religion

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Atheist Campers Learn Archery, Swimming, Skepticism

Nonbelievers' kids need fresh air, too

(Newser) - Atheist parents have it rough: They can't exactly pack the kids off to Bible camp for the summer. That’s changing, thanks in part to establishments like Camp Quest, a humanist-staffed getaway that promotes skepticism. Counselors teach the scientific method and deliver lectures about famous free thinkers. Kids are...

Vatican Warms to Wilde
 Vatican 
 Warms 
 to Wilde 
OPINION
Jul 17, 2009 9:38 AM CDT

Vatican Warms to Wilde

Paper praises writer's 'lucid' analysis of his world

(Newser) - The Vatican long regarded Oscar Wilde as a “dissolute homosexual,” but things have changed, writes Richard Owen in the Times of London. A review in the Vatican newspaper of a study on the Irish writer celebrates him as “one of the personalities of the 19th century who...

This Week, Britney May Be Jewish

Singer flip-flops between Christianity, Kabbalah, Hinduism...

(Newser) - Britney Spears was raised a Baptist, but her latest accessory—a Star of David necklace—led the New York Daily News to take a look back at the religions she’s tried out:
  • In 2003, it looked as though she would be one of Madonna’s Kabbalah converts, and she
...

Turkish Game Show Tries to Convert Atheists

Imams, priests, rabbis, and monks given chance to convert unbelievers live on TV

(Newser) - This was probably only a matter of time: A Turkish game show starting this fall will bring on 10 atheists per show and give holy men from four faiths the chance to convert them, the Guardian reports. A Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi, and a Buddhist monk...

Southern Cheaters Call on God&mdash;but Which God?
Southern Cheaters Call on God—but Which God?
analysis
Jul 2, 2009 11:24 AM CDT

Southern Cheaters Call on God—but Which God?

Sanford used God-talk in confession; Spitzer, McGreevey didn't

(Newser) - Mark Sanford's liberal use of religious rhetoric in confessing his affair prompts Gustav Niebuhr to observe that whether Sanford is pandering or actually penitent, he is very much in the tradition of Southern politicians caught in scandal. Bill Clinton, David Vitter, and John Edwards all applied an ample dose of...

Obama Picks a Church: Camp David's

Prez dodges crowds at non-denominational site

(Newser) - Though they were sought by most parishes inside the Beltway, the Obamas have chosen Camp David's nondenominational chapel for their place of worship, Time reports. The decision follows in the footsteps of President Obama's predecessor in opting for a more private churchgoing experience—especially after throngs arrived hours early to...

Ky. Church: Praise the Lord, Pack Your Heat

(Newser) - Some 200 pistol-packing parishioners filled a church in Louisville, Ky., yesterday to celebrate the somewhat unlikely combination of freedom of religion and the right to bear arms, reports the Courier-Journal. Church members checked to ensure the weapons were unloaded and holstered before pastor Ken Pagano led the congregation in patriotic...

US Army Evangelism: Is It a 'Crusade'?
US Army Evangelism:
Is It a 'Crusade'?
glossies
Jun 19, 2009 8:30 PM CDT

US Army Evangelism: Is It a 'Crusade'?

(Newser) - US Army chaplains have distributed Arabic-language Bibles in Iraq, told soldiers to "hunt people for Jesus," and speculated that President Obama is a secret Muslim. Enough already, says a religious rights watchdog: Led by Air Force veteran Mikey Weinstein, the group is suing the Pentagon over alleged religious-based...

PBS Bans New Religious Programming
PBS Bans New Religious Programming
Jun 17, 2009 8:20 AM CDT

PBS Bans New Religious Programming

Channels that already carry church services allowed to continue

(Newser) - PBS has voted to enforce its longstanding prohibition on sectarian broadcasts and ban its stations from carrying any new religious programming, the Washington Post reports. As a compromise, the few stations that already air church services and religious lectures will be allowed to continue to do so. Religious discussions that...

