WASHINGTON, D.C. (RNS)—For centuries, Christianity’s theory of “just war” has helped religious and political leaders determine when, if ever, war is justified and how to conduct a moral military campaign. Now, as the United States prepares to reduce troop levels…
Is God trying to send people a message through disasters?
WASHINGTON (RNS) — What do homosexuality, health care reform and British advertising standards all have in common? They’re all things that have angered God, some religious leaders say, and he vented his frustration with the angry fires of Iceland’s Eyjafjalla-jokull…
Researchers probe whether, why, free will exists
ORLANDO, Fla. (RNS) — Are people really responsible for all the things they do? Do they have what theologians call God-given “free will” to choose between right and wrong? Those questions are at the heart of a four-year research project…
Catholic scholar among experts named to White House bioethics panel
WASHINGTON (RNS) — President Obama has named 10 medical and legal experts — including a Franciscan friar — to a commission that will advise the White House on bioethical issues. Daniel P. Sulmasy The appointees include Daniel Sulmasy, a friar…
Obama, Graham meet at evangelist’s home
MONTREAT, N.C. (RNS) — President Obama and ailing evangelist Billy Graham exchanged prayers during their first meeting recently at Graham’s home in western North Carolina. President Obama meets with evangelist Billy Graham at his house in Montreat, N.C. (RNS/Pete Souza/The…
Want to pack heat in worship? In Louisiana, you soon may get to
BATON ROUGE, La. (RNS) — People qualified to carry concealed weapons should be able to keep them strapped on in a church or temple as a way to enhance security, a state House committee decided April 28. The House Committee…
As controversy lingers, Shroud of Turin still draws a crowd
TURIN, Italy (RNS) — As hoteliers and souvenir vendors from Lourdes to Mexico City can readily attest, a sacred pilgrimage can quickly morph from a spiritual event into a commercial bonanza. And although religious tourism has recently become a booming…
Muslims see double standard in ‘terrorist’ label
WASHINGTON (RNS) — When 19 Muslim men crashed two planes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, it was widely labeled “Islamic terrorism,” even as many Muslims cringed at the term. So when nine members of a Michigan-based…
Obama shifts tactics on outreach to Muslim world
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Nearly a year after President Obama told an audience in Cairo that America wanted a “new beginning” with the Muslim world, evidence of that policy shift has, in recent weeks, become hard to ignore. The Obama administration…
Conservatives decry Pentagon for pulling Graham from event
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Conservative Christian leaders blasted the Army’s decision to disinvite evangelist Franklin Graham from a Pentagon event on the National Day of Prayer because he has been critical of Islam. Graham was scheduled to speak at a May…
Faith leaders pan Arizona ‘anti-immigrant’ bill
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Religious leaders are outraged over a bill passed by Arizona legislators that criminalizes illegal immigration, calling the bill “anti-immigrant” and a “social sin.” Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony compared aspects of the legislation, approved April 19 by…
For shy worshippers, church can be overwhelming
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — If Jesus were to take a Myers-Briggs personality test, would he rank as an introvert or an extrovert? He was, after all, popular with crowds, but often retreated to pray in solitude. As an undergrad, Daniel…