Filed under Religion in the News …

NEWS: Big Week for Religion in Germany

Some significant stories pertaining to religion came out of Germany this week. On Friday, July 16, Bishop Maria Jepsen, the first woman worldwide ever elected – in 1992 – as a Lutheran bishop, resigned from her post in northern Germany after being accused of mishandling abuse complaints. According to the New York Times, hundreds of … Continue reading →

NEWS: What of Pets in the Rapture? Atheists to the Rescue!

Part of that which gets “left behind” during the rapture that many American Christians anticipate are: pets. This is because, according to the beliefs of some Christians, pets have no souls. So, naturally, they will remain earthbound while their owners are lifted heavenward. This could present, potentially, a bit of a dilemma: millions of pets with no one to care … Continue reading →

NEWS: Jazz as Religion

Historian David W. Stowe’s most recent article, “Both American and Global: Jazz and World Religions in the United States,” offers a quick overview of one of America’s most enduring styles of music, then neatly connects this uniquely American music to religious belief and experience. By the end of the piece, one is left viewing jazz … Continue reading →

NEWS: The Emerging Christian Monasticism

Evangelical Christianity is always changing. This is nothing new. What is new, however, is the growing interest in contemplative spirituality and a “new monasticism” amongst some young evangelicals. Speaking of Faith’s Krista Tippett offers a look into a movement difficult to classify—one beyond the conventional right/left binary. Shane Claiborne, founding member of The Simple Way, … Continue reading →

NEWS: Religious Leaders Declare BP Oil Spill a Sin

Nearly a dozen representatives from major religious congregations around the nation were gathered by the Sierra Club and given a tour of the gulf region recently. Episcopal priest Rev. Canon Sally Bingam spoke for several of them when she called the spill “an insult to God and a sin against creation.” Mahmoud Sarmini explained that the Quar’an teaches … Continue reading →

NEWS: Recognizing Difference is Good

In American society we have (understandably) a multitude of opinions about God. This goes without saying. But how we deal with difference has consequences. The result of multiculturalism and pluralism has, according to professor of religion Stephen Prothero, collapsed all of these ideas about God and religious belief into one manageable whole. In an attempt … Continue reading →

NEWS: Pakistan to Monitor Websites for ‘Blasphemy’

The BBC has recently reported Pakistan’s plans to monitor ‘seven major websites’ for material deemed offensive to Muslims. These include perennial favourites: Amazon, Hotmail, YouTube and Google, along with seventeen other less well known websites. Given the two week ban imposed by Pakistan in May, it is perhaps surprising that the popular social networking site … Continue reading →

NEWS: Islam and Reality TV in Malaysia

Imam Muda (trans: “Young Leader”) is a new Reality TV show in Malaysia in which—not new pop stars, or models, or best housewives, but—a new religious leader is chosen from among contestants! Half-way through its first season, the show is hugely successful, having quickly become, as the NY Daily News points out, the most watched program on its Islamic-themed channel. … Continue reading →

NEWS: Religious and Racial Hatred on the Web

Two defendants are currently standing trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with ‘urging people to kill Jewish people’ via posting on a website. Both Michael Heaton and Trevor Hannington are alleged to be members of the Aryan Strike Force [ASF], and furthermore, having posted racist and anti-Semitic comments designed to incite others to murder. The … Continue reading →

NEWS: Tea Party Movement is Religious?

This week news sources have concentrated on the results of the June primary elections. While some news analysts have commented on the role of incumbents and female contenders, the most popular topic has been the role of the Tea Party Movement. Amid the flurry of stories about the elections, religion scholars writing for Religion Dispatches … Continue reading →

NEWS: Hollywood Kabbalistics, Celebrity Watch, and a little red bracelet

Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Nicole Richie, Naomi Campbell, Mick Jagger: Kabbalists all! Or at least, they are suspected of, to some degree or another, flirting with the dark arts of mystic light. Kabbalah: a Jewish mystic tradition with roots concentrated around 13th century France and Spain and with many offshoots sprouting in various directions … Continue reading →

NEWS: Lady Gaga and Marketing the Esoteric

Lady Gaga captivates those interested in the power of celebrity. But her persona goes beyond what is typically associated with simple pop-stardom. Given the imagery used in her public presentation, she has been suspected of being involved with the Illuminati and various expressions of the occult, causing many to consider the possibility of a secret … Continue reading →

NEWS: UCC SW Conference Boycotts Arizona

Leaders of the United Church of Christ are boycotting Arizona in response to the state’s stringent new immigration law. Six ministers have joined the Reverend John Dorhauer, head of the UCC’s Phoenix-based Southwest Conference, in imposing economic sanctions on the Grand Canyon State. According to Religion News Service, Dorhauer emphasized the importance of putting the … Continue reading →

NEWS: One man’s mission against Christian soldiers

Stephen Glain of Foreign Policy magazine recently brought attention to the work of Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, an activist who seeks to remove evangelical Christians’ influence from the military. As a former Air Force judge advocate general and target of anti-Semitic violence as a cadet, Weinstein views the overwhelming presence of evangelical Christianity in the … Continue reading →