to pardon Nixon and advising Hillary Clinton to look past Monica Lewinsky. Graham’s...

Your Credit's Good With God
Your Credit's Good With God
Aug 27, 2007 1:41 AM CDT

Your Credit's Good With God

Boston church now accepting parishioners' plastic for collection plate

(Newser) - Franciscan friars have another deep question to ask their congregation: Paper or plastic? The brothers of St. Anthony's Shrine in Boston have installed a wireless kiosk allowing their flock to make contributions with credit or debit cards. The service is provided by SecureGive.com, created by a Georgia minister and...

Shops Closed in Iran for Giving 'Un-Islamic' Do's

Part of crackdown that includes tattoos and scanty clothing

(Newser) - Western or unconventional styles are officially out in Iran, where police shuttered over a dozen barbershops in the past 2 weeks for giving “un-Islamic” haircuts. Such practices are forbidden thanks to an edict issued in April through the barber’s union. Eleven salons for women were also closed for...

Mother Teresa Tormented by Long, Dark Night of The Soul

Nun suffered shocking 50-year spiritual crisis

(Newser) - Even as she was selflessly ministering to the poor, Mother Teresa felt nothing of God’s presence, according to stunning personal letters published in a new book and this week’s TIME magazine. The nun wrote of a great “silence and emptiness” and the “pain and darkness” in...

Foes Gear to Fight New Bid By Ex-Islamist to Lead Turkey

Critics fear extreme religious shift for nation

(Newser) - Turkish secularists are bracing for another clash over the presidential candidacy of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a devout Muslim and one-time Islamist party member who critics fear plans to enforce extreme religious principals in public life. The last time he was nominated as the ruling party's candidate, just three months...

Born-Again Actor Leads Charge into Iraq

Commentators cry foul over evangelical care packages

(Newser) - A ventriloquist and a born-again movie star are among those headed for Iraq to entertain US soldiers and fold them into the arms of the Lord, writes Max Blumenthal in the Nation. All well and good, but this version of the Almighty, delivered by the likes of Stephen Baldwin, is...

German Leaders Reject Scientology Ban

Stumbling block is procedural, not philosophical

(Newser) - German leaders say they won't press for a ban on Scientology—not because they're against it, but because they don't think it would succeed. The German government officially considers the organization a cult, Der Spiegel reports, but politicians from both major parties say that they probably don't have enough evidence...

Principal Fired for Staff Santeria Rites

Candles, incense and chicken blood didn't earn A's from bosses

(Newser) - A New York City public school principal's head is on the chopping block for forcing teachers to participate in spiritual cleansing rituals using chicken blood and incense, the AP reports. The principal paid another woman to perform several ceremonies practiced by followers of  Santeria, a Caribbean blend of  Christianity and...

Dean Tries Praying for Voters
Dean Tries Praying for Voters
Aug 2, 2007 8:17 PM CDT

Dean Tries Praying for Voters

DNC chief building values outreach programs

(Newser) - Amid chatter about Democratic candidates wooing the religious vote, Howard Dean has quietly used his DNC pulpit to build grassroots and national values outreach programs. The Hill reports that Dean—once so spiritually lost as to say “my religion doesn’t inform my public policy”—was born again...

Scientology: No Weirder Than The Others

Group may be wacky but it's no cult, Slate writer says

(Newser) - Scientology has earned cult status for many outsiders, but Slate’s Mark Oppenheimer argues it's no more bizarre than any mainstream faith. He says the peculiarities of the celebrity-friendly religion abound, but that they're reflected right back in the wacky ideas of more accepted theologies—say, by the Book of...

Muslim Donut Franchisee Fights Pork

Owner told to serve breakfast sandwiches or lose stores

(Newser) - The owner of two Chicago-area Dunkin' Donuts is locked in a legal dispute with the company over conflicts between his religious beliefs and his breakfast menu, the Chicago Tribune reports. A franchisee since 1979, Walid Elkhatib has never served pork products; it wasn't until 2002 that Dunkin' Donuts insisted he...

Hitchens: Stop Fearing (and Coddling) Islam

'Threat of violence' behind Muslims' demand for religious respect

(Newser) - Unflappable contrarian Christopher Hitchens asks why he's accused of "insulting 1.5 billion Muslims" whenever he challenges their faith in public. Arguing that no other group takes such umbrage when its empirical beliefs are questioned, the militant secularist concludes that the appeal to Muslims' feelings has an "unmistakable...

Look Out, Barbie: Here Comes Moses
Look Out, Barbie: Here Comes Moses
Jul 30, 2007 4:05 PM CDT

Look Out, Barbie: Here Comes Moses

Faith-based action figures to combat less godly toys

(Newser) - Faith-based action figures will soon compete with the latest Bratz and Transformers dolls on the shelves of a Wal-Mart near you. Tales of Glory figurines, including Samson, Jesus and Daniel (complete with the Lions’ Den), are being promoted as "God-honoring toys" in a market full of figures that "...

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