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House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has convened a group of Democratic lawmakers to develop a faith agenda for the party. Is this a case of Democrats letting someone else define their agenda or is this a pretty shrewd move toward 2008?

Many of us are praying for the Pope, whose health has been frail and who is expected to spend a few days in the hospital. He is expected to improve.
Many of you in the Triad have had the opportunity to meet the Pope or to see him at public gatherings.
What are your personal stories or vivid recollections of this Pope?

The Archdiocese of Detroit says it canceled a church's plan to honor a nun on parish premises, saying her gay outreach is incompatible with Roman Catholic teaching. The reception was instead held at a theater -- "What is so harmful about having cookies and punch after a film that brings people the knowledge that the church is bringing ministry to lesbian and gay people?" Sister Jeannine Gramick asks.

A Virginia legislator has authored a bill (requires registering at Washingtonpost.com) that would allow congregations to pull out of their denominations and keep church property. The legislator, an Episcopalian, is in a congregation that has talked of pulling out of the Episcopal Church USA, where tensions have run high since the church confirmed its first openly gay bishop in 2003. Opponents say it would be an unconstitutional intrusion by government while the legislator says it would help distance the government from court disputes.
What do you think?

The Rev. William Willimon, former dean of the divinity school at Duke University, was recently named a bishop in the United Methodist Church. In 1996, he was named one of the 12 most revered preachers in the world, along with the Rev. Billy Graham -- making Newsweek Magazine's "A Preachers' Hall of Fame."

Who do we have who's any good in our local houses of worship?

A judge declared today that a law banning same-sex marriage violates the state constitution, a first-of-its-kind ruling in New York that would clear the way for gay couples to wed if it survives on appeal.

The judge noted that one plaintiff is the son of an interracial couple who moved to California in 1966 to marry. She said California then was the only state whose courts had ruled that interracial marriage prohibitions were unconstitutional.

The buzz among Quakers is Philip Gulley and James Mulholland's book on universalism -- "If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person."

The two Quaker pastors from Indiana (in the Triad Feb. 26 & Feb. 27, including a book signing at Barnes & Noble) argue that, if we take grace seriously, and the parable of the Good Shepherd, then God will pursues everyone until they are safely home.

How does this stack up with your faith beliefs?

What you are about to read is a statement from SNAP, the
"Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests." The statement applauds the guilty verdict given Father Paul Shanley for having molested/raped children under his spiritual care. He is old and frail now and, if given a prison sentence, will likely die in jail.
Is there a place for forgiveness here?

You've probably seen the "Pancake Supper" church signs all around town today. Today is Shrove Tuesday, the precursor to Lent (the 40 days before Easter, during which Christians typically give up something as a spiritual exercise) and Ash Wednesday.

It all ties together, of course. Here's an easy explanation of how, from the Rev. Ken Kroohs, rector of St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in High Point:

I read an interesting commentary on BlackAmericaWeb.com this morning about Abraham Kennard a preacher who said he was building luxury Christian resorts (anybody remember Jim Bakker) and apparently persuaded 1,600 small black churches and their congregants to invest, raising millions of dollars in investment capital. He told them, apparently, they would get their money back many times over. Kennard has since been convicted on charges ranging from money laundering to theft.

Was it greed on the part of investors that helped Kennard's deception? Or did they think they were investing in the saving of souls? There are more ways than one to save souls. Personally, I think they could have done more good helping to tackle some of the problems in their communities than investing in Christian resorts. But that may be too pragmatic and not spiritual enough. How do you decide to spend money designated for "the church?"

Will there be cloned babies in the kindergarten class of 2015? The creator of Dolly the Sheep has been given a license to clone human embryos for medical research into the cause of motor neuron disease. Dolly, you remember, died relatively young. The new experiments do not involve creating cloned babies -- but is that far behind? And is it necessarily a bad thing?

A public official talking religion and values? Happens all the time. So, why does it feel unusual that Register of Deeds Jeff Thigpen is blogging about it? Maybe because he's attempting to address the use of values and morals to divide us? And maybe because he's urging the bloggers to tackle the topic? His is an interesting site, chock full of values talk -- how public debate reached a new moral "low" with the "assault" on beloved cartoon characters and a piece on the moral challenges facing Democrats. Weigh in, here or there.

I was awakened to my roommate 'tussling' on the top bunk bed. Only she wasn't alone. I got up from the bottom bunk, walked toward the door of our postage-stamp dorm room in the darkness, and without looking back, yelled loudly, 'When I get back, one of you had better not be here, and if the other is smart, she won't be here either.' By the time I came back from the suite's bathroom, they'd both gotten out.
That was more than a decade ago, but I thought of my Morrison Dorm memories and the rude awakening while reading about the unprecedented surge of growth and interest in religious schools, where nearly all forbid or discourage premarital sex or even holding hands, and others ban such staples as televisions in student rooms.
Graduates include doctors, lawyers, etc. -- not just sons or daughters headed into ministry.
If you attended or attend a religious college, fill the rest of us in on what's going on.

"I don't need no shoes no way," Adriann Lewis shouted into the microphone as a heel broke on one shoe and she kicked off the other, praise dancing across the stage.

It was on.

In the audience, thousands of people were literally jumping out of their chairs, running down the aisles and 'shouting' (physically the shuffling of feet) until they ran out of breath. The aisles were swollen with women pressing to get to the stage.

This isn't your normal Sunday service.

This was "Sisters in the Spirit" at church in the Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday. And today, you've got to indulge my love of gospel music and the ministry surrounding it -- and my awe at what I saw.

