http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/ 15 On Faith editor David Waters looks at religion's impact on the news. en Copyright 2011 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:34:03 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=4.2-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss By David Waters E.W. Jackson, a Virginian who identifies himself as the bishop of a nondemoninational church called Exodus Faith Ministries International, has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. A press release from Jackson's campaign says he is seeking public office "to restore fiscal sanity, constitutionally limited government, and to fight for a sound energy policy that will allow Virginia to mine its coal and drill for its offshore oil." And God said, "Let there be offshore drilling." Fortunately, the press release didn't go on to say the clerical candidate would "seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God," or make any biblical campaign promises. Not that there's anything wrong, constitutionally speaking, with a clergy person running for public office. Every U.S. citizen over the age of 30 is free to seek election to the U.S. Senate. The ordained can even run for president. Recent American history is http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/04/serving_god_and_senate.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/04/serving_god_and_senate.html Today's Topic Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:34:03 -0500 Washington Post blogs have moved. If you are subscribing to the RSS feed for this blog, you may need to re-subscribe with the new feed URL. If you stop receiving updates from this feed, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/rss where you can see all of our feeds and re-subscribe to this feed or sign up for new ones. http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/the_rss_feed_for_this_blog_has_moved.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/the_rss_feed_for_this_blog_has_moved.html Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:18:41 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) broke down during his remarks at Congressman King's (R-N.Y.) hearings on radicalization in the American Muslim community. Ellison was talking about Mohammad Salman Hamdani, the American Muslim firefighter who died on 9/11. Because Hamdani, Ellison said, was a Muslim, he was the subject of conspiracy theories for months after his death. A NYTimes editorial later clarified: "Mr. Hamdani's remains had been found near the north tower, and he had gone there to help people he did not know." http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/rep_keith_ellison_weeps_at_hearing_on_muslim_american_communities.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/rep_keith_ellison_weeps_at_hearing_on_muslim_american_communities.html Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:24:42 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety Here are Michelle Boorstein's live tweets from inside the hearing room: The Post will be covering today's House hearings on radical Islam. You can watch live video from the hearings, follow tweets from our reporters, and read reaction to the event from across the spectrum. Felicia Sonmez of 2chambers will be blogging updates from inside the hearing. For more on the witness, check out Michelle Boorstein's post. Read Glenn Kessler's Fact Checker on Peter King's claim that about "80 to 85 percent" of the mosques in the United States are controlled by radical imams. Is it true? Post reporters Michelle Boorstein and David A. Fahrenthold ask, in light of the hearings, How should America talk about Muslim Americans? Today, Imam Rauf, the imam behind the controversial Islamic center near ground zero, writes for On Faith: Extremism and fear are our common enemies Rep. Michael Honda, (D-Calif.) also http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/peter_kings_muslim_hearings_on_faith_and_islam.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/peter_kings_muslim_hearings_on_faith_and_islam.html Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:01:57 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety Tuesday may have been Mardi Gras for many in the Christian world, but in Catholic America, Tuesday brought a much graver reality: In a mass suspension, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia placed 21 active priests on administrative duties due to what the New York Times characterized as "credible accusations of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors." After a February grand jury report that "identified 37 cases of concern," Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, ordered an investigation into the accused priests in his diocese. (This was after the cardinal insisted that there were no predator priests in active ministry.) Per the investigation's recommendations, Rigali said in a statement, the 21 were placed on leave "to allay concerns in the community about the suitability of priests to minister." Catholic Church insider and Whispers in the Loggia blogger Rocco Palmo said the move was the "largest single suspension of http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/on_ash_wednesday_more_darkness_for_catholic_church.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/on_ash_wednesday_more_darkness_for_catholic_church.html Under God Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:13:09 -0500 By Michelle Boorstein Another name has been added to the mystery list of witnesses for Congressman Peter King's hearing on Muslim radicalization - Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.). The Virginia Republican declined today to comment, but his office confirmed that the longtime human rights activist will speak at the controversial hearing about the rise of extremism among a small handful of American Muslims. Wolf is well-known for his work advocating on behalf of persecuted religious minorities overseas, particularly Christians, as well as Muslims, Baha'is and others. He also wrote the legislation in 1998 that created the National Commission on Terrorism. He currently is chair of the subcommittee that oversees the budget of the Justice Department and the FBI. http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/va_congressman_frank_wolf_to_testify_at_king_hearings_on_radical_islam.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/va_congressman_frank_wolf_to_testify_at_king_hearings_on_radical_islam.html God in Government Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:58:03 -0500 By David Waters The legendary football rivaly between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers began with a 6-6 tie on the third Saturday in October 1901. Now, the rivaly may soon find a new date and playing field: The First Monday in October, when the U.S. Supreme Court begins its new term each year. A number of state legislatures have introduced bills to ban or limit sharia, or Islamic sacred law, but the anti-sharia shenanigans by legislators in Tennessee and Alabama seem particularly suited for future lawsuits challenging their constitutionality. http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/anti-shariah_laws_legislating_religiosity.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/anti-shariah_laws_legislating_religiosity.html Today's Topic Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:57:15 -0500 By Michelle Boorstein The angry shout-fest that was expected to happen at 1 p.m. in front of the White House over Islamic law was cancelled. Anjem Choudary, a British Muslim who is largely known to American viewers via Fox News, had said he was planning to bring ralliers to DC today to push for the U.S. government to be governed by Islamic law. But he cancelled (was it ever REALLY on??), saying his message had been distorted. Choudary's style and his Web site - complete with photos of the Statue of Liberty wearing a full-face veil -- are so inflammatory, it's hard to tell if the guy was for real. He also forwarded to me his Web site, which in one corner says his group actually "oppose Sharia law and its implementation." Huh?? However, Choudary's plan was taken seriously by Terry Jones, the somber Florida pastor who brought us a http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/update_white_house_sharia_showdown_cancelled.