News - August, 2012

News

Gospel artist BeBe Winans opens up about Whitney Houston

Aug 15, 2012 by Adelle M. Banks

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) In his new book, "The Whitney I Knew," gospel artist BeBe Winans describes his 28-year friendship with singer Whitney Houston. Winans, 49, and his sister CeCe, performed with Houston, and sang at her funeral in February. His older brother, Marvin, gave the eulogy for Houston at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J.

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Members of fringe Amish group request word 'cult' be banned from hate-crime trial

Aug 15, 2012 by Brandon Blackwell

c. 2012 Religion News Service CLEVELAND (RNS) Members of a fringe Amish group charged with committing hate crimes against fellow Amish have requested that certain words, including "cult," "splinter" and "rogue," be banned from their upcoming trial in U.S. District Court, according to court documents filed Monday (Aug. 13).

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March for Life leader Nellie Gray dead at 88

Aug 15, 2012 by Adelle M. Banks

c. 2012 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) Nellie Gray, the longtime leader of the annual March for Life, which protests the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, has died at age 88.

The March for Life website said Tuesday (Aug. 14) that Gray died "over the weekend."

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Evangelist Billy Graham in hospital with bronchitis

Aug 14, 2012 by Cathy Lynn Grossman

c. 2012 USA Today ASHEVILLE, N.C. (RNS) Evangelist Billy Graham, 93, was admitted to a North Carolina hospital after he developed a fever Saturday (Aug. 11) and is now being treated for bronchitis, said his longtime spokesman, A. Larry Ross.

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Report highlights Islam's global diversity

Aug 14, 2012 by Chris Lisee

c. 2012 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) Nearly all Muslims can agree on the basic beliefs of Islam: There is one God, Muhammad is God's prophet, Muslims should fast during the holy month of Ramadan and give alms to the poor.

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Poll shows atheism on the rise in the U.S.

Aug 14, 2012 by Kimberly Winston

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) Religiosity is on the decline in the U.S. and atheism is on the rise, according to a new worldwide poll.

The poll, called "The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism," found that the number of Americans who say they are "religious" dropped from 73 percent in 2005 (the last time the poll was conducted) to 60 percent.

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Pope's butler charged with stealing private papers

Aug 14, 2012 by Alessandro Speciale

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's former butler was indicted Monday (Aug. 13) by a Vatican judge on charges of stealing the pontiff's private papers and leaking them to the press, a ruling that revealed for the first time that a second person was involved in a scandal that has been rocking the Vatican for months.

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Mitt Romney ad says President Obama launched 'war on religion'

Aug 11, 2012 by Shira Schoenberg

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accused Democratic President Barack Obama of launching a "war on religion" in a television ad released Thursday (Aug. 9).

"President Obama used his health care plan to declare war on religion, forcing religious institutions to go against their faith," the ad's announcer states.

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No joke: Dolan-Colbert 'Catholic comedy slam' gets media blackout

Aug 11, 2012 by David Gibson

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) News that Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert and New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan would appear together on a panel on faith and humor next month was greeted with widespread anticipation: Both men are devout Catholics and pretty darned funny.

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Nuns reject Rome takeover, seek dialogue with bishops

Aug 11, 2012 by David Gibson

American nuns facing a Vatican takeover of their leadership organization have rejected Rome’s plans to recast the group in a more conservative mold, but declined—at least for now—to respond with an ultimatum that could have created an unprecedented schism between the sisters and the hierarchy.

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Anti-Obama black pastors group has conservative ties

Aug 11, 2012 by Aamer Madhani

Since William Owens launched his national campaign in May calling on African Americans to withdraw their support of President Obama because of his stance on gay marriage, the minister has claimed the backing of 3,700 black clergy and touted his organization as predominantly Democratic.

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Sikh vigils greet violence with peace, food

Aug 10, 2012 by Chris Lisee

c. 2012 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) In the shadow of the White House, as speakers called for unity, trays of food circulated the audience: wraps, potato chips, and choley chawal, a chickpea and rice dish.

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Clergy urge Americans to defend religious minorities

Aug 10, 2012 by Lauren Markoe

A group of religious leaders representing seven faith traditions have called for something more than a period of public mourning after a week that saw a shooting rampage at a Sikh temple and a suspicious fire at a Missouri mosque.

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Do the American nuns have a future?

Aug 10, 2012 by David Gibson

c. 2012 Religion News Service ST. LOUIS (RNS) Catholic sisters gathered here for their annual assembly on Thursday (Aug. 9) intensified discussions aimed at thwarting a Vatican takeover of their group, but hanging over the meeting was an even larger existential question: Do the nuns have a future?

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For Sikhs, the soul lives on long after the body dies

Aug 10, 2012 by Daniel Burke

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) Funeral services will be held on Friday (Aug. 10) for the six Sikhs killed at a Wisconsin temple last Sunday. The bodies of the deceased will later be cremated -- but their souls will live on, Sikh tradition teaches.