You have to be pretty interested in the state of religion reporting to claim the domain name ReligionWriter.com and open up shop. That’s what freelancer Andrea Useem did.
Covering Islam remains a struggle
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Confusing ignorance with objectivity
For the last 23 years, John Foley was the main communications official at the Vatican. His department coordinated media relations for Pope John Paul II’s funeral and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. He also oversaw all film, television and photographic work at the Vatican. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York.
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Ghosts in Super Tuesday (Dobson update)
The Washington Post has not, I am happy to report, been ignoring the role of religion in the Republican race for the White House. I mean — duh — the Monday edition contained two — count ‘em, two — different stories by reporter Perry Bacon Jr., about the current fortunes of Mike Huckabee and the role of religion in all of that.
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Happy Super Fat Tuesday
At my last newspaper job, my colleagues loved celebrating Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, last day before (Western) Lent). A favorite co-worker, from New Orleans, of course, would bring in a King Cake and we would feast. Some people would wear beads, etc. And then the next day when I came to work with ashes on my forehead, dozens of people would ask me what that was for. I never quite understood celebrating Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday without Ash Wednesday being the next day.
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No easy answers
Navigating the First Amendment’s establishment and free exercise clauses when developing policies for government chaplains can be dizzying. The Washington State Department of Corrections found that out recently when trying to reach a settlement with an inmate who wanted the right to adhere to two religions at the same time. Tacoma News-Tribune reporter Ian Demsky wrote up a thorough and interesting description of the problem:
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Same bodies, different worldviews
There’s a controversy in Cincinnati about the “Bodies … The Exhibition.” However, it appears that there is no controversy at all about the same show in Baltimore.
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Bush cuts earmarks for God groups?
The Kansas City Star had a great story a couple of weeks ago out of its Washington, D.C., bureau about a couple of million federal dollars that went to an inner-city religious ministry by means of the infamous earmarking system on Capitol Hill.
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Truly facing your demons
If you know nothing about ayahuasca, you should read Gina Piccalo’s lengthy and detailed piece about it in the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Ayahuasca is a shamanistic therapy that uses psychotropic plants native to the Amazon. If you are looking for any updates on its legality or any new angles on its use, the article probably won’t help you much.
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Big churches, big screens, big game
I wish I knew where I heard the statistic claiming that 85 percent of the growing churches in America have added large-screen video technology to their worship centers (the large rooms that once were called “sanctuaries”). As a religion columnist, I receive so many letters and emails making so many claims and it’s hard to keep track of it all.
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