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Vatican likely to issue statement against limbo
"Limbo is the place where Catholics believe unbaptized babies go after they die," says the Associated Press. It's a problematic sentence at the beginning of an otherwise informative article about how top Vatican theologians are likely to publish a document on the salvation of unbaptized infants.

The problem with the sentence is that while many Catholics do believe in limbo (different from purgatory in that it's a permanent location, and just for infants, not adults), the Roman Catholic Church itself doesn't actually teach it. Here's what the Catechism says:

As regards children who have died without baptism, the church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God, who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them," allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without baptism. All the more urgent is the church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy baptism.

The church certainly doesn't require belief in limbo, and there's some debate over the degree to which it has actually proclaimed been and taught in previous eras. The church certainly hasn't prohibited Catholics from believing in it, however, nor has it ever explicitly rejected the doctrine.

That's about to change, according to reports.

"This belief, today, from recent developments not only theological, but also magisterial (teaching authority), is in crisis," Luis Ladaria, secretary-general of the Vatican's International Theological Commission, told the Associated Press. "We, thus, are now studying this problem knowing that it is a point upon which there has not been a definitive pronouncement."

So why now? A year ago, after Pope John Paul II first asked the commission to study the theology of limbo, Jesuit priest and historian Peter Gumpel told Zenit News Service, "Today the problem is more complex, because, with laws that have legalized abortion, life is taken away from many children who might have desired baptism. … Today, with the multiplication of the number of abortions and the attempts to manipulate fetuses, the number of human beings implicated has greatly increased."

Not only that, but we now know much more about human development, and current estimates are that as many as 50 percent of all fertilized eggs are lost naturally—most before a woman even finds out she's pregnant. (In the United States alone, the number of conceptions lost "naturally" each year is between 2.7 million and 3.9 million—enough to populate Los Angeles. About 1.3 million abortions are performed annually in the U.S.)

Back when he was head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) stood against the teaching of limbo. In an excellent article, The Scotsman quotes a 1984 interview in which he said, "Limbo has never been a defined truth of faith. Personally, speaking as a theologian and not as head of the Congregation, I would drop something that has always been only a theological hypothesis."

Formally repudiating this theological hypothesis might further improve evangelical-Catholic relations. Evangelical Protestants agree that baptism is required, though most reject the notion that it's necessary for salvation. Evangelical Lutherans are an exception here, but even they reject the idea of limbo.

Those interested in further discussion and information on limbo might want to check out the Pontifications blog, which has a lengthy post on the subject.

More articles

Theology | Vatican Instruction on seminaries | Sexual ethics | AIDS | Life ethics | RU-486 | Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood | Alito | Judge bans "Christ" prayers in Indiana House | Church and state | Politics | December dilemma | Christmas and Advent | Christians and Jews | Books | Education | RA Bible study ban | KU class | Evolution and Intelligent Design | Zambia bans Brazilian sect | Missions & ministry | War | Crime | Television | TV shows on Pope John Paul II | Lewis and Narnia | Music | Anglicanism | Other articles of interest

Theology:

• All for one, one for all | The Christian church offers community in a time defined by the cult of the individual (Peter Jensen, The Sydney Morning Herald)
  
  
• A personal relationship with Jesus? | How does one have a personal relationship with someone you can't talk to, share a glass of wine with, or even email? (John Suk, Perspectives)
  
  

Vatican Instruction on seminaries (news):

• Bishop says edict allows some gay priests | U.S. Catholics at odds over interpretation of Vatican's new directive (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Vatican paper on gays reveals split | A long-awaited Vatican document on homosexual priests, released Tuesday, shows a fault line running through the Catholic Church as to what levels of homosexuality are acceptable (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Vatican issues guidelines on gay priests | Pope Benedict's first major instruction sets restrictions on seminary candidates that are assailed by liberals and hailed by conservatives (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Vatican bars all gays as priests | The Vatican's long-awaited new guidelines on homosexual seminarians were released yesterday, barring even celibate homosexuals from seminary (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Vatican rules firmly against gay priests | Pope's first order rejects active homosexuals (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Pope's gay priest ruling is hailed by moderates | It was not as severe as had been feared. However, gay pressure groups and liberal Catholics were critical (The Times, London)
  
