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"It has drawn this community together in an act of generosity like I've never seen before," said Terry Moore-Painter, a chaplain at the Moses Cone Regional Cancer Center, where Alice was initially treated. "I think just the fact that so many people who didn't know Alice were so moved by her story to support her ... that's a tremendous thing."
Would dismissing the ticket on humanitarian grounds be such a bad thing?
"Thou shalt have no gods before me ... except for MasterCard, Visa and American Express."
Is atheism smarter than religion -- or is it that atheism is less complicated?
"It's an amazingly exhausting job being Muslim in America these days because we're always on," said Napha Phyukal Quach, a member of the Al-Fatiha Islamic Center in Azusa.
Do you get the joke?
seeing thousands of people dying before our eyes. What strikes you about this five year observance?
Something to think about, says the person who emailed this to me: "You know, the thing that struck me about this story is
that if you change the names of people and places, you
wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Iran and America. How many leaders here are constantly calling for removal of "liberal" and "secular" people from schools and the media?"
"Liberals aren't the only ones who think evangelical Christians are simpletons who have a narrow list of "morals" issues on their minds when they enter the voting booth."
A test question in one of the Bible courses in a Texas public school-- as found by the Texas Freedom Network:
Which of the following is not a proof that dinosaurs lived after the Flood?
a. cave paintings by early native Americans
b. dinosaur engravings around Bishop Bell’s tomb at Carlisle cathedral in Britain
c. Barney
d. Bible description of Leviathan
e. fossil footprints
A good idea worth emulating in pulpits everywhere.
Karen Armstrong on the Pope and Islam (click on no for the error message).
Is this really going on in '06 -- the kidnapping and planned forced abortion part, I mean.
From the folks behind "Temptation Island" comes a potentially lucrative pitch to people of faith.
A local man walks his faith.
And you thought the big news out of the United Nations meeting would have to do with world affairs -- not the proclamation that the devil rides Air Force One.
Read here.
"They hope to fight the perception that Islam and its followers, particularly those in America, approve of violence and destruction."
Happy New Year! A blessed messy life at Rosh Hashana.
"More controversy over the film erupted last week when the Rev. Ted Haggard — whose constituency at the National Assn. of Evangelicals is 30 million strong — took a public stance against it, claiming that the film makes evangelicals look "scary."
ROME — Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, a provocative African prelate known for exorcisms, mass healing ceremonies and temporarily breaking with the church to marry a Korean acupuncturist, was excommunicated Tuesday by the Vatican.
Would you join a 'faith club?'
KERNERSVILLE - Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School received word this week that the school has been named one of the nation’s top 50 Catholic high schools by the National Catholic High School Honor Roll. There are currently more than l300 Catholic high schools in the U.S., according to the school's press release.
The Honor Roll, established in 2004, provides important recognition to schools which it judges to be exemplary for their effectiveness at preparing students to actively and effectively engage the world. Cited for their high academic standards, their Catholic identity, and their exceptional programs in civic and economics education, the 50 schools named each year are deemed to be leaders in the academic and spiritual formation of youth.
George Repass, Principal of Bishop McGuinness observed, "Recognition given to us by the Catholic High School Honor Roll as one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the U.S. is an extraordinary honor and a wonderful recognition of the parts played by teachers, staff, students, parents, and board in building and sustaining a program of exceptional quality. This recognition of out pursuit of excellence is an exciting moment in the history of our school and our diocese."
He has spiced his entries with "lol," Internet slang for "laughing out loud," posted snapshots of himself pointing at a roadside pizza stand and checking his cellphone for voice mail, and written about the warm soda he downed in a cheap Italian restaurant.
Launching his blog on a trip to Rome, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley sounds at times more like a college student making his first trip to Europe than a prince of the church. Jokey and informal, the archbishop of Boston is trying his best to reach out to a generation of Catholics hooked on e-mail, instant messaging, and MySpace, the Boston Globe reports.
"We stopped at what I call an 'Italian Howard Johnson's' which is sort a combination of Wal-Mart and Papa Ginos all wrapped up in one ... lol ..." O'Malley wrote Saturday. "We had some very good pizza and sort of tepid coca cola, because ice is not a big feature of life in Europe."
Blogging the Bible.
Is this going too far -- or is it the world we now live in?
Louis Farrakhan, saying he's ill,turns leadership of the Nation of Islam over to his executive board.
Here's today's Five on Faith question:
Do you think everyone has a soul-mate, someone handpicked by God?
Here's one point of view:
"I think not. The closest thing that I can recall in the Bible is the mention of a "help-meet." I don't recall God promising a soul-mate so why would God hand-pick something not promised. I recall the mentioning of when a man finds a wife he has found a good thing, but still no hand-picked soul-mate. The term soul-mate is from the viewpoint of romanticism. Since romance is associated with love and God is love, then the term soul-mate got mixed-up in religion. You know with all the church ceremonial ritual stuff, then the romantic horse & buggy ride to the reception followed by the sobering ride home from divorce court. If I'm not mistaken God is a God of choice. We can choose to put God first in our lives and marriages or just let the lawyers figure it out for us. Husbands, Wives pray for each other. Soul-mate?"
Eric F. Bowden,
Greensboro
Here's today's Five on Faith question:
Do you think everyone has a soul-mate, someone handpicked by God?
Here's one point of view:
"I think not. The closest thing that I can recall in the Bible is the mention of a "help-meet." I don't recall God promising a soul-mate so why would God hand-pick something not promised. I recall the mentioning of when a man finds a wife he has found a good thing, but still no hand-picked soul-mate. The term soul-mate is from the viewpoint of romanticism. Since romance is associated with love and God is love, then the term soul-mate got mixed-up in religion. You know with all the church ceremonial ritual stuff, then the romantic horse & buggy ride to the reception followed by the sobering ride home from divorce court. If I'm not mistaken God is a God of choice. We can choose to put God first in our lives and marriages or just let the lawyers figure it out for us. Husbands, Wives pray for each other. Soul-mate?"
Eric F. Bowden,
Greensboro