US Gets Its First Black Female Rabbi

'I will not be boxed in,' says newly ordained Stanton

(Newser) - Last week Alysa Stanton was ordained as a rabbi at the Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati, one of the country's oldest synagogues, and a little history was made—the US had its first black female leader of a Jewish congregation. Stanton, born a Pentecostal Christian, converted in 1987, enduring hostility...

Wright: 'Them Jews' Won't Let Me Talk to Obama

(Newser) - The Rev. Jeremiah Wright has no hard feelings against President Obama and will speak to him again when able, the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press reports. Wright, at a ministers conference, said, “them Jews aren’t going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter,...

More Than Bush Did, Obama Cites Jesus

Politically shaky ground for Bush may help Obama

(Newser) - President Obama has invoked Jesus more than his predecessor, despite the major role Christianity played in George W. Bush’s policies, Politico reports. Obama has mentioned his faith in recent speeches in Cairo, at Notre Dame, and at Georgetown, to name a few instances. Though he was backed by evangelicals,...

Jobless Cling to Their Faith in Detroit

Religions offer comfort as jobless face pain, hunger

(Newser) - Thousands of Detroit's jobless are coping with fear and desperation by falling back on faith, the Detroit Free Press reports. Houses of worship are increasingly fielding calls from people seeking jobs, food, and housing—but above all, congregants say, they find comfort. "When the tension comes and the pressure...

France Tries Scientology for Fraud
France Tries
Scientology for Fraud
May 25, 2009 6:44 AM CDT

France Tries Scientology for Fraud

(Newser) - The church of Scientology goes on trial for fraud today in a landmark case in France, reports the BBC. The American organization is widely regarded in the nation as a sect, and if Scientology is found guilty of a crime, it could be banned in the country. It's the first...

Bulletproof Turban in Development for UK's Sikh Cops

(Newser) - Scientists are developing a bulletproof turban that would allow Britain’s Sikh police officers to handle firearms and become riot cops, the Telegraph reports. The religion requires men keep their turbans on at all times, barring them from wearing helmets required in certain high-risk scenarios. “There needs to be...

US Youth May Yet Return to Religion, Despite the Right

The religious right has driven young people away, but a change in tone could lure them back: Putnam

(Newser) - Young Americans would likely become more religious if faith were disentangled from the polarizing practices of evangelical conservatives, Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post. That’s a good thing, because research for an upcoming book found that religious Americans give more time and money—to secular and religious causes...

Obama's Toned-Down Take on Day of Prayer Irks Some

(Newser) - President Obama has opted to observe today’s National Day of Prayer in private, a sharp turn from his predecessor’s policies that angers at least one organization, the Boston Globe reports. President Bush held public celebrations at the White House. “We are disappointed in the lack of participation...

Crowds Flip for Mexican Restaurant's 'Griddle Virgin'

Some say image looks like Our Lady of Guadalupe

(Newser) - The faithful are flocking to a Mexican restaurant in California to see what some call a miracle: a griddle apparently imprinted with the Virgin Mary’s image, the Los Angeles Times reports. A cook first spotted it; “she started to cry” and stopped cleaning the griddle, said the restaurant’...

Holy Twitter! Pastors Urge Tweeters to Type in Church

Pastors use the social-networking tool to build community

(Newser) - Twittering in church is the latest rage among cutting-edge congregations, as some pastors turn to the social-networking tool to encourage interaction among worshipers. Pastors hope the  technology will help build community and nurture dialogue, reports Time. One Michigan pastor spent weeks educating his congregation about how to use Twitter in...

Poll: Religious More Likely to Support Torture

More than 60% of white evangelicals say it's justified

(Newser) - Frequent churchgoers are more likely to support torture than their less devout brethren, a new Pew poll finds. Fifty-four percent of weekly churchgoers said torture of terror suspects is “often” or “sometimes” justified, compared to 42% of people who seldom or never attend services, reports CNN. White evangelical...

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