  
• Will Vatican policy 'make closet bigger'? | The church formalizes a ban on openly gay men in the priesthood. Critics say it will lead to a shortage of priests (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
  
  

Vatican Instruction on seminaries (opinion):

• Is the Pope unchristian? | Thoughts on the ban on gay priests (Editorial, The Boston Phoenix)
  
  
• Gay priest on gay guidelines | Father Bernard Lynch is an openly gay Roman Catholic priest who works with HIV/Aids sufferers in London. He spoke to the BBC news website about his own experience of being gay within the Church, and the impact the new Vatican guidelines will have (BBC)
  
  
• Distinctly without prejudice | The most important thing about the Vatican's new document on gay priests is that it is not bigoted (Editorial, The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Interpretive dance | How to ignore the Vatican's ruling on gay priests (Michael Sean Winters, The New Republic)
  
  
• A church confused over sexual issues | If the Vatican aims to prevent clergy sexual abuse by barring gay men from the priesthood, it is profoundly misguided (Bernadette J. Brooten, The Boston Globe)
  
  

Sexual ethics:

• Knights entitled to deny lesbians, tribunal says | The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruled yesterday that a Roman Catholic men's group, the Knights of Columbus, was entitled to turn away a lesbian couple who wanted to hold a wedding reception in their facility (The Globe and Mail, Toronto)
  
  
• Court sets S. Africa on course for gay marriage | South Africa's top court said on Thursday it was unconstitutional to deny gay people the right to marry, putting it on track to become the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage (Reuters)
  
  
• Faithful hail gay union dustup | Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's election promise to hold a free vote on gay marriage has given grassroots organizations defending traditional marriage a boost in their bid to revisit the same-sex debate (Ottawa Sun)
  
  

AIDS:

• Pope says he feels close to AIDS victims | Speaking during his weekly public audience to several thousand pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pope called the figures on AIDS victims "alarming" and reiterated the church's commitment to the care of the sick (Associated Press)
  
  
• Also: Pope avoids condom issue in AIDS message | Pope Benedict said on Wednesday he felt close to victims of AIDS and encouraged efforts to find a cure for the killer disease but avoided the thorny issue of the Roman Catholic Church's ban on condoms (Reuters)
  
  
• Evangelicals venture into AIDS activism | Nearly 2,000 pastors have traveled to Orange County's Saddleback Church for a national conference that coincides with World AIDS Day on Thursday. On the agenda: How to start local AIDS ministries and free HIV testing in churches (Associated Press)
  
  
• Saddleback makes AIDS a mission | Lake Forest church rallies smaller congregations long silent on the disease (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Fighting to halt AIDS | Evangelism joins the cause with nearly 1,700 church leaders gathering at Saddleback Church for a faith-based drive (The Orange County Register)
  
  
• Europeans reject abstinence message in split with US on Aids | EU urges African nations not to heed Bush agenda (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Missionary position | How Bush's rock-star-endorsed African AIDS program became an evangelical boondoggle (Walter Armstrong, Radar)
  
  

Life ethics:

• In abortion fight, little-known group has guiding hand | Americans United chips away in legislatures, courts (The Wall Street Journal, sub. req'd.)
  
  
• Druggists suspended in debate over pill | Four Metro East pharmacists were put on indefinite unpaid leave by Walgreens Co. on Monday (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• Also: Ill. pharmacists withhold emergency pill | Walgreen Co. said it has put four Illinois pharmacists in the St. Louis area on unpaid leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception in violation of a state rule (Associated Press)
  
  
• Democratic bill targets abortions | Democrats in Congress are preparing a bill they say will reduce U.S. abortions by 95 percent over 10 years by preventing "unwanted pregnancies" and providing "social support" for pregnant women (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Kan. abortion doctor not to blame in death | An abortion doctor who has been the target of protests for years wasn't responsible for the death of a mentally retarded Texas woman who received a late-term abortion at his clinic, state regulators concluded (Associated Press)
  
  
• Diocese bars Mass where Planned Parenthood met | The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix will not permit a West Valley events center to hold an early-morning Mass on Dec. 12 because a Planned Parenthood fundraiser recently was hosted there (East Valley Tribune, Scottsdale, Az.)
  
