Religion News

Getting past our hysteria over Islam Toronto Star Eighteen months ago, the Pope spoke negatively about Islam, and got into trouble with Muslims.

Five Anglican Primates, four from Africa and one from south America, have publicized their intentions to boycott the 2008 Lambeth Conference.

Full story.

An Anglican Church of Canada official expressed dismay on Thursday after a major congregation voted to split from the national church over the issue of homosexuality.

“I believe God has chosen Mike for such an hour, and I believe of all those running Mike Huckabee will listen to God.”

Southern Baptist pastor Wiley Drake said Wednesday that he is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service for his endorsement of GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee in a press release written on ... via Press of Atlantic City

Haredi gays: Accept us as part of Orthodox After establishing first website, ultra-Orthodox gays appeal in letter written to religious leadership, 'Accept us as a living, viable part of ultra-Orthodox society' ...

At a gathering in Atlanta of Baptists trying to mend fences and join hands, there was preaching by blacks and whites, scripture readings by women and men, and music by African-American and Hispanic groups.

A concrete slab is all that remains of Arkansas pastor Kyle Blanton's home after an EF-4 tornado leveled the parsonage as he and his family huddled together inside.

LONDON * Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams defended his right to raise sensitive issues such as Islamic law in Britain but said yesterday that his handling of the matter may have been clumsy and ... via The Peninsula

Christian saints don't make the cover of gay magazines every day - even less so in a slick of baby oil and a pair of Calvins. This is St Sebastian we're talking about here . . .

“Anonymous". Anonymous are a loose collection of internet users, including some hackers, who declared "war”

I might just like these guys : DOZENS of protests against the Church of Scientology across the US, Canada and Western Europe are planned today as part of a campaign organised by the internet group "Anonymous". ... via DogfightAtBankstown

Forgive the stark clarity of my headline, but sometimes when writing about the Archbishop of Canterbury, clarity is what is needed.

I ask this of readers here, because this is the question put to me time after time this afternoon by incredulous commentators of every variety, stunned into blunt expression by the Archbishop of Canterbury's uncharacteristically clear comments on Sharia in Britain. The Archbishop believes adopting aspects of sharia law into British law would help maintain social cohesion.

TruthWinsOut.org said Ted Haggard's inability to go from gay to straight was no surprise and indicative of these failed programs.

Full story.

' An Internet-based group called "Anonymous" is hitting the streets Sunday, incensed by what it calls the Church of Scientology's suppression of freedom of speech.

A low-key bishop described as an "enlightened conservative" was chosen by senior clergy yesterday to lead Greece's powerful Orthodox Church.

A Bishop has been ordered to undergo equal opportunities training and to pay a gay youth worker nearly $100,000 for refusing him a job because of his sexuality.

GodTube.com: Jesus 2.0 Has Arrived Chris Wyatt bears many marks of the Internet Generation.

More.

http://religion.gaynewsblog.net/2008/02/godtubecom-jesus-20-has-arrived.html

It isn't just People's Party leader Mariano Rajoy who's running against Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Spain's Catholic bishops, angered by the prime minister's decisions to legalize gay marriage and speed divorce procedures, are targeting his re-election effort with messages urging their flock to use the March 9 election to overturn what they call ``seriously unjust'' policies.

While the Spanish clergy has released moral-guidance notes in most elections since Spain became a democracy in 1978, it has never before so pointedly targeted a candidate. More.

A senior bishop appears to have performed a complete U-turn by suggesting the Bible might sanction same-sex relationships. Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones, claims in a new book that the bond between Jesus and John the Disciple, as well between David and Jonathan, are possible examples of close relationships between two men.

Last week the religious organization HOD (an acronym for religious gays in Hebrew) launched what they described as the “first independent website run by and intended for the gay and lesbian religious community.” This new website is far from being stereotypically ‘gay’: alongside kippa clad figures under a bright sky painted in the colors of the ‘gay pride’ flag, the site also features articles on halachic issues as well as a page on the weekly Torah portion. Like many other sites, the HOD site also allows for some virtual Q&A. “Users can contact Rabbi R. regarding halachic concerns either by telephone or through the following link,” states the website.

The so-called "evangelical vote," often cited by media analysts as a crucial constituency in securing the Republican nomination, is likely to exercise considerably less influence this cycle.