TruthBook Religious News Blog

January 13, 2010

Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of King, an influential American civil rights leader.

In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi.

Between 1957 and 1968, King led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience and inspiring his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “I Have a Dream;” he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of 20 times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.

At the age of 35, Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, King was assassinated.

Source: nobelprize.org

In the 11-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled more than six million miles and spoke more than 2,500 hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. Here are just some of the topics he addressed in his sermons, speeches and interviews:

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

A lie cannot live.

A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.

A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

A right delayed is a right denied.

A riot is the language of the unheard.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

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Labels: Martin Luther King Jr.

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Major Survey Reveals Ground-Breaking Insight into Marriages

January 11, 2010

Leading stepfamily and remarriage expert Ron L. Deal, along with counselor David Olson offer help, hope, and healing to remarried couples in their new book, The Remarriage Checkup (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group). In addition to their 35 years of experience, the book is also backed by research from the largest remarried study ever conducted. Using the world-renowned PREPARE/ENRICH program, Deal and Olson explore issues such as communication, finances, sexuality, stepparenting, and spirituality. By bringing experience and expertise together, The Remarriage Checkup gives couples the tools they need to build a remarriage that lasts a lifetime.

Minneapolis,MN (PRWEB) January 11, 2010 -- Nearly one-half of all marriages in America are remarriages for one or both partners. Of these, 60-70% will divorce, giving remarriages an almost 25% greater chance of failing than first marriages.
The Remarriage Checkup
The Remarriage Checkup

In a culture inundated with marriage manuals and relationship how-to books, why do remarriages continue to fail at such an alarming rate?

“No one is telling remarried couples that while many of their strengths are the same as those of first marriage couples, there are a number of unique issues that, if not managed well, can destroy a remarriage,” said Ron Deal, a marriage and family counselor and the leading stepfamily and remarriage expert.

Seeing a need, Deal teamed up with fellow counselor and expert David Olson to offer help, hope, and healing to remarried couples. Backed by 35 years of experience, their new book, The Remarriage Checkup (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group), is also backed by research from the largest remarried study ever conducted.

Boasting over 50,000 participating remarrying couples, the National Survey of Couples Creating Stepfamilies was commissioned by Olson, the founder of Life Innovations and the PREPARE/ENRICH program.

“We examined the profiles of over 100,000 people to discover the qualities that best predict highly satisfying relationships and the roadblocks couples must overcome in order to beat the odds of divorce,” said Olson. “Some of our findings will validate what you already know about successful relationships; others will surprise you.”

Please click on "external source" for the complete article

Labels: book review, David Olson, marriage, Ron L. Deal, The Remarriage Checkup

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More people are praying, but religious ties are fraying

January 26, 2010

The number of Americans who are praying is increasing at the same time that more of them say they have no formal religious affiliation, according to a major polling organization.

The dynamic represents an "apparent shift in patterns of spiritual practice and identity away from the familiar institutions," Omar M. McRoberts, a University of Chicago sociologist and researcher, said in an interview.

"We are witnessing a decoupling of 'spirituality' from 'religion,'" said Mc Roberts. It is a trend echoed in other surveys and accounts of individuals calling themselves "spiritual but not religious."

"I think we can expect to see yet more novel versions of religiosity appear, in response to changes in spirituality," he said. The University of Chicago study, released October 23, was based on numerous surveys, including the General Social Survey's own study of 52,000 U.S. adults.

"While fewer people identify with a particular religion, belief in God remains high," said Tom W. Smith, coauthor of the study and director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

The "spiritual but unchurched" Americans are a growing force, he indicated, with the new study finding that nearly a quarter, 22 percent, have never attended a religious service. This is an increase from 9 percent in 1972. The study found that 16 percent listed "none" when asked to specify their formal religious affiliation.

Please see "external source" for the complete article

Labels: institutional religion, Omar M. McRoberts, prayer, spirituality, unchurched

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Saturday Afternoon Book Review

Saturday January 9, 2010

This is the first installment of what we hope will become a feature of this blog: a solid book review on Saturday afternoon. This review, by Marius Nel (pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church and a Research Associate in the New Testament department at the University of Pretoria in South Africa), is on Everett Ferguson's big book on baptism: Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries .

Baptism in the Early Church - History, Theology, and Liturgy in the first Five Centuries - Everett Ferguson

Reviewer: Marius Nel

Everett Ferguson's magnus opus is a comprehensive historical study of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christianity. Ferguson's focus is primarily on early Christian literary sources, though he also gives attention to the depictions of baptism (mostly of Jesus) in various art forms, as well as the architecture of a number of surviving baptismal fonts and baptisteries. He attempts to be as complete as possible for the first three centuries and "representatively comprehensive" for the fourth and fifth centuries (xix). The primary strength of Ferguson's excellent study is its comprehensive focus on all the available primary literature, while also surveying (chapter 1) and engaging (in numerous footnotes) the relevant secondary literature.

Part One covers the antecedents to Christian baptism. Ferguson begins with a discussion of Greco-Roman pagan washings for purification and the role of water in the Mystery Religions (chapter 2). He concludes that while the use of water as a means of purification was common in the religious activities of Greeks and Romans it did not fulfill the same religious role as in Christianity (25). Washings for example, were a preliminary preparation for the initiation into the Mystery religions, while it was the center of initiation into the church (29).

Chapter 3 focuses on the literal and metaphorical meaning of words from the Bapt-root in Classical and Hellenistic Greek usage. The verb Baptiz? literally meant "to dip" (usually referring to a thorough submerging of an object in a liquid). Metaphorically it meant "to be overwhelmed by something" (for example the influence of wine) (38, 59). Pouring and sprinkling were distinct actions that were represented by different Greek verbs.

Please click on "external source" for the complete review.

Labels: baptism, book review, early Christianity, Everett Ferguson, Marius Nel

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North American Muslims Determined to Counter Violence and Terrorism

Posted Jan 9, 2010
by Sheila Musaji

The North American Muslim community leadership has been attempting for some time to raise awareness about extremism and the possibility of young people becoming radicalized. Because of the internet and other media radical elements are able to make connections with others across all national lines. Any idiot with a computer is able to connect with others all over the world. Over the past several years there has been a great deal of discussion within the Muslim community on the subject of how best to deal with extremism within the Muslim community, and recently there have been some very encouraging developments which encourage practical steps to counter radicalization - for example, CAIR’s announcement that they plan to set up a website specifically aimed at countering extremist interpretations of the Qur’an, MPAC’s Building Bridges document, ISNA’s statement Against Terrorism and Religious Extremism: Muslim Position and Responsibilities.

This week 20 North American Imams issued a Fatwa Against Terrorists. According to The National Post of Canada: “Syed Soharwardy, an imam at the Al-Madinah Calgary Islamic Centre, who organized the initiative, said yesterday that any attack by foreign elements should also be considered a direct affront to the 10 million Muslims who call either Canada or the United States home. “We want Muslims around the world who would dare to commit terrorism on our soil to know that we stand together with all Canadians and Americans. “We are asking Muslims here not only to condemn terrorism but to also see these events as attacks on themselves.”

Also, this week, on the day that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was arraigned in court there was a rally of about 150 American Muslims and Arabs outside the court. The participants in the rally held signs saying “Not in the name of Islam”, “We are Americans,” and “Islam is Against Terrorism.” According to the Chicago Tribune the rally was organized by Majed Moughni who created a Facebook group called Dearborn Area Community Members to plan the rally.

Prior to the rally, a group of Imams from the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan held a press conference condemning terrorism. You can see video of the rally here and photos of the rally here.

The American Muslim and Arab communities are attempting to whatever they can to make it clear that we reject violence and extremism as solutions to anything. I hope that there will be many more such efforts, just as there have previously been many other efforts. Here are a few of the notable efforts: - Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq put together a statement on Apostasy in Islam in 2007 which was signed by over 100 scholars and activists. - The Sunni Shia Dialogue petition organized by Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid. - a Muslim Intrafaith Code of Honor was developed and publically signed by Sunni and Shia scholars at ISNA in 2007. - The ISNA Statement Against Terrorism and Religious Extremism in 2006 - CAIRs Not In the Name of Islam Petition which received 691,591 signatures in 2004. Fiqh Council of North America Fatwa against terrorism in 2005. You can find an extensive list of fatwas, articles, and statements against extremism and terrorism on The American Muslim site under the heading Muslim Voices Against Extremism and Terrorism.

For the complete article (with many links to video, etc...), please click on "external source."

Labels: extremism, North American Muslims, peace, terrorism

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Deep-rooted spirituality remains tradition in black churches

By Heather Kays/staff
January 8, 2010

STAUNTON — It was no surprise to Andrea Cornett-Scott that when the Barna Group did a study, it showed undeniable strength of faith and sense of community in black churches.