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/update_white_house_sharia_showdown_cancelled.html God in Government Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:16:16 -0500 By Michelle Boorstein (Credit: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) It took me nearly five months to recover from standing in the blazing sun for days waiting to see if Terry Jones, leader of a tiny Florida church, would burn a Koran, and now word has hit that he's heading for the nation's capitol. Tonight. Jones, who captured the world's angry attention last fall when he and his curiously-named Dove World Outreach Center church threatened to burn Islam's holy book, is headed here as I type for what promises to be a weird showdown in front of the White House Thursday. IF it happens. http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/fringes_heading_for_the_white_house_for_sharia_showdown.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/03/fringes_heading_for_the_white_house_for_sharia_showdown.html God in Government Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:28:05 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks at the National Religious Broadcasters convention Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, in Nashville. In his speech, Boehner made his case for the GOP plan to prevent a shutdown of the federal government. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told an audience at the National Religious Broadcasters conference Sunday night that America's national debt is a "moral hazard." Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody reported Monday that the "speaker of the House of Representatives came to the evangelical audience with a moral message." "We have a moral responsibility to deal with this threat to freedom and liberate our economy from the shackles of debt and unrestrained government," he said. Boehner made clear that this fiscal crisis requires people to get on their knees. "This immense debt is a moral hazard," Boehner said. "When you begin to look at the big challenges that http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/boehner_moral_responsibility_to_deal_with_debt_start_praying.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/boehner_moral_responsibility_to_deal_with_debt_start_praying.html Under God Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:42:16 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety State Sen. Bill Ketron speaks outside the Senate chamber in Nashville on Feb. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) Tennessee State Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and state Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) introduced a bill last week outlawing the practice of Sharia, a complex set of religious laws that guide behavior for Muslims. The bill, embedded below, attempts to define Sharia law and to make following it a felony punishable by 15 years in jail. SB1028: Outlawing Sharia law in Tennessee The bill's authors make several generalizations about Islamic interpretation of Sharia. My former Post colleague Andrea Useem, a Muslim journalist, wrote this summary of Sharia in 2005: In its broadest sense, sharia is a system of laws based on the Koran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Like other legal systems, it has been elaborated on and debated by trained scholars over the years. The result? Competing http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/sharia_law_ban_proposed_in_tennessee.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/sharia_law_ban_proposed_in_tennessee.html Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:15:41 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety U.S. President Barack Obama leaves the Oval Office before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House Feb. 23, 2011 in Washington. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday that the Obama administration will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a controversial 1996 law which defines marriage as the union of a man and woman. From the AP's report: Attorney General Eric Holder said President Barack Obama has concluded that the administration cannot defend the federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. Despite the change in legal posture, White House spokesman Jay Carney said today that "there's no change to how Obama views gay marriage itself." Obama has long defended civil unions but has been unwilling to expand his definition of marriage to include gay couples. The president told a group of http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/obama_gay_marriage_views_evolving.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/obama_gay_marriage_views_evolving.html Under God Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:00:14 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety Scott and Jean Adam, two of the four Americans killed by pirate captors off the coast of Somalia, were not just adventure-seekers sailing a nearly decade-long cruise around the world. According to their own writings, the couple was using their global excursions as an opportunity to spread the Gospel. Even the name of their 58-foot vessel, the Quest, was a nod to the Christian organization funding their mission. On their Web site, they detailed their mission to share the Bible with people around the world "to allow the power of the Word to transform lives." We seek fertile ground for the Word and homes for our Bibles. Often, the ultimate homes are best found by people who are already living locally and seeking and cultivating that fertile ground. AND even more extraordinary are the times when people have been praying for Bibles for their group or their http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/couple_killed_by_pirates_were_on_bible_ministry.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/couple_killed_by_pirates_were_on_bible_ministry.html Under God Tue, 22 Feb 2011 11:30:30 -0500 By Elizabeth Tenety Cedar Falls' Cassy Herkelman gets her arm raised after winning by default in a Class 3A 112 pound match at the Iowa State Wrestling tournament, Thursday Feb. 17, 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa. Herkelman was one of the first girls to ever qualify for the state tournament and won by default after her opponent Joel Northrup of Linn-Mar High, refused to wrestle a girl. (AP Photo/Steve Pope) An Iowa high school wrestler with a 35-4 record gave up his chance at a state championship Thursday because he believes his faith forbade him from wrestling his opponent: a girl. Homeschooled sophomore Joel Northrup, who competes for Linn-Mar High School, forfeited in the first-round of Iowa's state championship --giving female competitor Cassy Herkelman the victory. In a statement released by the teen: "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan and their accomplishments. However wrestling is http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/wrestling_with_faith_in_iowa.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/wrestling_with_faith_in_iowa.html Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:44:51 -0500 By Michelle Boorstein For years, Congressman Peter King's rhetoric has provoked anger among Muslims in his district. Marvin Joseph / Washington Post Long Island Congressman Peter King's plans to hold a hearing about domestic Muslim radicals are attracting more attention, even as the nuts and bolts of the hearings - including who King will even call to testify - remain a mystery. Eighty faith leaders and activists from Long Island released a letter Thursday urging King to cancel the hearings, saying that singling out one faith group "undermines fundamental American values and is counterproductive to improving national security." The letter follows the release Wednesday of a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute showing that a majority - 56 percent - of Americans think the hearing is a good idea. The poll shows how strongly political affiliation and faith identity influence Americans' beliefs on the subject. Republicans, white evangelicals and http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/by_michelle_boorstein_long_island.html?wprss=onfaithundergod http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/02/by_michelle_boorstein_long_island.html God in Government Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:18:08 -0500