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You know how The Screwtape Letters was written from the perspective of a senior demon to his nephew demon? This article on the Pope’s visit to Britain by Washington Post foreign service writer Anthony Faiola reads better — and much funnier — if you imagine it written by someone pretending to be a demon.
I have always thought that papal trips — especially to lands that stage regular media circuses — are the Olympics of religion news. The big problem, of course, is that the pope is WAY too important to be covered by mere religion-beat professionals. You have to break out the media superstars and political/cultural reporters and that’s where the real fun begins.
So here is your assignment. Read the top of the following story in the Los Angeles Times and try to spot the religion ghost.
You have to read this article by CNN writer John Blake. It’s all about how tolerant and respectful Islam is of Judaism and Christianity. For instance:
So at this point, which subject interests you (or bores you) more, the Rev. Terry Jones story or the story about the story of the Rev. Terry Jones?
Do you wonder if every religion news story from here on out is going to involve some kind of clash of civilizations? I hope not but here’s another entry into that category. We’ve covered the various stories surrounding the Danish cartoon controversy that erupted a few years ago. German Chancellor Angela Merkel honored the creator of some of the controversial cartoons at a ceremony this week. Since 2006, Kurt Westergaard has had his life repeatedly threatened by Muslims angry over his art. Here’s how AFP put it:
Several weeks ago, there was a flurry of stories about someone in Israel convicted of “rape by deception.” Here is a typical lede for the story, this one from the BBC:
