LAPORTE, Ind. (AP) - Belonging to a church that noticed her
absence may have saved the life of an 87-year-old Indiana woman.
Police say Wilmetta Spier apparently fell into the attic joists
at her home and became stuck.
She was trapped there for several days. But friends called
police after Spier missed services at her LaPorte church and later
failed to show up for a church function.
Police say paramedics found her lying on her back in the attic,
suffering from severe dehydration and a broken arm. She was
admitted to LaPorte Hospital.
Spier's pastor said she was alert when he visited her Sunday and
a church secretary said Spier is in good condition.
CHARLOTTE, N. C. (AP) - People who've been blessed by the
Reverend Billy Graham's ministry are being invited to tell him
their stories and wish him a happy birthday.
The evangelist will be 90 years old one month from today, on
November 7th.
Ken Barun of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association says
birthday wishes and testimonies that are sent to the ministry's Web
site by November 1st will be gathered into a book and presented to
Graham in early November.
Barun says the ailing evangelist is losing his sight and
hearing, but is alert and well enough to have spoken for about 15
minutes last month at a picnic for ministry staffers.
SUPREME COURT (AP) - The Supreme Court has refused to consider a
murder case in which a jury foreman read Bible passages to hold-out
jurors who subsequently voted to impose the death penalty.
Without comment, the justices declined to consider whether the
jury foreman's conduct violated the rights of a man convicted in
the shotgun slayings of three neighbors at their home in 2003.
During deliberations, the foreman read aloud from Romans 13:1-6,
which states that everyone must submit to authority and that those
who do wrong should be afraid, for a ruler is "God's servant, an
agent of wrath to bring punishment to the wrongdoer. "
A Texas jury took about five hours to decide on the death
penalty. The two jurors who switched their votes said the reading
of the scripture and its content had no impact on their votes.
WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 1,000 Christian lawyers, judges, law
students and professors from 110 nations are meeting in Washington
this week, just blocks from the Supreme Court and Capitol.
The Christian Lawyer Global Convocation is focusing on issues
ranging from protecting life, the family and religious liberty to
defending the poor and working for peace and reconciliation.
Christian Legal Society chief Sam Casey says some lawyers who
had planned to attend are dealing with those issues back home in
India, where Hindu mobs have killed dozens of Christians, driven
thousands from their homes and burned down homes and churches.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict says the global financial
crisis shows the futility of money and earthly ambition.
Speaking Monday as he opened a meeting of 253 bishops at the
Vatican, Benedict said, "With the collapse of big banks we see
that money disappears, is nothing, and all these things that appear
real are in fact of secondary importance. "
He advised those who build their lives "only on things that are
visible, such as success, career, money" to keep that in mind.
Benedict said, "The only solid reality is the word of God. "
WASHINGTON (AP) - Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts
Schori says the Diocese of Pittsburgh probably won't be
the last to vote to leave the U. S. branch of the world Anglican
Communion.
But she told a forum at Washington National Cathedral that she
considers Pittsburgh's secession to join with more conservative
Anglicans in South America to be a violation of church law.
The Diocese of San Joaquin , California, had
previously quit the Episcopal Church, and dioceses based in Quincy,
Illinois, and Fort Worth, Texas, are set to vote next month on
leaving.
Conservative Episcopalians object to the denomination condoning
homosexuality, a position highlighted by the 2003 consecration of
the openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
But Jefferts Schori said that issue is less important to God
than helping the poor.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Christian movie "Fireproof" has had a
second good weekend at the box office.
The movie starring Kirk Cameron as a firefighter who turns to
God to save his marriage was the eighth-most-popular film,
according to studio estimates.
Media By Numbers says "Fireproof" earned more than 4 million
dollars this past weekend -- almost as much as number 7 "Burn
After Reading," and more than the anti-religious film
"Religulous", which ranked tenth in ticket
sales.
The weekend's most popular films were "Beverly Hills
Chihuahua" and "Eagle Eye. "
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Mormon church president Thomas Monson says
the church will build a temple in Rome, the home of the Roman
Catholic Church.
The Rome temple is one of five new temples planned by The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Others will be in Calgary,
Canada; Cordoba, Argentina; Philadelphia and in the greater Kansas
City area.
Many Mormons believe that the Kansas City suburb of
Independence, Missouri, was the original site of the Garden of
Eden, and church founder Joseph Smith said it would be the center
of the New Jerusalem.
Monson's announcement came at the church's semiannual General
Conference in Salt Lake City.
He also said Mormons should avoid debt and provide for others
during the current economic upheaval.
BHUBANESHWAR, India (AP) - Maoist rebels have told a TV news
channel in India that they murdered a hard-line Hindu leader whose
death triggered deadly violence against Christians.
Hindu groups had blamed Christians for the August 24th killing
in Orissa state. They set fire to a Christian orphanage, and mobs
have attacked churches and Christian-owned shops and homes. At
least 28 people have been killed in villages across the state.
But NDTV reports that a Maoist group has claimed responsibility
for killing the Hindu religious leader and has accused the state
government of stoking tensions between Hindus and Christians.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (AP) - He may not be able to walk
on water, but when the mood strikes, Father Matthew Munoz can ride
one gnarly wave all the way into the beach.
Yesterday in Huntington Beach, California, the Roman Catholic
priest and some two dozen fellow surfers paused to thank God for
all the joy the oceans have provided them.
Then, clutching a board inlaid with an image of the Virgin of
Guadeloupe, he led his flock into the water, diving in and paddling
toward the break.
The occasion was the Blessing of the Waves, an event organized
by the Diocese of Orange.
One of the event's organizers, Father Christian Mondor, helped
kick off the proceedings by thanking God -- or "The Big Kahuna,"
as he also addressed him -- for righteous waves.
BISMARCK, N. D. (AP) - First lady Laura Bush has paid a visit to
a historic church in North Dakota.
The Sims Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Church southwest of
Bismarck is believed to be the oldest Lutheran church west of the
Missouri River.
The congregation of the 124-year-old church got money through
the Save America's Treasures program, chaired by the first lady,
for a restoration project.
Bush took a tour Thursday and met with people at a potluck
lunch. She called the church's restoration "a very sweet story"
reflecting the values that make America strong.
The Sims church averages about 50 people in the pews each
Sunday, and many of its members are descendants of the Norwegian
immigrants who built the church in the 1800s.
OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) - A second couple who belong to an Oregon
church that practices faith healing has been indicted on criminal
charges after the death of a child.
A Clackamas County grand jury has charged Jeffrey Dean and Marci
Rae Beagley with criminally negligent homicide in the death of
their 16-year-old son, who died from a treatable condition.
The Beagleys belong to Followers of Christ Church in Oregon
City, along with Raylene and Carl Brent Worthington, who were
indicted on manslaughter charges for the March death of their
15-month-old daughter.
The Oregon Legislature in 1999 eliminated a "spiritual
healing" defense, allowing prosecutors to charge parents if the
death of their child could have been prevented by a doctor.
NEW DELHI (AP) - Thousands of Indian Christians have marched in
New Delhi to demand protection from attacks by Hindu mobs.
The attacks by Hindu hard-liners in several Indian states have
left dozens of Christians dead, their churches destroyed and
thousands homeless.
Father Dominic Emmanuel of Delhi Catholic Church said Christians
"are being forcefully converted to Hinduism" by extremists. He
urged India's president to take control of states where "there
seems to be absolutely no law. "
Thursday marked the birthday of Indian pacifist Mohandas Gandhi,
who was gunned down 60 years ago by a Hindu extremist. The
Christians walked to his memorial to recall his vision of Indians
from all religions living together in peace.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - For Episcopalians in Pennsylvania this
weekend, the focus will be on repenting for slavery and weighing
secession.
Today and tomorrow, Episcopalians are gathering in Philadelphia
to apologize for the church's past support for the institution of
slavery. One of the leaders of the Day of Repentance is the
Reverend Harold Lewis, the African American rector of Calvary
Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh.
On Saturday, his fellow Episcopalians in the Pittsburgh diocese
will vote on whether to leave the Episcopal Church over doctrinal
disagreements and join with conservative Anglicans in South
America.
Lewis considers that secession illegal, arguing that while
individual Episcopalians can quit the church, departing
congregations and dioceses cannot retain ownership of church
buildings and other property.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The Reverend John Hagee, pastor of San
Antonio's Cornerstone Church and founder of Christians United for
Israel, is recovering from open heart surgery.
Christians United for Israel executive director David Berg says
the three-hour successful procedure was done Thursday at a San
Antonio hospital, and the 68-year-old Hagee is expected to return
to work later this month. Church spokesman Juda Engelmayer says a
routine checkup revealed a need for the surgery.
Engelmayer told the San Antonio Express-News that Hagee's
30-year-old son, associate pastor Matt Hagee, will take over church
operations while his father recovers.
Early this year, Hagee endorsed John McCain for president -- an
endorsement McCain rejected after an old recording surfaced in
which Hagee suggested God used Hitler to move Jews back to the
promised land.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The nation's largest Protestant
denomination says a woman should not lead a church or a marriage.
But prominent Southern Baptists see nothing wrong with Sarah Palin
serving as vice president, or perhaps even commander-in-chief
someday.
The denomination is guided by The Baptist Faith and Message,
which states among other things that "The office of pastor is
limited to men," and a wife should "submit herself graciously"
to her husband.
But Southern Baptist leaders argue that Palin's potential work
as vice president or even president would be separate from her
family life with her husband, Todd, and their children.
The Reverend Richard Land, who heads the denomination's public
policy arm, says "We don't go beyond where the New Testament goes.
Public office is neither a church nor a marriage. "
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - The Constitution Party candidate for
president says John McCain and Barack Obama have shown they're
unfit for office by voting for the 700 billion-dollar financial
bailout.
The Reverend Chuck Baldwin, a Florida pastor who's on leave
while he runs for president, says the bailout is unconstitutional,
and McCain and Obama had both sworn as senators to uphold the
Constitution.
Baldwin says the important thing isn't whether a candidate
claims to be a Christian, but whether he or she will fulfill that
oath to "defend the Constitution of the United States. "
To those who argue that a vote for the Constitution Party is
wasted, Baldwin says a wasted vote is one that's cast for a
candidate who voters know won't uphold their values.
NEW DELHI (AP) - India's prime minister is denouncing the
attacks on Christians that have swept his predominantly Hindu
country in recent weeks as "acts of national shame. "
Manmohan Singh who met with President
Bush last week at the White House, insists that India is "a
secular state" and "a multireligious, multicultural nation. "
But attacks by Hindu mobs have left dozens of people dead,
scores of churches destroyed and thousands of people homeless and
hiding in thick forests until they could make their way to safety.
Hindu hard-liners believe their nation's true religion is being
undermined by Christian missionaries willing to resort to bribery
and coercion to win converts. The missionaries deny that, but
conversion to Christianity does offer a partial escape from the
stigmas of the Hindu caste system.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A healthcare corporation faces a civil
rights lawsuit filed on behalf of a former employee who wanted to
observe a Sunday Sabbath.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says Cardinal Health
failed to accommodate Howard Thompson's religious beliefs by making
him work on Sundays.
Thompson was a driver at a Cardinal facility in Charlottesville,
Virginia.
In its federal lawsuit, the EEOC says the company wrongly fired
Thompson after refusing to modify his work schedule so he could
observe Sunday as a Sabbath day.
WASHINGTON (AP) - As parishioners pack Washington D. C. churches
every Sunday, neighbors complain that worshippers are clogging city
streets with their parked cars.
That's because many old inner city churches were built with
little or no parking space.
Area residents say many of those churches have suburban
congregants who double-park on neighborhood streets. They say that
prevents residents from moving, and swallows up the few available
parking spaces.
Some are hopeful that a measure before the D. C. Council could
help ease that weekly friction. It would allocate diagonal
residential spaces to churchgoers.
City officials previously recommended the use of private
garages, shuttle and valet services, carpooling and staggered
worship hours, but problems have continued.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - More than 31,000 Americans will have
a hand in publishing a new Bible.
Zondervan, one of the world's largest religious publishers, is
launching a cross-country tour by motor coach to mark the 30th
anniversary of its New International Version of the Bible.
The 135-day "Bible Across America" tour will give people an
opportunity to write out one Bible verse each by hand. Copies of
the handwritten Bible will then be published and sold.
Most of the verses will be handwritten by ordinary people,
although Zondervan also hopes to get verses written by President
Bush, the Reverend Billy Graham and other well-known figures.
Zondervan's president wrote the first verse of Genesis Tuesday in a
ceremony at the company's headquarters.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa man has been sentenced to 35
years in prison and ordered to pay more than 8 and a-half million
dollars in restitution for burning down a historic church.
Kevin Ravelin pleaded guilty in May to charges that included
arson and obstruction of the free exercise of religion.
The fire he set destroyed the First United Methodist Church of
Burlington, Iowa, in April 2007.
He also set fire to the First Presbyterian Church across the
street, but only minor damage was reported there.
Federal prosecutors say Ravelin set the fires because of a
long-held anti-Christian sentiment.
BHUBNESHWAR, India (AP) - Police in India's Orissa state say a
Hindu mob has attacked a Christian minister, sparking violence that
left one person dead and 12 injured.
A local officer says the minister's son retaliated by firing on
the crowd, and police then opened fire to disperse the mob, killing
a Hindu woman. He adds that the death toll could rise.
According to the state government, 28 people have died in more
than a month of religious violence, but the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of India has said at least 40 Christians have been
killed in mob attacks on churches, shops and homes.
JODHPUR, India (AP) - Thousands of pilgrims panicked by false
rumors of a bomb have stampeded at a Hindu temple in India, killing
at least 168 people in the rush to escape.
The chaos began as the doors of the temple were being opened
Tuesday for more than 12,000 people celebrating a key Hindu
festival.
Devotees had broken coconuts as religious offerings, so the
temple's floors were slick with coconut milk, causing pilgrims to
slip and fall as they scrambled to escape. Other pilgrims had
crammed a narrow path leading to the temple, leaving little room
for those fleeing to escape.
Television footage showed dozens of bodies lying on the
sidewalk, while nearby frantic people tried to revive unconscious
devotees, slapping their faces and pressing on their chests.
TORONTO (AP) - Bill Maher (mahr) has taken his crusade against
religion to the big screen.
His film "Religulous" which opens in
theaters Friday, is a documentary that mocks Christians, Jews and
Muslims. Maher finds their beliefs a rich source of comedy because,
in his words, "you're talking about a man living to 900 years old,
and drinking the blood of a 2,000-year-old god. "
In the film, Maher meets with priests at the Vatican, chats with
rabbis and Muslim scholars in Jerusalem and hangs out with the
actor who plays Jesus at the Holy Land Experience theme park in
Florida.
Maher openly scorns remarks made by the believers he interviews.
He hopes audiences will laugh with him, and that "Religulous"
will stand as a testament for people who share his scorn.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans United for Separation of Church and
State has filed complaints with the Internal Revenue Service
against six churches whose pastors either endorsed or made pointed
comments about political candidates from their pulpits Sunday in
defiance of federal tax law.
The Alliance Defense Fund orchestrated the pulpit protest to
invite IRS scrutiny and a legal fight it hopes will lead to the
restrictions being found unconstitutional.
But Rob Boston of Americans United says, "This has been tested
in the courts, the provision has been upheld, and if they go into
court they're going to lose. "
The IRS has said it will "take action as appropriate," but
does not comment on specific complaints.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The president of Aglow International says at
its weekend conference, some 2,000 women prayed outside the U. S.
Capitol for the nation, the upcoming election and the troubled
economy.
Jane Hansen Hoyt suggests that the present economic crisis was
preceded by a moral crisis, so this is a time for Americans to turn
back to God. She laments that while U. S. currency says "In God We
Trust," the next generation of Americans will be "inheriting
quite a debt. "
Aglow International is a charismatic Christian women's
organization with branches worldwide.
While Aglow doesn't endorse candidates, Hoyt says many of its
members feel a sisterly bond with Governor Sarah Palin and are
excited that she's the Republican nominee for vice president.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Hundreds of pastors have asked their
congregations to fast and pray for passage of a ballot measure that
would put an end to gay marriage in California.
The collective prayer and fasting began Wednesday and will
culminate three days before the November election in a revival for
as many as 100,000 people at the San Diego Chargers' stadium.
The Reverend Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego
County, says he expects up to 100 young adults to spend five-plus
weeks on his campus, subsisting on soup and juice.
Skyline has banded together with Roman Catholic, Mormon,
Southern Baptist, Orthodox Jewish and Seventh-Day Adventist
congregations in support of Proposition 8, which would amend
California's constitution to define marriage as a union between a
man and a woman.
BURLESON, Texas (AP) - Most of the students who sang and prayed
around their school flagpoles before class yesterday hadn't been
born when "See You At The Pole" began in 1990.
What started with a small group of believers in Burleson, Texas,
has since spread to thousands of private and public schools
nationwide, with an estimated two million students taking part.
Christian students gathered again yesterday, as they do on the
fourth Wednesday every September, to pray for themselves, their
schools and their nation.
Some said it strengthened their faith. Others said it helped
them recognize classmates whom they hadn't known were fellow
Christians.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A Virginia lawmaker accuses Governor Tim
Kaine's administration of an "attack on Christianity" for asking
State Police chaplains to offer nondenominational prayers.
A news release issued by House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith
says several Virginia troopers who serve as chaplains gave up those
roles because they can't pray at public events in Jesus' name.
Colonel Steve Flaherty, the State Police superintendent, asked
chaplains to keep their prayers ecumenical at department-sponsored
public events such as trooper graduations. The directive doesn't
apply to private venues such as funerals.
Governor Kaine, a Democrat, is a former Roman Catholic
missionary who acknowledges his faith publicly and often. His
office called Griffith's press release a political attack on the
governor's faith.
BHUBNESHWAR, India (AP) - Police in India have opened fire on a
crowd of 1,000 angry Hindus attacking a police station, killing one
person in a district wracked by a month of Hindu-Christian
violence.
The mob, most of them women, surrounded the police station in a
small town in Orissa state, demanding that police release two
locals arrested in connection with recent Hindu-Christian clashes.
Police say they tried to convince the crowd to disperse, but the
protesters pelted them with stones, injuring 12 officers. When
batons and warning shots failed to disperse the crowd, police say
they opened fire with live ammunition, killing one man and injuring
another.
In the past month Hindu mobs have attacked Christian homes and
churches in violence that's killed dozens of people and driven
thousands from their homes.
India's prime minister meets with President Bush at the White
House this afternoon.
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) - Paul McCartney, rejecting criticism
of his concert tonight in Tel Aviv, says he's carrying a message of
peace for Israel and the Palestinians.
McCartney toured the West Bank town of Bethlehem Wednesday,
visiting the Church of the Nativity, which is built over the
traditional birthplace of Jesus.
The 66-year-old former Beatle ducked into the fourth-century
church, taking pictures and lighting two candles in different parts
of the church, saying each time that they were "for peace. "
After posing for pictures with fans outside the fortress-like
church, McCartney was asked to respond to criticism from some
Palestinians that his visit to Israel supports its occupation of
the West Bank.
He said his visit to the West Bank showed he was not playing
favorites.
UNDATED (AP) - Evangelical leaders are reminding their fellow
Christians, and world leaders meeting at the U. N. , that it's the
poor who suffer the most during times of economic distress.
Megachurch co-founder Lynne Hybels says Africans who were not
hungry six months ago are now begging for food for their children.
She says American Christians should assist Third World churches and
press the U. S. government to extend foreign aid, cancel debt and
lift trade barriers.
The Reverend Sam Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic
Christian Leadership Conference, says coupling evangelism with
charity fulfills the visions of both Billy Graham and Martin Luther
King Junior.
Echoing their appeal in a conference call were leaders of the
National Association of Evangelicals and the World Evangelical
Alliance.
TONTITOWN, Ark. (AP) - A second generation Duggar family is
taking to heart the Biblical command to "be fruitful and
multiply. "
Josh Duggar, the oldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's 17
children, is getting married Friday to Anna Keller. The
20-year-olds met at a home school conference.
Keller says she plans to have as many children, in her words,
"as God gives us. "
The wedding will be held at a church in her home state of
Florida.
The couple then plans to move to Arkansas with the rest of the
Duggar family, which is still growing. Josh's mother is expecting
her 18th child in January.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A soldier who says he experienced a
religious awakening in Iraq is a step closer to being granted
conscientious objector status and an honorable discharge.
A federal judge in Alaska is siding with Private-First-Class
Michael Barnes. He had told the Army that his religious experience
two years ago left him opposed to war in any form.
Judge John Sedwich ruled that military investigators failed to
prove that Barnes' religious objections to war were insincere.
Barnes enlisted in the Army in March 2005 and arrived in Iraq in
September 2006. Soldiers in his unit testified that he devoted much
of his spare time to reading the Bible.
It's not clear if the Army will file an appeal. An Army
spokesman declined to comment.
REGINA, Saskatchewan (AP) - Officials at a Christian school in
Canada say an expelled 16-year-old student returned during chapel
Tuesday and put a pellet gun to the pastor's head.
The principal of Luther College High School in Regina,
Saskatchewan, says the gunman forced the pastor to read a letter
about his expulsion. A classmate says it was about how the expelled
student had been bullied.
Principal Mark Anderson says he got close enough to see the
weapon was only a pellet gun, and grappled it away from the teen
and held him until police arrived and arrested him.
Police recovered a pellet pistol and say no one was hurt.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Reverend Barry Lynn, who heads Americans
United for Separation of Church and State, is casting a suspicious
eye on today's prayer gatherings around school flagpoles.
Organizers predict that some two million students nationwide
will participate in today's 19th annual "See You At The Pole"
events.
Lynn says students can pray whenever they want, but warns that
public school teachers who join them may be unconstitutionally
endorsing religion. He also objects to pastors taking part.
See You At The Pole organizers say the prayer gatherings are
student-initiated and student-led, and take place outside of
instructional time.
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - In the battleground state of Virginia,
Jerry Falwell Junior is getting thousands of students registered to
vote at Liberty University, the Christian school his father
founded.
Falwell, who succeeded his evangelist father as chancellor,
believes students who register at Liberty are more likely to cast
ballots than if they had to vote absentee.
If Falwell's efforts succeed, his conservative student body
could form an important block of voters in Virginia, widely seen as
a tossup between John McCain and Barack Obama.
So far, he says more than 3,000 students have signed up,
overwhelming the voting registrar's office.
Falwell also has canceled classes on Election Day, and has
arranged for city buses to get Liberty students to the polls.
ANAHUAC, Texas (AP) - Clutching Bibles and weeping between
hymns, residents of the storm-shattered Texas coast have comforted
each other at makeshift church services.
About 50 people came together Sunday on a basketball court
outside the Oak Island Baptist Church, about a mile from the tip of
Trinity Bay. They were forced outdoors by the layer of mud left
inside their single-story church building by floodwaters that
tossed pews like matchsticks.
In Galveston, newlyweds Bobby and Pamela Quiroga sought comfort
at a Mass set up in the historic Hotel Galvez. They went to their
Roman Catholic church a week ago, but it was closed.
Similar services were held on Galveston Island and throughout
the Houston area, where power has been restored to enough residents
that schools plan to resume classes today.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio pastor says he was one of dozens
of ministers nationwide who preached Sunday on the importance of
separation of church and state.
The Reverend Eric Williams says he and other concerned pastors
oppose the Alliance Defense Fund's recruitment of ministers to
endorse or oppose candidates in sermons next Sunday.
Doing so could jeopardize churches' tax exempt status, but the
ADF hopes to end the ban on pulpit politics by defending churches
that are investigated by the Internal Revenue Service.
The ADF says its Pulpit Initiative is meant to restore
preachers' free speech rights.
But Williams, who pastors the North Congregational United Church
of Christ in Columbus, believes ministers who endorse or oppose
candidates could improperly impose their values on others.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - More than 1,200 fugitives have turned
themselves in at a Philadelphia church under an initiative designed
to clear up misdemeanor warrants and help people get on with their
lives.
About 400 offenders lined up to enter True Gospel Tabernacle on
Saturday, the last day of "Fugitive Safe Surrender. " Most were
able to surrender, arrange a new court date and go home; some were
offered probation instead of jail time.
Authorities picked a church as a surrender point because many
consider it less intimidating than a police station or courthouse.
Judges and lawyers turned the church into a courthouse for four
days, processing paperwork and entering pleas.
Philadelphia is the 11th city to offer the program, which was
started three years ago by a federal marshal in Ohio.
BROOKVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania town and a local church
are throwing the books at each other.
For the town of Brookville, the book is the law. Solicitor
Stephen French has taken the church to court for housing the
homeless in a commercial district. He says that violates borough
zoning regulations.
But the Reverend Jack Wisor, who heads the First Apostles
Doctrine Church, says the book he follows -- the Bible -- requires
him to help the needy.
A judge fined Wisor $500 in August for allowing three homeless
men to live in the 111-year-old church parsonage. Wisor appealed
the fine, and a hearing is scheduled for November.
Brookville is about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
WITTENBERG, Germany (AP) - The town where Martin Luther tacked
his 95 theses to a church door is kicking off a decade of
celebrations leading up to the 500th anniversary of the Protestant
Reformation.
American Bishop Mark Hanson, who heads the Lutheran World
Federation, and German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble addressed a congregation Sunday in the church where
Luther began his protest against the Roman Catholic Church in 1517.
Hanson said there are 68 million Lutherans around the world
today.
Schaeuble told the congregation that the celebration of Luther's
legacy provided a chance to advance tolerance between Christians
and Muslims in Germany.
Wittenberg chose to start celebrating in 2008 because it is 500
years since Luther moved into a monastery on the edge of town.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Opponents of a land swap between the District
of Columbia and a Christian homeless shelter are suing to block the
deal, claiming it violates separation of church and state.
The D. C. government is giving the Central Union Mission a
historic building and $7 million to renovate it. In exchange, the
mission is handing over a less valuable property.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for
Separation of Church and State claim in their lawsuit that the deal
would result in a net gain for the mission of more than 12 million
dollars.
They contend that's unconstitutional because of the religious
nature of the mission's work. They say homeless men who stay at the
Central Union Mission are required to attend church services.
LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) - Developers have picked Lebanon, Tennessee,
as the site for a Bible-based theme park after being rejected in
Rutherford County.
The plans must be approved by the Lebanon City Council and the
Wilson County Commission, but Mayor Don Fox said Thursday they
support the project.
According to The Lebanon Democrat, the site is 113 acres
fronting Interstate 40, which already has been rezoned to allow
theme parks.
The park is expected to employ 250 full-time workers and 1,000
seasonal workers.
In April, officials in Rutherford County turned down a zoning
change needed for the park to be built there.
JERUSALEM (AP) - An ultra-Orthodox Jewish party run by a rabbi
who has called the Hurricane Katrina and the Holocaust God's
punishment is emerging as the kingmaker in forming the next Israeli
government.
After narrowly winning the Kadima Party leadership, Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni will likely need Shas as a partner to become
prime minister.
On Thursday, Livni wrested a narrow victory in the election to
replace the corruption-tainted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as
chairman of the governing Kadima Party. Under Israel's political
system, she can become prime minister if she can put together a
coalition government of her own.
But Shas, led by Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, has enough seats to make
or break the current majority.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict says his one of his
predecessors, Pius XII, spared no effort to save Jews from the
Nazis. It's one of the strongest Vatican defenses of a pontiff
accused of silence during the Holocaust.
Benedict told an interfaith group that he wants any prejudice
against the wartime pope to be overcome, praising what he called
Pius's "courageous and paternal dedication" in trying to save
Jews.
Benedict said the interfaith Pave the Way Foundation has
gathered material showing the extent of Pius' efforts. The group,
based in New York, is active in improving Catholic-Jewish relations
and organized a symposium in Rome on Pius.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) - Managers at a Nebraska meatpacking
plant have told Muslim employees that shift changes made to meet
their prayer demands are being ended.
The move came after counterprotests by white, Hispanic,
Vietnamese and African-American workers, who said the shift changes
at the JBS Swift and Company plant in Grand Island penalized them
while favoring Muslim workers.
About 300 Muslim employees walked off the job on Monday, saying
they weren't allowed to pray during their holiest month, Ramadan,
which occurs in September this year.
Management agreed Tuesday to shift the break times in response,
which triggered the counterprotests on Wednesday and Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency says Southern Baptists are helping care for thousands of
people driven from their homes in Houston and Galveston, Texas, by
Hurricane Ike.
FEMA chief David Paulison says the Red Cross is working with the
Baptists and other volunteers to feed and house 40-thousand
evacuees in 260 shelters.
Other Christian groups rushing aid to the stricken area include
the Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse, Operation Blessing, World
Vision and Convoy of Hope.
HOUSTON (AP) - Houston's Lakewood Church and its 40-thousand
members are bracing for Hurricane Ike, which is expected to make
landfall early Saturday.
The Reverend Joel Osteen says his megachurch -- located in a
former sports arena -- isn't an official evacuation center, but is
willing to help those in need.
Osteen says his staff is boarding up windows, covering outdoor
signs and praying for everyone's safety.
The pastor of the nation's largest congregation says he's
preparing a sermon for Sunday in hopes that the worst of the storm
will be over by then, but admits it doesn't "look good for
services this weekend. "
WASHINGTON (AP) - About 60 Christian teenagers from around the
country are among the throngs of conservatives meeting today and
tomorrow in Washington.
The youngsters from TeenPact, which aims to "turn students into
statesmen," will hear top Christian and conservative leaders at
the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit.
The summit's speakers include Chuck Colson, Mitt Romney, Bill
Bennett and Jonathan Falwell.
TeenPact President Tim Echols says his goal is to
introduce young Christians to government and politics so they can
learn how to influence the culture.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A lawsuit filed against a Wisconsin school
district alleges that its policy to charge religious groups rental
fees for using school facilities is unconstitutional.
The Alliance Defense Fund filed the federal lawsuit against the
Sun Prairie school district.
The lawsuit alleges that the district gives nonreligious groups
including the Girl Scouts and 4-H club free access to its
facilities. But it says Sun Prairie's Open Door Church was charged
a fee for one of its clubs to hold a meeting at an elementary
school.
The lawsuit asks the federal court to order the district to stop
charging the fees.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict's four-day visit to France,
which starts today, includes a speech tonight in Paris and a visit
to the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France.
His stay in the French capital will coincide with the second
anniversary of his speech about Islam that strained Vatican
relations with much of the Muslim world. The rector of the Paris
Mosque is among the Muslim leaders invited to hear the pope speak
this evening.
Benedict will meet separately with leaders of France's Jewish
community. While France is traditionally Roman Catholic, it has
Western Europe's largest population of both Jews and Muslims.
SIOUX FALLS, S. D. (AP) - The Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota
has announced that it's closing five of its 15 churches on the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation by the end of November.
Two elderly women who serve as pastors on the reservation told a
Sioux Falls newspaper, the Argus Leader, that several of the
churches have fewer than 10 members -- too few to pay the bills.
They said one of the churches being closed was used as a
hospital to treat casualties from the Wounded Knee Massacre of
1890.
The pastors say the Episcopal diocese wrote them two years ago,
telling them they had to get more members. But it's been hard to
attract young families, and older members have died or moved away.
NEW YORK (AP) - Christians are being urged to skip lunch in
order to fast and pray on this seventh anniversary of the
Nine-Eleven terrorist attacks.
At a service last night in New York, leaders of a movement
called Awakening America called on Christians to pray on their
county courthouse steps at noon today.
The Reverend John Picarello, a pastor who was a New York
firefighter on Nine-Eleven, says he escaped the twin towers that
morning.
He told worshipers that many other survivors became angry with
God. But he said there's healing at the cross of Jesus Christ.
WASHINGTON (AP) - FEMA and the American Red Cross have started
shifting personnel and equipment from Louisiana to Texas, where
Hurricane Ike is expected to make landfall early Saturday.
Red Cross Senior Director Trevor Riggen says his agency has
moved more than 100 of its response vehicles to Texas and is
coordinating with the Salvation Army, Southern Baptists and
Catholic Charities to provide food and shelter to evacuees.
Riggen says some churches offer to serve as emergency shelters
beforehand, while others further inland spontaneously open their
doors to those in need.
FEMA's director of faith-based and community initiatives, John
Kim Cook, says Southern Baptists are opening food kitchens and a
special needs shelter in South Texas, and a synagogue has offered
to house Americorps relief workers.
GARDNER, Mass. (AP) - A young man and woman accused of
spray-painting anti-Christian graffiti on seven central
Massachusetts churches on Good Friday have received a two-year
probated sentence.
Under the probation, 20-year-old Brian Griffin of Phillipston
and 19-year-old Danielle Griffis of Templeton must perform 100
hours of community service, refrain from drug and alcohol use and
pay a $65 monthly fee. If they do, the charges will be dismissed.
Griffin's attorney said his client was remorseful and planned to
write letters of apology to the vandalized churches. The lawyer
representing Griffis said she's being treated for mental health
issues.
Gardner District Court Judge Arthur Haley III called the acts
"reprehensible," but said he was giving the defendants a chance
to keep a clean record.
HONOLULU (AP) - It might seem natural to hold a church
convention in paradise.
But higher airfares have prompted the United Church of Christ to
cancel plans to hold its 2011 church conference in Hawaii. The
convention would have attracted 3,000 participants.
The general manager of the Hawaii Convention Center, located in
Waikiki, says he'll try to convince church leaders to change their
minds.
But the Reverend Jim Moos, chairman of the Church of Christ's
executive council, says the denomination was concerned about the
increased cost of air travel.
NEW YORK (AP) - An Italian businessman who once dated actress
Anne Hathaway and claimed to have friends in high places at the
Vatican has pleaded guilty in a multimillion-dollar real estate
fraud case.
Raffaello Follieri agreed not to appeal any sentence of up to
five years and three months in prison for his plea to wire fraud,
money laundering and conspiracy. Sentencing was set for October
3rd.
Prosecutors said the 30-year-old Follieri posed as the Vatican's
representative to the U. S. , telling investors that the Roman
Catholic church would sell him property at a steep discount.
As part of his plea, he admitted misappropriating at least 2. 4
million dollars of investors' money, sending it to foreign personal
bank accounts that were disguised as business accounts.
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Some Muslims who believe in Adam and
Eve -- described by both the Quran and the Bible as the first man
and woman -- also claim to know where Eve is buried. A cemetery in
Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, attracts pilgrims with signs that call it
"The Graveyard of our mother Eve. "
It's unclear where the legend originated, but Arab tradition
puts Adam in nearby Mecca. Some conclude that the name Jiddah,
which sounds like the Arabic word for grandmother, is a reference
to Eve.
Ancient historians and travelers described a tomb outside the
walls of old Jiddah that they referred to as Eve's Graveyard.
On the quiet street of the cemetery, which now faces rundown
buildings, the Eve legend remains alive, although those who grew up
with the story say they don't believe it.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Washington Times religion editor Julia Duin says many Christians have stopped going to church because
they're not getting meaningful worship, teaching or fellowship.
In her new book, "Quitting Church," Duin says church dropouts
often feel like they've heard all the sermons and served their
congregations for years, but have simply burned out. As a result,
she says many faithful Christians have replaced Sunday worship with
private devotions or informal home groups.
She adds that many churches are so focused on families that they
pay little or no attention to baby boomers, the elderly and young
singles.
Duin urges pastors to first become aware of the problem and then
ask people why they're leaving. Too often, she says, church members
believe rightly that if they leave, no one will care or even
notice.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has agreed
to let a court-appointed party inventory its property and assets
before a final vote to leave the Episcopal Church.
The agreement stems from a lawsuit filed by a parish that leads
a minority in the diocese who oppose the secession. The diocese
says it will pursue a "fair and equitable" distribution of
property with the denomination if it votes to leave on October 4th.
The agreement also assumes the Episcopal Church will elect new
leaders for whatever Pittsburgh-area parishes remain in the
denomination after secession.
The conservative diocese wants to split with the more liberal
national church over its support for ordaining gay clergy and
disagreements over the authority of the Bible.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The owner and managers of the nation's
largest kosher meatpacking plant have been charged with hiring
dozens of underage workers.
Officials of the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa, also
are accused of having children younger than 16 handle dangerous
equipment and work around hazardous chemicals.
Nearly 400 illegal immigrants working at the facility were
arrested in May, prompting protests by religious groups demanding
immigration reform.
The Iowa attorney general's office says Agriprocessors employed
32 illegal immigrants under the age of 18, including seven who were
younger than 16.
A manager at the plant says the youths lied about their age, so
the company is not to blame.
GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - A union spokesman says Muslim workers at a
Colorado meatpacking plant are meeting with company representatives
to settle a dispute over accommodations for religious fasts.
About 300 workers walked out of the JBS Swift plant in Greeley
on Friday, saying they were not allowed to take a lunch break at
sunset to end their fast during the Muslim observance of Ramadan.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 spokesman Manny
Gonzales says the company misinterpreted contract provisions for
religious observances.
A company spokeswoman did not immediately return calls for
comment
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Muslim cabbies who won't pick up
passengers carrying alcohol have lost another round in court.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has rejected the cabbies' attempt
to block penalties for denying service at Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport.
An ordinance adopted by the Metropolitan Airports Commission
last year revokes a cabbie's license for 30 days for refusing a
fare. A second refusal brings a two-year revocation.
The cab drivers appealed a lower court's refusal to block those
penalties from taking effect.
But the appeals court says cab drivers who face suspension can
keep working while they appeal.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean President Lee Myung-bak,
a Christian, has expressed regret to Buddhists who believe they're
being discriminated against.
South Korean Buddhists have accused Lee's administration of
pro-Christian bias. They note that he has filled most of his
Cabinet and top posts with other Christians.
In televised remarks from a Cabinet meeting, Lee said, "It is
deeply regrettable that the heart of the Buddhist society has been
hurt by words and deeds by some officials. " His government also
directed public officials to maintain religious neutrality when
carrying out their duties.
Buddhism is the oldest major religion in South Korea, although
Christians now outnumber Buddhists.
WHITE HOUSE (AP) - The Christian couple who wrote the song
"Friends" have been welcomed by their old friend, President Bush,
to a White House event promoting volunteerism.
Michael W. Smith, vice chairman of the President's Council on
Service and Civic Participation, and his wife Debbie joined
thousands of civic volunteers on the South Lawn Monday.
Michael W. Smith dedicated "Friends" to the president, calling
Bush an inspiration to them all.
He also performed "America the Beautiful," although he forgot
the song's second line.
The Christian artist will be in New York Thursday for another
volunteerism event on the seventh anniversary of the Nine-Eleven
terrorist attacks. Also scheduled to take part are presidential
candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.
WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush is urging Americans to devote
4,000 hours during their lives to volunteer work in their
communities.
At a White House ceremony, the president cited his faith-based
initiative as a way for churches to help address social needs.
He also praised the efforts of private groups like the Red Cross
following Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna, and urged
Americans to donate more as Hurricane Ike threatens the Gulf Coast.
Bush hailed the burst of volunteerism that followed the
Nine-Eleven terrorist attacks seven years ago this week. He said
that while that memory is fading the need for volunteers remains
great.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, could
have a policy in place for Christmas displays before a federal
judge rules on whether the city violated the Constitution.
Mayor Jim Schmitt recently met with clergy members to get their
ideas on a city policy. They agreed that the city should stick with
secular decorations and leave religious displays to local churches.
Schmitt said he hopes to present a policy to the city council in
October.
That means new rules could be in place before federal Judge
William Griesbach rules on a lawsuit filed against the city by the
Freedom From Religion Foundation over a city Nativity scene that
was installed last Christmas. Oral arguments in the lawsuit are set
to begin next week.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Some mainline ministers in Ohio are
challenging a push by the Alliance Defense Fund to let pastors
endorse or oppose political candidates.
The conservative Christian legal group has enlisted ministers
around the country to invite IRS investigations by preaching
political sermons on September 28th, a day it has dubbed "Pulpit
Freedom Sunday. " The Alliance Defense Fund says it will represent
any churches targeted by the IRS.
But liberal clergy led by a United Church of Christ minister in
Columbus say restrictions on pulpit politics should stay in place,
and the fund should be stopped from enlisting pastors to break the
law.
Politics and preaching mixed freely in America until 1954, when
a law was passed threatening churches with the loss of their
tax-exempt status if they endorse or oppose candidates.
FALLSBURG, N. Y. (AP) - A fire chief in upstate New York is
facing charges he and his uncle set fire to a bungalow at an
Orthodox Jewish summer camp.
Authorities in Fallsburg believe James Smith wanted to set last
week's fire so firefighters in the town southwest of Albany could
get some training.
He was arrested Wednesday on several charges including arson and
burglary.
The fire chief's uncle also faces those charges and is also
charged with a hate crime. Edward Smith is accused of drawing
anti-Semitic slurs on a local road.
JERUSALEM (AP) - Jerusalem police are severely restricting entry
of West Bank Palestinians into Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque
compound for the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
A police statement says married men between 45 and 50 years old
can enter with a permit, while those under 45 are banned, and those
over 50 can enter freely. Married women between 30 and 45 need
permits.
Israel controls the Old City of Jerusalem and its holy sites. In
peaceful times, hundreds of thousands of Muslims crowd the hilltop
holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Israel explains the limits by saying it's for security. In the
past, services have ended with riots. The statement concludes,
"Police are prepared to prevent all disturbance by anyone. "
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) - Child welfare authorities in Texas are
acknowledging that more than half of the children seized during a
raid on a polygamist group's ranch can safely live with their
parents or guardians.
Since the April raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in which
some 440 children were seized, 235 of the custody cases have been
dropped.
And Child Protective Services says it's likely that more cases
will be dropped. A CPS spokesman says the cases are "a burden on
everyone" and the agency is moving as fast as it can. However, he
also says that doesn't mean that abuse never occurred, only that
the children can safely live with a parent or relative.
A spokeswoman for a legal aid agency that's representing dozens
of mothers in the case says the decision is a reminder that the
proper way to have pursued the matter would have been to gather
evidence about which children, if any, were at risk.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - President Bush is praising religious
groups for quickly responding to Hurricane Gustav.
He spoke to workers in a crowded emergency command center in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and thanked volunteers from the faith based
community for always rising to a challenge.
Bush said the volunteers listen to "that universal call to love
a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself," and added that
the same great effort is happening in Louisiana again, like it did
three years ago after Hurricane Katrina.
He says the people whose lives were affected by the storm
appreciate a total stranger coming in to help. And he wants
Louisiana residents to know that there are prayers going up across
the country for people whose lives have been turned upside down.
From his motorcade, Bush could see downed trees and street
signs. He also saw damage from above as Air Force One landed.
Bush said, "All in all, the response has been excellent," but
he acknowledged that "there is more work to be done. "
SEATTLE (AP) - Catholic churches in Washington state are
collecting donations to fight Initiative 1000, the assisted suicide
measure on the November ballot.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Seattle, Greg Magnoni, says Alex Brunett and two other bishops have
authorized 290 parishes in Washington state to take up a collection
for the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide.
The measure is also called the "Death with Dignity"
initiative, and would allow terminally ill people to legally obtain
lethal prescription drugs for ending their own lives. It's
patterned after Oregon's assisted suicide law.
A spokeswoman for the Yes on 1000 campaign, Anne Martens, told
the Tacoma News Tribune that Catholics should not impose their
beliefs on the entire state.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - The down economy is beginning to
affect the education choices of Americans.
Many private schools say enrollment is dropping or financial
need is going up.
Southern Virginia has been especially vulnerable to the trend,
with dozens of Roman Catholic, Jewish and Protestant-run schools.
At Gateway Christian School, tuition is about $4,000. Principal
Sam Postlewaite says enrollment is down about 10 percent this fall.
He says, "obviously, it's just tough times" for parents.
At Norfolk Christian Schools, dean Jane Duffey says she's seen a
20 percent increase in requests for additional financial aid.
Enrollment is down about 2 percent from last year's 750 students.
Tuition at Norfolk ranges from just over $6,000 in elementary
grades to nearly $9,000 for seniors.
At Hebrew Academy, where annual tuition is about $10,000, school
financial officer Heather Moore says she's seen a big increase in
requests for tuition assistance. She says she's frequently heard
that a spouse has lost their job, and they'll have to live on one
income for a while.
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) - A woman who says she lost her
job because she's Mormon is suing three mobile-home parks in
California.
Judy Clark says she was suspended and never asked to return to
her job as a mobile-home saleswoman in 2003. She says just a few
weeks earlier, she had found a memo that referred to the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a cult, and said its
activities should be banned from the parks.
Parks co-owner Tim Manthei says Clark's suspension was based
purely on performance, and that members of all faiths are welcome
as employees. In the lawsuit, Clark says she's owed nearly $90,000
in sales commissions and other damages. The case is set to go to
trial September 15th.
UNDATED (AP) - A movie about the Reverend Billy Graham's early
life is scheduled to open October 10th in theaters in Ohio and the
South.
Between now and then, the producers of "Billy: The Early
Years" will hold screenings for people such as pastors and church
workers to build support for the 6-million-dollar film. It stars
Armie Hammer as Graham and was directed by Robby Benson. Other
stars include Lindsay Wagner and Martin Landau.
"Billy: The Early Years" tells the story of Graham's
conversion, his courtship and marriage to Ruth Bell and his
relationship with another young preacher who lost his faith and
became an agnostic.
WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) - An attorney has filed papers seeking
dismissal of the charges against a Wisconsin couple accused of
praying instead of seeking medical care as their 11-year-old
daughter died of diabetes.
A brief filed for Dale Neumann argues that the reckless homicide
charge against him must be dismissed because it violates his
constitutional rights and wrongly entangles the court in religious
affairs.
Dale and Leilani Neumann's daughter, Madeline, died at the
family's rural Wisconsin home on Easter Sunday as they prayed
instead of taking her to a doctor.
Prosecutors contend the girl could not speak, eat, drink, walk
or breathe easily for two days before her death, enough time for
the parents to seek medical help, and that they failed in their
legal duty to care for their child.
NEW DELHI (AP) - A Roman Catholic archbishop has reportedly
asked India's Supreme Court to launch an impartial probe into the
deadly Hindu-Christian violence that's been raging in Orissa state.
The Press Trust of India reports that India's chief justice
agreed to preside over a hearing on the petition filed by
Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Orissa, where at least 11 people
have been killed.
The trouble erupted late last month with the killing of a Hindu
leader in Orissa, which police blamed on Maoist rebels but Hindu
activists blamed on Christians.
In apparent retaliation, Hindus set fire to a Christian
orphanage, killing a Christian woman and seriously injuring a
priest. The violence spread to include mob attacks on churches and
homes.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Republican National Convention has
opened with prayer and donations for victims of Hurricane Gustav.
The invocation was delivered by former NBA player Thurl Bailey,
who asked God to protect those in harm's way and to give officials
wisdom in responding to the emergency.
Bailey's prayer acknowledged "weaknesses and imperfections"
among those who seek to serve God, and concluded in Jesus' name.
Convention chairman Mike Duncan, first lady Laura Bush and
presidential candidate John McCain's wife, Cindy McCain, rallied
convention delegates to make donations to hurricane relief efforts.
Gustav delivered only a glancing blow to New Orleans. But in
smaller Louisiana towns, roofs were ripped from homes, trees
toppled and roads flooded. A ferry sank. More than a million homes
and businesses lost power.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Focus on the Family founder James
Dobson is praising the way Republican vice presidential candidate
Sarah Palin and her husband are supporting their
pregnant teenage daughter.
Sarah and Todd Palin announced Monday that their 17-year-old
unwed daughter is five months pregnant, but plans to have the child
and marry the baby's father. The Palins said the young couple will
have the entire family's love and support.
Dobson says the Palins should be commended for living out their
"pro-life and pro-family values" even in trying circumstances. He
says being a Christian doesn't mean you or your children are
perfect but that there is "forgiveness and restoration when we
confess our imperfections to the Lord. "
WASHINGTON (AP) - A black Christian leader is applauding the way
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her husband
are handling their unwed daughter's pregnancy.
Bishop Harry Jackson says the Palins' support for their
17-year-old daughter and her willingness to have the baby and marry
the child's father show the kind of character that's "proven in
adverse situations. "
Jackson, a registered Democrat, is closer to the Republican
Party in opposing abortion, and has co-authored the book "Personal
Faith, Public Policy" with the Family Research Council's Tony
Perkins.
