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All that talk about the possible death of print media? Totally premature. Christine O’Donnell’s big win in Delaware’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate has spilled enough ink to keep the dead-tree news business operating at least through the November election.
The news coverage, so far, about the alleged threat of violence against Pope Benedict XVI has been cautious to the max — as it should be.
So here is your assignment. Read the top of the following story in the Los Angeles Times and try to spot the religion ghost.
The New York Daily News has a brief story about a man who was just fired for a First Amendment protest.
Pastor Terry Jones’ decision to call off his September 11 Koran burn has not stopped violent protests among some Muslims across the world. A Lutheran church in Pakistan was destroyed by a bomb. Kashmir protests left 13 dead. In Tehran, protesters are calling for the death of Jones.
Peter J. Boyer deserves GetReligion’s “rock star religion reporting of the month” award, an honor that I just made up on the spot. In all seriousness, Boyer has produced yet another thoughtful, thorough, compelling piece for The New Yorker, this time on the Fellowship, a secretive religious group inside the DC Beltway. (Earlier, we looked at his piece on Francis Collins.)
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:
The other night I caught just a portion of Soledad O’Brien’s interview of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. I rarely watch television news shows but I enjoyed the interview. O’Brien had a good “get,” as they say, and made sure to make the most of it.
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:
