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On this week’s Crossroads, host Todd Wilken and I talked about media coverage of Rick Perry’s appeal to evangelicals, the role of religion in the U.K. riots and World Youth Day.
The Wall Street Journal tackles problems with religious freedom in China on both is news and editorial pages this week. In the opinion piece, the editors argue that China may have succeeded in using breakdowns to deter resistance in the past, but shows how recent actions by Buddhists, Muslims and Catholics show the crackdowns are now creating more resistance.
The Roman Catholic Church is having its World Youth Day in Madrid, an event geared toward young people and held in celebration of the Catholic faith. These events are held locally every year and internationally every two to three years. They attract hundreds of thousands of youth from all over the globe and they’ve been credited with helping young people get more involved in the church. This marks the world’s largest gathering of young people. This year is no exception. As many as 1.5 million people are expected for Saturday’s vigil and Sunday’s Papal Mass outside the city.
Time for a bit of personal history, as I react to a disappointing little news article that ran recently in the San Francisco Chronicle.
When I first read about Texas Governor Rick Perry’s upcoming prayer event, I thought “Meh, PR event. Who cares?” Little did I realize that the media would freak out over it.
Once again, we face the same question when discussing a New York Times news feature about the Church of Rome.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, began yesterday. During the month, participating Muslims refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours. Muslims believe Ramadan was the month during which the first verses of the Koran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Mohammed. The month is based on the Islamic lunar calendar and moves back about 11 days each year. So I guess that’s why it seems to come earlier each year.
So what do we really know, at this point, about Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo and his attempted attack on Ft. Hood?