  
• The abortion argument we missed | Henry J. Friendly, who died in 1986, was perhaps the most distinguished American judge never to serve on the Supreme Court, and he almost spared the nation the poisonous consequences of that court's 1973 truncation of democratic debate about abortion policy (George F. Will, The Washington Post)
  
  
• A history of (pro-life) violence | Not all anti-abortionists kill people. But all share a histrionic view of themselves as heroic rescuers aligned against Godless fornicators (Steve Almond, Nerve, via Alternet)
  
  
• Defining life down | Are we okay with eliminating a class of humans? (Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review Online)
  
  

RU-486:

• Abortion drugs linked to rare fatal infection | Since the US Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone and misoprostol as abortion-inducing drugs in 2000, there have been four deaths due to profound shock caused by a bacterium called Clostridium sordellii, investigators report (Reuters)
  
  
• Article to kindle abortion pill fight | Report on deaths may hike pressure on FDA to curb sales (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Study: Fatal toxic shock syndrome associated with clostridium sordellii after medical abortion (The New England Journal of Medicine)
  
  
• Also: Fatal infections associated with mifepristone-induced abortion | These deaths have important implications both for the care of individual patients and for public policy (Michael F. Greene, The New England Journal of Medicine)
  
  

Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood (news):

• Audio: Oral arguments in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood (Associated Press)
  
  
• Roberts seeks middle ground | Court hears appeal on parental notification of abortion (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Justices step into abortion rights case | he Supreme Court is considering its first abortion rights case under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, with an unpredictable outcome because of the court's changing makeup (Associated Press)
  
  
• For new court, abortion case takes old path | The justices appeared to agree that laws regulating teenagers' access to abortion must make allowances for medical emergencies (The New York Times)
  
  
• Supreme Court hears N.H. abortion case | Justices ask how law might exempt a health emergency (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• N.H., activists spar over abortion law | A never-enforced New Hampshire law requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortions is unconstitutional because it makes no exception for girls facing health risks, a lawyer challenging the law told the Supreme Court yesterday (The Washington Times)
  
  

Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood (opinion):

• Abortion and the Roberts court | An abortion test begins for the Roberts Supreme Court, one that will shed some light on whether the Roberts years are likely to be genuinely conservative ones (Editorial, The Washington Times)
  
  
• The next abortion decision | The abortion rights case at the Supreme Court could have real-world consequences for the lives of women and the rule of law (Editorial, The New York Times)
  
  
• Nibbling away at Roe v. Wade | For the Supreme Court, Ayotte is an hors d'oeuvre (Dahlia Lithwick, Slate)
  
  
• No abortion showdown | Unlike many abortion cases, where irreconcilable values necessarily clash, the dispute here is narrow—one the justices can and should resolve without drama or great symbolism (Editorial, The Washington Post)
  
  
• A high court test of parents' rights | Supreme Court should uphold law requiring parental notification before a child can receive an abortion (Editorial, The Indianapolis Star)
  
  
• Supreme opportunity | Will the Court fix its abortion mess? (Clarke D. Forsythe, National Review Online)
  
  
• Meet Jane | Portrait of a teenager protected by New Hampshire's parental-notification law (Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review Online)
  
  
• US abortion rights in the balance? | If the Supreme Court votes to reinstate the parental consent law, the case will mark a fresh limitation on Roe v Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling which established a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy (BBC)
  
  

Alito:

• Alito helped craft Reagan-era move to restrict 'Roe' | Supreme Court nominee wrote memo in 1985 as Justice Department lawyer (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Alito memo lays path to reverse Roe | Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. laid out a strategy 20 years ago for the "eventual overruling of Roe v. Wade," according to a newly released document (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Alito's 1985 memo reignites document fight | A 1985 memo in which Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito suggested that the Justice Department try to chip away at abortion rights has reignited a battle over what documents should be available to senators as they evaluate judicial candidates (Associated Press)
  
  
• Alito file shows strategy to curb abortion ruling | As a lawyer in the Reagan Justice Department, the Supreme Court nominee supported states in adding restrictions to abortion (The New York Times)
  
  
• Alito proposed anti-abortion strategy in 1985 | U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, as a Reagan administration lawyer 20 years ago, outlined ways to limit abortion rights without overturning a 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, a memo released on Wednesday showed (Reuters)
  
  
• Alito memo set goal to reverse Roe v. Wade | '85 abortion view surfaces (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• A man's right to choose | Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. didn't go far enough on spousal notification (Dalton Conley, The New York Times)
  
  

Judge bans "Christ" prayers in Indiana House:

• House prayers can't invoke Jesus | Federal judge declares that invocations advancing a specific religion are unconstitutional (The Indianapolis Star)
  
  
• 'Christ' removed from Indiana House | Opening prayer called illegal; speaker incensed (The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind.)
  
  
• Sectarian prayers in House banned | House Speaker Brian Bosma must ban sectarian references from prayers used to open House sessions, according to a permanent injunction handed down in federal court Wednesday (The Courier & Press, Evansville, Ind.)
  
  
• Judge rules in Indiana house prayer suit | A federal judge on Wednesday barred the Indiana House from opening its sessions with specifically Christian prayers, ruling that such prayers amount to "an official endorsement of the Christian religion" (Associated Press)
  
  
• Tolerance a casualty of battles over religion | Before complaining about this godless state, consider the facts (Ruth Holladay, The Indianapolis Star)
  
  

Church and state:

• Worship closure plan criticized | Top police officers have criticized plans to allow the shutting down of places of worship such as mosques suspected of inciting extremism (BBC)
  
  
• ACLU suit targets taxes on 'religious' books | In the state of Georgia, the Bible, the Torah, and Koran are tax-exempt, but Hindu texts, for example, are taxable. The ACLU is suing to bring some clarity to this situation because booksellers don't know what qualifies as a "religious" book (Morning Edition, NPR)
  
  
• Montgomery extends curb on reserve to churches | Montgomery ends new access to utilities in agrarian area (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Mixed blessings | Politicians are keen to make more use of faith-based organizations. Do our experts agree that these groups be publicly-funded to deliver services? (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Woman sues THA over gospel concert monies | A San Fernando woman has sued the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) over the assembly's alleged failure to provide her with a breakdown on the cost of staging the 2004-2005 gospel festival (Trinidad & Tobago Newsday)
  
  
• Panel hears input on Capitol display of commandments | A constitutional law scholar, clergy and other members of the public spoke out Tuesday against a proposal to show the Ten Commandments in the Capitol and argued the main purpose of the display would be religious, not secular (Lansing State Journal, Mi.)
  
  
• Bible remarks 'inaccurate' | Christian experts have dismissed a federal Labor MP's claim that the Bible is more violent than the Koran (The Australian)
  
  
• America cannot let 'under God' vanish | Once again, atheist Michael Newdow, who became infamous for challenging "under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance, is attacking our Founding Fathers in court (Gina Parker, San Antonio Express-News)
  
  

Politics:

• U.S. religious right enters Canadian electoral fray | Bush ex-adviser appeals to faithful to get involved and get the vote out (The Globe and Mail, Toronto)
  
  
• Texas groups seek Ralph Reed casinos probe | Three Texas watchdog groups asked a county official Thursday to investigate former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed, who was hired by lobbyist Jack Abramoff to run an anti-gambling campaign (Associated Press)
  
  
• Menino says critics 'not charitable' | Defends keynote role at a Catholic event (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Commission gets full-page amen | After county leaders receive scorn for socially conservative stances, other citizens place a thank-you in the Tampa Tribune (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
  
  

December dilemma (specifics):

• Christmas proclamation under fire from Jewish group | A motion proclaiming December the Christmas season in the town of Oxford, N.S., has drawn criticism from members of a Jewish group in Atlantic Canada (CBC, Canada)
  
  
• Wednesday: Oxford makes Christmas the season | The town council unanimously passed a motion on Monday proclaiming that the entire month of December should be referred to as the "Christmas season," because the holiday originated from the birth of Jesus Christ (CBC)
  
  
• What's in a name? Depends on agency | Government offices and political agencies in the District were as delicate as snowflakes yesterday when discussing what they call the Christmas trees inside their buildings—with some exceptions (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Novi sub backs off, baby Jesus stays put | Neighborhood association backs off after blizzard of support for family (The Detroit News)
  
  
• District 50 decides to stop the music | Superintendent Joy Swoboda decided not to allow music to be played on Woodland District 50 buses, putting to rest an issue that has been debated by parents and school board members for nearly a year (Gurnee Review, Ill.)
  
  
• Woman sues city over public nativity display | Judge: City cannot prevent woman from practicing ceremony (WTVJ, Miami)
  
  

December dilemma (general news):

• Christian conservatives fight 'happy holidays' | Groups gear up to fight for 'Christmas,' but is there really an issue? (Good Morning America, ABC)
  
  
• At Christmas, what's in a name? | Effort to rename Christmas trees "holiday trees" sparks debate (World News Tonight, ABC)
  
  
• Falwell enlists followers to fight the Christmas 'grinches' | The Rev. Jerry Falwell has marshaled his forces to keep "Merry Christmas" in the vernacular and "Silent Night" on the school playlist (Associated Press)
  
  
• 'Merry Holiday' to all and to some a Christmas fight | Fair warning to any public official who renames a Christmas tree a "holiday tree": You may get a call from one of hundreds of lawyers lined up by Christian legal groups to defend Christmas against those they say are bent on purging it from the holiday season (Chicago Tribune)
  
  
• Have a very merry you-know-what | Confusion grows on what to call the holiday season (San Diego Union-Tribune)
  
  
• Selling Christmas without saying 'Christmas' | What's wrong with the word "Christmas"? (Palm Beach Post, Fla.)
  
  

December dilemma (opinion):

• No Christmas truce in culture war | Militant Christianity strikes many as an oxymoron. To most Christians, Christ's birth was a gift, one nobody need be forced to open (Editorial, The Virginian-Pilot, Hampton Roads, Va.)
  
  
• De-Christmasing Christmas | In this overwhelmingly Christian country, it isn't only Christians for whom Christmas is a season of joy (Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe)
  
  
• The ghosts of Christmas presence | Popular culture has scrooged the Christ out of Christmas (Lisa Fabrizio, The American Spectator)
  
  
• Hold the 'holy' in those happy holidays | In 1984, the Supreme Court launched one of America's worst traditions: Christmas Agonistes. This is the ritual in which everyone goes batty about what to "do" about Christmas (Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Register a 'friend or foe' of Christmas? | It seems to me that the right to name a tree belongs to whoever owns it (Rick Holmes, Dover-Sherborn Press, Pa.)
  
  
• Christians should restore proper focus of Christmas | It is not the secular world's duty to keep Christ in Christmas. It is the duty of the Christians (Myrene A. Peterson, The Forum, Fargo, N.D.)
  
  
• Holidays' confusion comes to a head | Since Christ has been removed from Christmas, there's no underlying reason to give gifts in December (John Kass, Chicago Tribune)
  
  

Christmas and Advent:

• School bans its pupils from using the C-word | Sue Lines has won praise from parents for keeping Christmas off the syllabus at Piper's Vale primary school in Ipswich until December 7 (The Times, London)
  
  
• Clergy hope to see material obsession take a holiday | Advent has begun, and churches are reminding Christians of what will bring real fulfillment (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
  
  
• The magic of Christmas? It's all about expectation | The true meaning of Christmas can get lost even when you're married to a vicar. But it's about waiting, perfectly expressed in the ceremonies surrounding Advent (Catherine Fox, The Times, London)
  
  
• Shopping mania dishonors Christianity | In spite of blatant displays of un-Christian shopping practices, some folks fret over whether cashiers should be wishing us happy holidays or Merry Christmas (Terry Endres, The Cincinnati Enquirer)
  
  
• Bankruptcy of spirit | Who would Jesus punch for an Xbox? (Seattle Weekly)
  
  

Christians and Jews:

• Pope says Holocaust indelible human shame | German-born Pope Benedict, who grew up during Hitler's rise to power, condemned the Nazi attempt to exterminate Jews on Wednesday as a "project of death" that will remain forever an indelible stain on human history (Reuters)
  
  
• Stop attacking our friends | The truth is that while evangelicals are indeed a growing group representing up to 60 million adherents, like Jews they are not the monolith their critics seek to portray (Isi Leibler, The Jerusalem Post)
  
  

Books:

• Wrongly accused? | Francis Phillips reviews The Myth of Hitler's Pope by Rabbi David G. Dalin (The Jerusalem Post)
  
  
• Following Santa to the ends of the earth | Jeremy Seal explains how a doleful-looking Anatolian bishop became the red-suited star of young dreams (The New York Times)
  
  
• Anne Rice's reborn faith brings a new purpose, new direction | Rice's new novel sits high on the best-seller list again, but that is all that seems the same in her life these days (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
  
  
• Faithful to the book | Literary agent, publisher and licensed minister Denise Stinson owns and operates Walk Worthy Press, named from a Bible verse (Detroit Free Press)
  
  

Education:

• Group collects Bibles, passes out porn | A group of atheists at UTSA was asking students to exchange Bibles for porn magazines Wednesday, and that has made some religious leaders angry (WOAI, San Antonio, Tex.)
  
  
• Campuses sued over organizations' rules | A religious-liberties organization has sued San Diego State and Cal State Long Beach over a fraternity and two other student organizations that refuse membership to gays and non-evangelical Christians (San Diego Union-Tribune)
  
  
• New US textbook aims to teach Bible as knowledge | The Bible and Its Influence aims to teach both the Old and New Testaments in a nonsectarian, nonreligious way as a central document of Western civilization with a vast influence on its literature, art, culture and politics (Reuters)
  
  
• The truth about God in public schools | Contrary to what you hear, student religious expression is alive and well in today's public schools (Charles C. Haynes, First Amendment Center)
  
  
• Must public schools allow worship if they allow social and civic meetings? | A New York federal court says yes, but the establishment clause says no (Marci Hamilton, FindLaw.com)
  
  

University suspends RA Bible study ban:

• University suspends Bible study ban | Politicians, conservative groups said ban infringed on religious freedom (Associated Press)
  
  
• Press release: UW-Eau Claire suspends RA policy as review continues
  
  
• UW-Eau Claire reprimands RA for Bible study | But those here are allowed to lead if no conflict with job (The UVM Post, Milwaukee)
  
  

KU class:

• Mirecki apology doesn't appease critics | Kansas University professor Paul Mirecki's official apology for writing an e-mail disparaging religious fundamentalists hasn't calmed the firestorm surrounding his plans to teach intelligent design in a religious studies class (Lawrence Journal-World, Kan.)
  
  
• Also: Professor apologizes for e-mail comments | Remarks on religion angered conservatives (The Kansas City Star)
  
  
• University cancels class on creationism | A University of Kansas course devoted to debunking creationism and intelligent design has been canceled after the professor who planned to teach it caused a furor by sending an e-mail mocking Christian fundamentalists (Associated Press)
  
  
• Religious e-mails called 'vicious' | KU distances self from e-mails of head of Religious Studies (The Capital-Journal, Topeka, Kan.)
  
  

Evolution and Intelligent Design (news):

• School evolution showdown delayed at least a year | A change in standards governing how science teachers should approach humanity's origin will be postponed until at least 2007, pushing any resolution beyond next fall's elections (The Miami Herald)
  
  
• Intelligent design a Trojan horse, says creationist | Intelligent design advocates probably won't thank Australian-born Ken Ham for articulating what many of them try to avoid saying (The Sydney Morning Herald)
  
  
• State cool on a fiery debate | Low-key exploration of Intelligent Design (Hartford Courant, Ct.)
  
  
• Evolution controversy fuels niche | Businesses making intelligent moves (The Kansas City Star)
  
  
• For private schools, a leeway in curriculum | While the more conservative religious schools often emphasize the evolution theory's gaps in knowledge and past mistakes, other schools teach evolution as fact and creationism as a metaphor for God's role (Newsday)
  
  

Evolution and Intelligent Design (opinion):

• Leaving it to children? | Should parents decide what evidence to present about gravity and let children "make their own decisions" about which theories of gravity to support? The debate shows a misconception about how science works (Editorial, The Sacramento Bee, Ca.)
  
  
• The descent of the straw man | In the Kansas evolution debate, the latest targets are "fundies" and Catholic wife beaters (Denis Boyles, National Review Online)
  
  
• Under God or under Darwin? | Intelligent Design could be a bridge between civilizations (Mustafa Akyol, National Review Online)
  
  
• Wired for creationism? | Paul Bloom, the author of "Is God an Accident," on why—ironically—belief in Intelligent Design may be an inherited trait (The Atlantic)
  
  
• 'Intelligent design': What do scientists fear? | Should public schools teach "intelligent design," the theory that the universe and its life forms are so complex that a higher cause must have been involved in making them? (Cal Thomas and Bob Beckelis, USA Today)
  
  
• Don't fear the designer | Competing philosophies and beliefs (Tom Bethell, National Review Online)
  
  
• NPR and 'Intelligent Design': Skeptical or credulous? | Nothing better points out the challenges to journalism than reporting on religion (Jeffrey A. Dvorkin, NPR Ombudsman)
  
  

Zambia bans Universal Church of the Kingdom of God:

• Universal Church banned | Government has suspended operations of the Universal Church of Kingdom of God countrywide until investigations into allegations of Satanism are concluded (The Times of Zambia)
  
  
• Religious freedom | Even when the Constitution of Zambia guarantees freedom of worship, it appears there is need for subsequent legislation in terms of an Act to elaborate on how this vital law can be implemented (Editorial, The Times of Zambia)
  
  
• Zambia bans Brazilian church in satanism row | Zambia has banned the local branch of Brazil's Universal Church of the Kingdom of God after claims its leaders were satanists, the government said on Wednesday (Reuters)
  
  

Missions & ministry:

• Luis Palau issues statement after China comments disputed | Evangelist Luis Palau released a six-paragraph statement, dated Nov. 28, expressing a measure of regret over comments he made about religious freedom in China during a mid-November trip to the communist giant (Baptist Press)
  
  
• Tsunami aid 'not used to convert locals' | World Vision Australia chief executive Reverend Tim Costello has denied allegations that aid workers in Thailand have used tsunami aid money to try and convert local Thai people to Christianity (AAP, Australia)
  
  
• Might I, um, talk to you about, er, God? No? Right. I'll do the flower rota instead | Britain's Protestant clergy are too shy to go out to convert people to Christianity, according to research that will be published next month (The Times, London)
  
  
• Fund-raising to benefit former porn star | The founders of XXXchurch, a ministry that targets those in the pornography trade, has launched a new effort called the Trinity Project, which raises money to help porn stars leave the profession (Christian Examiner)
  
  
• Salvation Army kettle campaign harder to staff | The agency started hiring bell ringers more than a decade ago because it was so difficult to find enough volunteers. And now, the nonprofit increasingly is having trouble finding enough paid workers to do the seasonal job (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Divine intervention | Three Flying W Wranglers members say God pointing them to greener pastures (Colorado Springs Gazette)
  