"The very core of African-American churches is rooted in the statement, 'I am because we are and since we are, therefore, I am complete," said Cornett-Scott, pastor at Christ Our Redeemer African Methodist Church in Staunton. "You cannot think of who you are as an individual without thinking about who you are as a community."

Throughout American history there has been a deep-rooted spirituality within the black population in the United States, according to the study. The Barna Group examined various religious beliefs and behaviors which showed that time has not changed the importance of faith in the lives of African-Americans. The study compared the religious beliefs and behaviors of the black population today and in comparison to 15 years ago, as well as in comparison to the United States as a whole.

Please click on "external source" for the complete article.

Labels: African-Americans, Heather Kays, spirituality

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North Korea Again Tops List of World’s Worst Persecutors of Christians

Wednesday, 06 January 2010

North Korea is again the world's worst persecutor of Christians, according to a new ranking released today by religious liberty advocates Open Doors.

The communist nation has topped the missions organization's World Watch List for eight consecutive years because of its long history of targeting Christians for arrest, torture and murder. California-based Open Doors estimates that of the 200,000 North Koreans languishing in political prisons, 40,000 to 60,000 of them are Christians.

"It is certainly not a shock that North Korea is No. 1 on the list of countries where Christians face the worst persecution," said Open Doors USA President Carl Moeller. "There is no other country in the world where Christians are persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner. Three generations of a family are often thrown into prison when one member is incarcerated."

Although Iran has repeatedly surfaced in Open Doors' Top 10, the nation rose from No. 3 to No. 2 on this year's list because of a recent wave of arrests of Christians that began in 2008 and grew stronger in 2009. The ministry estimates that at least 85 Christians were arrested last year, including two sisters who became the focus of an advocacy campaign by Open Doors and other Christian ministries.

"Iran jumping to No. 2 is noteworthy," Moeller said. "Iranian Muslim background believers Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh were arrested simply for being Christians and refusing to recant their faith in Jesus Christ. They were released almost two months ago, helped by an advocacy campaign by Open Doors and other Christian organizations. But these two brave women along with hundreds of other believers still remain at risk inside Iran."

Saudi Arabia remains at No. 3, though Open Doors said it received no reports of Christians being killed or physically harmed for their faith, and only one report of a Christian arrested was noted.

Somalia moved from No. 5, to the No. 4 spot after its Parliament in April voted unanimously to institute Islamic law. Open Doors leaders said the ministry also received reports of Christians being killed and arrested.

Rounding out the top 10 are Maldives, Afghanistan, Yemen, Mauritania, Laos and Uzbekistan, respectively. Yemen's position at No. 7 was unchanged over last year. But concern about Islamic fundamentalism in the nation has grown since U.S. officials discovered that al-Qaida leaders in Yemen planned a failed attempt to bomb a plane en route to Detroit on Christmas Day.

Please click on "external source" for the complete article

Labels: Christianity, North Korea, Open Doors USA, religious persecution

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The children's questions that parents find it toughest to answer

"Where does water come from?", "why is the sky blue?" and "what is infinity?" are among the questions that parents struggle to answer for their children.

By Lucy Cockcroft
08 Jan 2010]

Another query that has tripped up mothers and fathers for generations is, "where do babies come from?".

Basic questions from children about the planet, outer space and the human body leave most parents unable to give a correct answer, according to a survey of 2,500 parents.

It also reveals some of the strategies and concocted stories parents use to tackle tough questions.

Top of the list is "how is electricity made?", "what are black holes?" and "what is infinity?".

Other baffling questions in the top ten include "why is the sky blue?" "why do we have a leap year?" and "how do birds fly?" and "where do babies come from?".

Of those who opt for myths instead of truths, seven in ten parents use the explanation that "babies are delivered by storks" and 23 per cent say "babies are found under gooseberry bushes".

Other popular answers include "babies come out of your tummy button", "I found them" and "babies are bought in Tesco at night on the top shelf by mums and dads only."

The survey also reveals the common age for parents to tell their children the truth about reproduction is 10 years old.

It also shows that parents find moral questions about God and religion hard to answer.

When asked "where do you go when you die?" four in ten parents told their children they go to either heaven or hell, with 25 per cent of parents saying that "you become an angel".

Meanwhile, one in six parents refuse to give their children a spiritual answer by telling them dead people are buried or cremated.

Other morally difficult questions included "why do people kill each other?", "why are some people born with disabilities?" and "why are people gay?".

The study reveals that modern day parents are increasingly turning to the internet to answer difficult questions from their children -56 per cent said they use the web.

One in ten parents admit to making up the answers as they feel too embarrassed to be shown up academically.

Four in ten parents confess to feeling inadequate when they don't know an answer and 63 per cent answer on a whim even if they think the answer may be wrong.

The survey was commissioned by the makers of a new TV programme What Do Kids Know?, to be broadcast on digital channel Watch on Sunday (Jan 10).

For the complete article, please click on "external source."

Labels: children, Internet, Lucy Cockcroft, parents, questions

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Mary Daly, a Leader in Feminist Theology, Dies at 81

By MARGALIT FOX
Published: January 6, 2010

Mary Daly, a prominent feminist theologian who made worldwide headlines a decade ago after she retired from Boston College rather than admit men to some of her classes, died on Sunday in Gardner, Mass. She was 81 and had lived for many years in Newton Centre, Mass.
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Christopher Pfuhl/Associated Press

Mary Daly in 1999, shortly before she left Boston College.

A friend, Linda Barufaldi, confirmed the death, saying Professor Daly had been in declining health recently.

A self-described “radical lesbian feminist,” Professor Daly maintained a long, often uneasy relationship with Boston College, the Jesuit institution where she had taught theology since the 1960s.

In 1999, Professor Daly left the college after a male student threatened suit when he was denied a place in her class on feminist ethics. She had long limited enrollment in some advanced women’s studies classes to women only, maintaining that the presence of men there would inhibit frank discussion.

Professor Daly did let men enroll in her introductory feminism courses and offered to tutor them privately in the advanced subjects.

Among the first American women to train as a Roman Catholic theologian, Professor Daly challenged orthodoxies from the start. She came to wide attention in 1968 with the publication of “The Church and the Second Sex” (Harper & Row), in which she argued that the Catholic Church had systematically oppressed women for centuries.

Her next book, “Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation” (Beacon, 1973), explored misogyny in religion in general.

Please click on "external source" for the complete article

Labels: feminism, Margalit Fox, Mary Daly, obituary, theology

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This Emotional Life: Why Does Religion Make People Happier?

By Therese J. Borchard

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This Emotional Life: Why Does Religion Make People Happier?Harvard psychologist and bestselling author Daniel Gilbert has teamed up with Vulcan Productions and the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit to create a multimedia project called This Emotional Life .

This 3-part documentary ends tonight on PBS. Featured in the third episode is Dr. Edward Diener, who has studied happiness across cultures and has pinpointed some universal reasons that people are happier. One is religion. I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Diener.

Question: Why does religion seem to make people happier?

Dr. Diener: Many studies find that religious people on average are happier. But since not all religious people are happier, and not all religious beliefs seem to lead to happiness, we have to search for the “active ingredient” in what aspect of religion might increase feelings of well-being. In our book on happiness, my son and I argue that one key ingredient is positive spirituality, feeling emotions such as love, awe, wonder, respect, and gratitude that connect us to others and to things larger than ourselves. That is, spirituality can focus us on larger causes than our own personal welfare, and this can give us purpose and meaning. Also, this broader focus on others and purpose can help us quit worrying so much about ourselves. And it can help us connect to others.

Please see "external source" for the complete interview

Labels: Daniel Gilbert, happiness, religion, Therese J. Borchard

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Pope calls for peace in 2010

1/4/2010

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI on Friday called for respect of all people without discrimination and the protection of children from war and violence as he celebrated the start of the new year.

Jan. 1 is also the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, and the pontiff issued an appeal to all armed groups to "stop, reflect and abandon the way of violence," even if it seems impossible.

"You will feel in your hearts the joy of peace, which you have perhaps long forgotten," Benedict said during the Angelus prayer.

He said peace begins by recognizing that men are brothers, not rivals or enemies.

"Peace begins with a look of respect that recognizes in another man's face a person, regardless of the color of his skin, nationality, language or religion," he said during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica earlier in the day.

The value of respect for all should be taught from an early age, Benedict said. Noting that classes containing children of different backgrounds are common, he said that "their faces are a prophecy of the kind of humanity we are called upon to create: a family of families and peoples."

Labels: children, family, peace, Pope Benedict XVI, war

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Television program profiles friendships between Muslims, Baptists

By Bob Allen
Monday, January 04, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) -- One thing Muslims and Baptists have in common is that they are often identified by their extremists, according to a documentary airing on ABC television stations in January and February.

"Different Books, Common Word" offers an alternative message to both violence by Muslim terrorists around the world and demonizing of Islam by evangelicals in the United States.

The hour-long documentary, produced by a Baptist organization in partnership with the Islamic Society of North America and the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, instead tells stories of individual Baptists and Muslims motivated to reach out to each other by the mandate of love for neighbor taught by both faiths.

The Baptist Center for Ethics, a free-standing partner organization of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, released the video under the aegis of its website, EthicsDaily.com.

"We hope the documentary provides positive narratives for relationships between Baptists and Muslims, narratives that begin to challenge the negative narratives that dominate American culture," said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics. He co-produced the movie with EthicsDaily.com's managing editor and media producer, Cliff Vaughn.

Shooting for the video began last January when Parham was invited to Boston for a meeting of about 80 Baptist and Muslim leaders from across the country to discuss repairing a relationship marred by comments from high-profile Baptist leaders portraying Islam as a religion of hate.

Filming lasted through June, featuring interviews with Baptists and Muslims interacting in unlikely places like Columbia, Tenn., where an Islamic center was firebombed in 2008, and the Texas-Louisiana state line, where a Muslim businesswoman and African-American Baptist pastor worked together for hurricane relief.

"Viewers will be surprised to see new stories of respect and partnership that are emerging in the United States between goodwill Muslims and Baptists," said Parham, a former ethicist with the Southern Baptist Convention Christian Life Commission who founded the Nashville, Tenn.,-based Baptist Center for Ethics in 1991. "We hope these stories will begin to replace the negative ones about both Muslims and Baptists."

Please click on "external source" for the complete article.

Labels: Baptist, Bob Allen, extremism, interfaith, Muslims

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Bar mitzvahs without God

Jan 3, 2010
By SUE FISHKOFF

When Mark Neuman celebrated his bar mitzvah seven years ago at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture in Vancouver, B.C., he didn't read from Torah, wear a yarmulke or pronounce Hebrew blessings. He gave a talk on the psychology of Jewish humor.
Secular families demonstrate...

Secular families demonstrate in support of J'lem Mayor Nir Barkat over the opening of a parking lot on Shabbat.
Photo: Eyal Ackerman

His brother Ben's bar mitzvah "portion" was a report on their grandfather's escape from Nazi-occupied Poland.

That's typical in the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations, a loose-knit group of some two dozen North American communities that emphasize Jewish history and culture while eschewing Jewish ritual, faith and anything that smacks of a deity.

In contrast to the better known Society for Humanistic Judaism, founded in 1963 by the late Rabbi Sherwin Wine, Secular Jewish communities are lay led and emphasize Yiddish rather than Hebrew. But the philosophy and beliefs of both groups are quite similar.

"I feel Jewish," says Mark, now 20 and a teacher at the Peretz school. "To me that means upholding the culture. It's about the history, the Holocaust, the holidays, the language - all these are very important to me. But I don't believe in the religious aspects."

Please click on "external source" for the complete article...

Labels: bar mitzvah, God, Jews, secular, Sue Fishkoff

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Sunday, January 03, 2010

6,000 reasons why religion still has a prayer in 2010

Jan 2 2010
by Robin Turner, Western Mail

FOR the best part of two centuries, scientists and philosophers have predicted the decline of religion in the modern world.

Indeed, falling church attendance figures in most of Europe seem to bear that prediction out.

But a Welsh university is now challenging the “secularisation theory” of social theorists such as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Max Weber and Émile Durkheim – by collecting 6,000 reasons why religion exists.

Researchers at the University of Wales in Lampeter have collected thousands of “religious experiences” that can used as a resource for students taking theology-related degrees.

And the research, particularly in places like China, is mounting a challenge to the theory that the modernisation of society would include a decline in levels of religiosity.

“Religious experience still happens and can still change lives,” said Paul Badham, the director of the university’s religious experience research centre, which marked its 40th anniversary in November. .

Prof Badham said: “Indeed, in some ways, with the decline in institutional religion, people seem more likely to have these experiences.”

Since 1969, more than 6,000 accounts have been added to the centre’s database.

The religious experience has been defined as coming from those who report “a presence or power different from everyday life, regardless of whether or not they attribute the phenomena to God”.

Please click on "external source" for this very interesting article

Labels: religion, religious experience, Robin Turner, secularization theory

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Top religion stories of the year

Top religion stories of the year
Posted January 1, 2010

President Barack Obama deserved the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, said the Norwegian Nobel Committee, because his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen ... cooperation between peoples” had created a “new climate in international politics.”

Even Obama’s fiercest admirers admitted that his best work for peace occurred at lecture podiums, where the new president offered more of the soaring, idealistic words that helped him rise to power. Nobel judges, in particular, had to be thinking about his June 4 address at Cairo University, in which he promised an era of improved relations between America and the Muslim world.

It’s crucial, he said, for Americans and Muslims to realize that their cultures “overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”

Muslims and Americans must, for example, find ways to work together to defend religious liberty.

“People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind, heart and soul,” he said.

“This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive. ... The richness of religious diversity must be upheld — whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt.

“Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together.”

The Cairo speech — which included quotes from the Koran, the Bible and the Talmud — was the year’s most important religion story, according to a poll of mainstream reporters who cover religion news.

The role of Obama’s liberal Christian faith in the White House race topped the 2008 Religion Newswriters Association poll.

Religious-liberty issues will continue to test the Obama team, as illustrated by the sobering numbers in a new “Global Restrictions on Religion” study released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

It found that citizens in a third of all nations — representing 70 percent of the world’s population — are not able to practice their religion freely, due to government policies or hostile actions taken by individuals or groups.

Among the world’s most populous nations, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan and India had the most intense restrictions on religion, especially limits on the rights of religious minorities.

The nations offering the greatest freedoms on religious practice were the United States, Brazil, Japan, Italy, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Here’s the rest of the Religion Newswriters Association top 10.

Please click on "external source" for the rest of the winners...

Labels: peace, President Obama, Terry Mattingly, top ten stories 2009

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Top Ten Evolution Creationism Stories of the Year

Top Ten Evolution Creationism Stories of the Year
Friday, January 01, 2010

Oakland CA - infoZine - Newswise - The world celebrated the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th of the publication of his On the Origin of Species. Thousands of events, conferences, speeches, parties, magazine stories, blog postings, and other commemorations were held in his honor. Darwin even got the Hollywood treatment, with the premiere of "Creation," a moving (yet accurate) film portrayal of Darwin's married life, starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.

One creationist's wobbly campaign to distribute free copies of a "special" edition of the Origin on college campuses was successfully counteracted by the NCSE and by local science groups, educators, students, and journalists across the U.S. and Canada. (The "special" part was a laughably misleading 54-page introduction by creationist Ray Comfort, who claimed, among other things, that Darwin was responsible for Hitler.)

On the legislative front, antievolution "academic freedom" bills were proposed and shot down in half a dozen states.

But it wasn't all good news. The Louisiana Science Education Act, which opens the door to creationism in the science classroom, was signed into law in late 2008--and in 2009, the state board of education adopted policies implementing the law that propped the door open. In March, the Texas Board of Education riddled the Biology and Earth and Space state science standards with loopholes that make it even easier for creationists to attack science textbooks. And the public's understanding and acceptance of evolution continues to be discouraging. Local, national, and even international polls show that many people--often the majority of people surveyed--believe in creationism or believe that evolution is not well supported by evidence.

Our top ten evolution/creationism stories for 2009:

Please click on "external source" to see who made the list...

Labels: creationism, evolution

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Decade in review: Scandal, conflict in religion

Decade in review: Scandal, conflict in religion

The decade's religious news featured scandal, conflict, new leaders and a new statistical portrait of American religiosity — or lack of it:

Please click on "external source." This page will provide you with numerous links to follow regarding the most important stories of the decade past.

Labels: conflict, priest sex scandal, religiosity

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Barna's year-end wrap: Relativism on the upswing

Allie Martin
12/31/2009

Throughout the past year, the Barna Group has interviewed thousands of pastors on a variety of topics. Now the research group has released a survey focusing on the top themes regarding religion in 2009 and revealing the most prevalent finding: Americans are more interested in faith and spirituality than they are in Christianity.

Another trend the research group discovered through the study is that Americans increasingly want to shape their own faith experience -- what he calls "concoct[ing] a uniquely personal brand of faith."

The study further revealed that only one-third of Americans believe in absolute moral truth. "Pragmatism and relativism, rather than any sort of absolutism, has gained momentum," he concludes.

Please click on "external source," where you can access the entire survey - very interesting.

Labels: Barna Group, faith, relativism, religion, spirituality

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