Let’s start with a bit of background. Last week, a federal judge ruled that a law authorizing a National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. That day is marked in early May and observances can continue until all appeals are exhausted. There’s a group called the National Day of Prayer Task Force. It focuses on Christian events and they worked with the Pentagon chaplain’s office on a National Day of Prayer event to be held next month. They had invited noted Christian evangelist Franklin Graham to give a prayer. Mikey Weinstein, who runs the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and was also in the news years ago when he fought evangelical influences at the United States Air Force Academy, complained about his invitation and by Thursday, the invitation was rescinded. (And I’m not sure if it’s coincidence or not, but President Barack Obama is actually meeting with Franklin Graham and his more famous father, the Rev. Billy Graham, today!)
Abuse of a 'boy' or a 'young man'?
Anyone who picked up a major newspaper today knows that one of the hot stories on the other side of the Atlantic is the resignation of Bishop Roger Vangheluwe of Brugge, Belgium — the latest star to fall in the current wave of clergy sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church.
Still Supremely Protestant-less
As the Supreme Court nomination anticipation heats up, Dahlia Lithwick’s piece for Slate reads more like a sigh than anything else. Lithwick suggested that the short lists everyone keeps writing about don’t tell us very much except what people–media included–expect to see the next fight over the court.
Al Qaeda, airstrikes and . . . churches?
Earlier this week, news broke that two top Al Qaeda leaders were killed in an airstrike carried out by U.S. troops:
Hooking up with CNN
Religion is overrated. Here in the bubble of GetReligionland, we sometimes forget that. Thank you, CNN, for reminding us.
A market for Tebow
Two weeks ago, my husband informed me that April 22 was his second favorite day of the year. What’s so special about this day, you ask? The NFL draft, and he plans to plant himself in front of a television set most of the day. (His favorite day is the NFL’s opening day, which might coincide with our September anniversary someday).
Faith-free drama in Afghanistan
At the end of the Time cover story about efforts to reopen the Pir Mohammed School in Senjaray, Afghanistan, the commander of the 120 U.S. soldiers located there gets caught up in an all-to-common tragedy.
More than samosas and saffron
Did you read this Sunday New York Times story about Swami Ramdev headlined “Indian Who Built Yoga Empire Works on Politics“? I don’t know if it was worse as a religion news story or as a political news story but it really failed to even begin to adequately explain either the religious or political situation in India.
Washington Post 'hates' cultural conservatives
I’ve long complained about the puff piece profiles that run in the Washington Post‘s Style section. The last few times we’ve discussed these profiles it’s been in relation to one done on a supporter of traditional marriage laws. These profiles tend to be favorable no matter which side of the aisle the subject sits on, but in the case of National Organization for Marriage executive director Brian Brown, that was not acceptable to many of the Post‘s more liberal readers.
