pewforum.org Religion News on the Web

Religion News on the Web

Selected religion-related news from around the Web
Guardian: Melinda Gates challenges Vatican by vowing to improve contraception
The billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates, a practising Catholic, has thrown down the gauntlet to the Vatican and vowed to dedicate the rest of her life to improving access to contraception across the globe.
NYT: In close vote, Presbyterian Church rejects divesting in firms that aid Israeli occupation
A deeply divided Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Thursday became the latest American church to shy away from divesting in companies that supply equipment to Israel to enforce its control in the occupied territories, after a passionate debate that stretched late into the evening and a vote that was nearly a tie.
AP: Pope taps German theologian to head orthodoxy post
The pope named Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller to head the Vatican's all-important orthodoxy office Monday, tapping a German theologian like himself to head the congregation he presided over for nearly a quarter-century enforcing Catholic doctrine.
NYT: The Mormon lens on American history
For a century and a half, Mormonism has been something of a paradox in the history of the American West: passionately argued about by the church's adherents and detractors, but largely ignored by professional scholars unsure of what to make of the religion Joseph Smith founded in 1830 or the communities created by what Mormon scripture itself described as a ''peculiar people.''
AFP: German circumcision ruling slammed

Agence France-Presse AFP: German circumcision ruling slammed Staff 2012-06-27 A key German Muslim association on Wednesday sharply criticised a court ruling that said circumcising boys on religious grounds amounted to grievous bodily harm. "The Cologne ruling is a serious attack on religious freedom,

Washington Times: Ethics code chapter and verse for pastors
The Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule apparently weren’t clear enough.
NYT: Fox News reporter hired as Vatican media adviser
In an effort to shore up its communications strategy amid a widening leaks scandal in a troubled papacy, the Vatican has hired the Fox News correspondent in Rome as a senior communications adviser.
AP: Thai Buddhist film festival seeks to spark faith
Religion can be a tough sell nowadays, so instead of waiting for disciples to make their way to temple, some promoters brought 36 films with Buddhist themes to the heart of modern Thailand earlier this month.
Globe and Mail: New Muslim cemeteries to give urgent last rites
Soon after Suleiman Gardee’s mother died, as he and his relatives grieved, the family tried to arrange a burial for the 92-year-old. “In Muslim tradition, you bury within 24 hours max,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s not a good thing.”
Wash. Post: Baltimore archbishop: ‘Let us be Catholics’
If Baltimore Archbishop William Lori has a hobby, it’s reading books about modern American history.
Reuters: Vatican accuses media of "imitating Dan Brown"
The Vatican 's number 2 accused the media on Monday of trying "to imitate Dan Brown " in their coverage of the VatiLeaks scandal and said the Roman Catholic Church 's latest travails were part of the Devil's attempt to destabilize it.
Salt Lake Tribune: Marco Rubio’s book explains why he left Mormonism
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio credits his short-lived time as a Mormon for providing a moral compass in his youth, though he also discloses for the first time his family’s struggles with the constraints of the faith and his eventual return to the Catholic fold.
AP: Non-Orthodox Jews start making inroads in Israel
With the holy city of Jerusalem visible in the background, a man and woman standing side-by-side lead prayers for about 50 congregants who have come to welcome the Sabbath in this suburb's Reform synagogue.
AP: Pope to Irish: Child abuse by clergy 'a mystery'
Pope Benedict XVI told Irish Catholics on Sunday it is a mystery why priests and other church officials abused children entrusted in their care, undermining faith in the church "in an appalling way."
AP: Vatican gives traditionalists proposal for reconciliation in a bid to end schism
The Vatican has formally proposed a way to reconcile with a breakaway group of ultra-traditionalist Catholics in a final bid to end a quarter-century of schism, offering it a special legal status in the church currently enjoyed only by the conservative Opus Dei movement.
LA Times: Are Catholic bishops abandoning nonpartisanship in contraception battle?
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have long prided themselves on being political without being partisan, throwing themselves into the scrum of public affairs without aligning themselves with one party or the other.
Times of India: English sermons at Hyderabad mosque a big draw
In the city of Nizams that has metamorphosed into a bustling metropolis, this mosque was possibly in the making.
Boston Globe: Sanctions against nuns spark backlash
Last week an obscure 2006 book on sexual ethics by a nun, a retired Yale Divinity School theologian, rocketed to number 13 on Amazon's bestseller list.
NYT: Evangelical groups call for new stance on illegal immigration
Some of the nation’s most influential evangelical groups urged a solution to illegal immigration on Tuesday that defies the harsh rhetoric of the Republican primary race, which continues to undermine Mitt Romney’s appeal to Hispanic voters.
WaPo: Egyptian presidential hopeful attacks Islamists to gain support
Just days before the final round of Egypt’s presidential election, religion has become a deciding factor for many voters, who face a stark choice between a conservative Islamist and a secular former military officer.
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