Bishop Jackson says Americans don't expect leaders' families to
be perfect, but can learn candidates' true character from how they
handle difficult circumstances.
BHUBANESHWAR, India (AP) - Police in eastern India say
protesters set fire to several houses Monday in an area where
recent clashes between Hindus and Christians have left at least 11
people dead.
No one was injured in the latest attack in Orissa state, but
police feared the arson will increase tension in a region with a
history of violence along religious lines.
The attacks took place in Tikabali, a town that has been the
center of unrest for the past week.
The violence began with the killing of a Hindu leader, which
police blamed on Maoist rebels but Hindu activists blamed on
Christian militants.
In apparent retaliation, Hindus set fire to a Christian
orphanage, killing a Christian woman and seriously injuring a
priest. The violence has spread to include mob attacks on churches,
shops and homes.
UNDATED (AP) - Islam's holy month of Ramadan has begun with the
sighting of the crescent moon.
During the month, which arrives earlier each year based on a
lunar calendar, observant Muslims fast during daylight hours to
focus on spiritual introspection.
That's more challenging this year, with Ramadan starting in the
long hot days of late summer. To make it easier, parts of the Arab
world have gone off daylight saving time weeks earlier than usual.
In a White House statement, President Bush notes that "for
Muslims, these days commemorate the revelation of God's word to the
prophet Muhammad in the form of the Quran. " Bush adds, "Our
Nation is stronger and more hopeful because of the generosity,
talents, and compassion of our Muslim citizens. "
UNDATED (AP) - A Christian competitor to the video game "Guitar
Hero" is being introduced.
It's called "Guitar Praise," and it's a rock 'n roll game for
Christian parents who were freaked out by the prominence of Satan
in last year's "Guitar Hero III. "
"Grab the guitar and play along with top Christian bands!"
says the press release from publisher Digital Praise, which is also
behind a "Dance Dance Revolution" knockoff called "Dance
Praise. " "You'll soon be rockin' with the best while praising the
Lord!"
"The best" in this case means Christian rock acts like Relient
K, the Newsboys and dc Talk. The $100 package, for PC and Mac only,
will come with its own guitar and more than 50 songs.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is urging Americans to both
help and pray for people in the path of Hurricane Gustav.
After being briefed Sunday by officials at the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the president encouraged people to donate to
relief efforts, volunteer to help hurricane victims and "pray for
those who might be suffering. "
Bush then canceled his scheduled speech tonight at the
Republican National Convention so he could fly to Texas to meet
with emergency workers and hurricane evacuees.
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe
Biden says that at Mass on Sunday morning, he prayed for people
threatened by Hurricane Gustav.
Later Sunday, Biden urged participants in an Ohio economic forum
to do the same. He said, "I hope it doesn't sound corny, but say a
little prayer. "
The Delaware senator urged people to "pray God this Gustav
decides to take a turn" away from areas like New Orleans, whose
people had suffered so much from past hurricanes like Katrina in
2005.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Senator John McCain says he hopes and
prays the Republican National Convention can get back on track
after Hurricane Gustav, but admits that "is frankly in the hands
of God. "
In a video link to convention delegates from Mississippi, where
he reviewed storm preparations, McCain said he was canceling
everything except essential business on this first day of the
convention.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney scrapped plans to
address the convention tonight, and McCain's aides chartered a jet
to fly delegates back to their threatened states along the Gulf
Coast.
McCain said Republicans would not only pray for hurricane
victims, but would act to provide needed assistance. To that end,
several convention parties were recast as fundraisers for hurricane
relief.
GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - A 16-year-old high school student says he
was forced to cut a braid he'd been growing for 10 years as a
promise to his church after an assistant principal told him it was
a violation of the school's anti-gang dress code.
Officials at Northridge High School in Greeley, Colorado, are
now apologizing to Joe Zaragoza, saying the order was unwarranted.
Zaragoza says his rights were taken away and that 10 years of
his life "went down the drain" after he cut his hair because he
was afraid he would be expelled from school. Zaragoza says he had
promised his church he wouldn't cut the thin braid that ran down
his back until he was 18.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan says it's suspending a
military operation against insurgents in a tribal region for the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but warned that any provocations in
the area would bring immediate retaliation.
A Taliban spokesman welcomed the decision to halt the strikes in
the Bajur tribal region, a rumored hide-out of Osama bin Laden near
the border with Afghanistan.
Bajur has been the primary focus of military operations against
insurgents, though there have also been clashes in the northwestern
Swat Valley. It was not immediately clear whether authorities were
also suspending military operations there.
But a Taliban spokesman in Swat declared that militants would
not halt their "jihad" during Ramadan, because he said "rewards
for good deeds" are "multiplied during the holy month. "
UNDATED (AP) - Southern Baptists are organizing a 40-day prayer
campaign to accompany their values-voter registration drive.
The 40/40 Prayer Vigil for Spiritual Revival and National
Renewal will run from September 24th through November 2nd, two days
before the general election.
The daily prayers ask for God's guidance in voting, for the
election of more "godly Christians," for God to "help churches
find ways to help Christians get to the polls" and for public
officials to be protected "from the attacks of Satan. "
Southern Baptist leaders say more than 1,300 churches have
signed up for the prayer campaign.
TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) - A terrorist in a federal penitentiary
for plotting attacks on California Jewish and military sites has
been sentenced to an additional 22 years in prison for robbery.
Levar Haney Washington was convicted of robbing a gas station in
2005.
Prosecutors say he was part of a prison gang cell of radical
Muslims that planned terrorist attacks and intended to finance them
through robberies.
The 30-year-old Washington was sentenced in December to 22 years
in federal prison for a weapons charge and conspiring to wage war
against the United States.
ROME (AP) - An Italian priest has suspended his proposed online
beauty pageant for nuns, saying he's been misunderstood and
criticized by faithful Catholics and church officials.
The Reverend Antonio Rungi conceived of the beauty contest to
give nuns more visibility within the church and to fight the
stereotype that they're old and unattractive. The "Miss Sister
2008" contest was supposed to start in September on a blog run by
the priest, who is a theologian and schoolteacher.
But he changed his mind after seeing reports that suggested nuns
would be metaphorically put on a catwalk. Rungi said what he had in
mind was not just external beauty but what he called "overall
beauty," celebrated in "a showcase for the pastoral experience of
nuns. "
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh police are without a chaplain after
Chief Nate Harper fired the volunteer filling the post due to
questions about her religious credentials.
Lara Zinda filled the post for about 10 months, assisted by
partner, Keith Smith.
Chief Harper says there were "discrepancies with their
documents" and that Smith has a criminal record. He says Zinda
brought Smith on board and was fired last week as a result.
Zinda and Smith both say they're ordained ministers with the
Methodist Institute, part of the Methodist Church in America. But
local ministers questioned their credentials and officials of the
United Methodist Church say they know of no such organization.
BHUBANESHWAR, India (AP) - At least eight people have been
killed in eastern India, where Christians clashed with Hindu mobs
who attacked churches and a Christian orphanage.
Two of those killed in the latest violence were burned alive
inside thatched huts. A state official wo