Lux et Umbra gives me a gentle smackdown for not writing about religions other than Christianity. Fair enough. As I've tried to learn the art of blogging, I decided to stick with some of what I know best. I'll start branching out even more. One point, though. It hasn't only been Christian topics. Half of my posts have been about the more universal values and ethics, allowing readers to comment as their particular faith directs them. Most of those involving the Christian faith have been snatched from the news headlines.
As readers you know so much more about what's going on in your houses of worship. I'm here. I've been actively seeking out people of various faiths. Let me know of what's going on so much more of Greensboro can be included in my blog.

An Iraqi-born doctor has been convicted of operating an unlicensed charity that illegally sent money to Iraq. Defense lawyers said Dr. Rafil Dhafir was targeted because of his religion and ethnicity -- with supporters left wondering whether any Muslim can get a fair trial in the United States following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Forget Boston, what about here?

On the one hand, we're an open community with a history as a melting pot. On the other, we do have the history of the Klan-Nazi shooting being examined by the Truth and Reconciliation folks. I would like to think a minority, racial or otherwise, could get a fair trial here, although some are questioning the treatment of attorney Manlin Chee. What do you think?

This just in: ROME (AP) -- Worried about the lure of the devil, a Vatican-linked university on Thursday debuted its latest course offering: a class on Satanism, black magic and exorcism.

The class for clergy and seminarians at Rome's Pontifical Academy "Regina Apostolorum" arose from alarm about what some religious officials see as Satanic practices among young people, especially in Italy. In 1999, the Vatican issued its first new guidelines since 1614 for driving out devils, offering cautions to exorcists about taking psychiatric problems into account.

An updated exorcism rite in 1999 was a reflection of Pope John Paul II's efforts to convince the skeptical that the devil is very much in the world.

Others aren't so sure.

What's YOUR take on the source and nature of evil?

I had taken the drive down East Market Street to the wooded area more times than I wanted to count. I was looking for a prostitute who was supposed to be the best friend of another prostitute found dead in a Dumpster. I wanted to give up -- my editor wouldn't let me. I never found the woman I was looking for, but with the encouragement of my editor in that and other aspects of the reporting and writing, I ended up with an award-winning story.
This has nothing to do with religion and faith and all to do with my congratulating my former boss, News & Record Life editor Susan Ladd, on winning the Carl Bell Award for the best in newspaper editing (that's making what we reporters write readable) for the third year in a row.
Go Susan!
Of course, I'm extremely lucky because my new editor, Betsi Robinson, is just as capable.
Now, onto religion and faith...

A colleague, Ken Garfield, religion editor at The Charlotte Observer, brings an interesting perspective to the Christian observance of Lent, a time of soul-searching and reflection commemorating the 40 Days Jesus spent wandering in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry.

Garfield says while there are lots of Christians who live the faith they proclaim...there are others who, and to just say it bluntly, are hypocrites. They preach one thing and practice another.

Ronald Sider, a theology professor, wrote "Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience." Christians, he says, say they believe in biblical moral standards and the power of God to transform lives, yet recent surveys show that most are not living any differently than the rest of the world.

Interesting facts culled by Garfield:

Only 6 percent of adults who call themselves born-again Christians tithe.

A fourth of born-again Christians have lived out of wedlock with a member of the opposite sex.

At 17 percent, white Baptists and evangelicals were among the most likely to object to having black neighbors.

"If Christians do not live what they preach," Sider says, "the whole thing is a farce."

Here's Garfield's hope for Lent:

That Christians will go beyond the annual routine and ask themselves if they're really living like Christians, then do something about it if the answer is, "No."

Here's his fear for Lent:

That they won't.

Everyday...everyday I find something that leaves me scratching my head. You've got to read the story yourself. But suffice it to say, a man is claiming emotional distress because a woman "used" him to get pregnant without his knowledge or approval, and two years later is suing him for child support.

The man says he has "feelings of being trapped in a nightmare." The woman's attorney says it was not a crime.

If it happened the way he said it happened -- you have to read the story -- then I can see how he would be upset. It's the same kind of resentment that I've been reading about recently, when boyfriends/husbands who find out after the fact that a child they assumed to be theirs wasn't. When the men sued to stop child support payments, the courts sided against them, requiring the payments to continue, regardless.

These issues are always sticky when a child is involved -- when you get back at the custodial parent, the one who gets hurt is the child. The child still has to eat, may need braces and if she gets into the college of his or her choice, will need his help.

I would hope that after the anger subsides, he would do right by the child by helping to support her, regardless of the circumstances. What the mother did was immoral, but it's his blood, too.

You're ordering at Chick Fil'A and you realize you don't have enough cash to pay the bill (this one doesn't accept credit cards yet). It's cold outside and you will have to run to a nearby ATM, and possibly pay a $2 surcharge for a $10 meal for you and your child. The manager, who sees you there all the time, is about to reach in her own pocket and pay the difference. You can pay her the next time you come in.

This happened to me recently and the gesture gave me a reason to smile.

Has anyone done anything nice or out of the ordinary for you lately?

Am I wrong here or is swatting a fly going to be inhumane with the PETA folks?

PETA went undercover to watch schechita -- Jewish ritual slaughter of animals -- and then delivered video to major media outlets showing what it thought was cruelty to animals. There is some debate about whether what was considered 'torture' was actually necessary in keeping kosher in the Jewish faith. Some say that despite the look of it, the method PETA had a problem with is more humane because the animal dies rather quickly. Jewish groups are looking into it as well.

What I don't get is a humane death verses an inhumane death when we're talking about a cow that will be steak on somebody's plate real soon -- whether it be from Wolfgang Puck or daddy manning the grill.

Should we get all upset about the way an animal is slaughtered as long as it's sanitary -- I mean, is there really a nice way to kill an animal for food?