  

War:

• Blog shows activist's hopes, frustrations | Fox's blog entries reveal a man who struggled to remain hopeful about Iraq's future and had deep misgivings about the mindsets of U.S. military personnel and contractors he met (Associated Press)
  
  
• Fox's Blog: Waiting In the Light (Blogspot.com)
  
  
• Profile: Christian Peacemakers Teams | Over the weekend, four Christian aid workers were taken captive in Iraq. They are part of Christian Peacemakers Teams, a pacifist religious organization that has had members operating outside the Green Zone since 2002 (Morning Edition, NPR)
  
  
• Churches stood nearly alone in war warnings | The only American institution that had the courage to stand up and speak the truth about Iraq was the church (David Waters, Commercial Appeal, Memphis)
  
  
• God's children in peril | Do the jihadists who abducted these four men distinguish friend from foe? Or are they simply intent on stirring chaos? (Editorial, The Toronto Star)
  
  

Crime:

• Priest hurt in homophobic beating | A priest has been beaten with a metal baseball bat in what police say was an unprovoked homophobic attack (BBC)
  
  
• Pastor arrested in second rape case | Jaree Jones is accused of sexually assaulting Connecticut girl in 2000 (The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.)
  
  
• Sex-abuse claimants seek archdiocese's dismissal from suits | Archdiocese's dismissal sought (The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.)
  
  
• Paintball spree was anti-occult, says pastor | Controversial Christian evangelist and pro-gun campaigner Peter Hammond confirmed he has been charged with assault after what he said was an anti-Hallowe'en spree with a paintball gun (Cape Argus, Cape Town, South Africa)
  
  
• 'If God can forgive him … ' | Killer's guilty plea prompts life sentence, family's forgiveness (Edgebrook Times Review, Ill.)
  
  

Television:

• FCC chairman urges cable tv to police itself over indecency | Kevin Martin says firms should offer channels a la carte and warns that non-broadcast content might face regulation (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Don't touch that dial | A la carte cable programming would certainly be popular. And, as this page has argued, it might well be smart business for the cable companies and the programmers that sell them content. But making this a mandate from Washington is a bad idea that would take the government further into the business of regulating TV programming when it should be looking for ways to regulate less (Editorial, USA Today)
  
  
• Let viewers pick and choose | The cable companies have no incentive to quit unless Congress makes them (Mark Cooper and Gene Kimmelman, USA Today)
  
  
• Larry King interviews Barbara Walters | She has a special coming up on Heaven, where is it and how we get there (CNN)
  
  

TV shows on Pope John Paul II:

• A monumental man of God: Two takes on the life of John Paul II | Both films do their best to pay homage to an extraordinary figure and manage to do so in ways that are neither absurd nor embarrassing (The New York Times)
  
  
• CBS TV movie makes pope uninteresting | Depending on your philosophy, you might have thought less of the pope if the film mentioned his strong and uncompromising stands against abortion, homosexuality and the ordination of women, so none of that stuff was included (Reuters)
  
  
• John Paul times II | CBS's Biography of the Late Pope Has a Life That ABC's Lacks (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Too good to be true | Biopics make Pope John Paul II so saintly, he's boring (The Boston Globe)
  
  

Lewis and Narnia:

• CS Lewis feared film would ruin Narnia | Letter reveals forebodings of 'buffoonery'; cartoon version another matter, author wrote (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Religion in 'Narnia' left up to audience | Douglas Gresham, stepson of the late C.S. Lewis—the Oxford professor who authored the top-rated children's book—called the religious emphasis "an American disease" (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Religion Today: Lewis's fans and fault-finders | During the 42 years since his death, the prolific C.S. Lewis has never failed to lure hordes of fans through his writings — nor has the Oxford and Cambridge literature scholar ceased to rouse antipathy from religious skeptics (Associated Press)
  
  
• A most ambiguous wardrobe | Those translating Narnia into film are trapped between the secular and religious interpretations (Ben Macintyre, The Times, London)
  
  
• Exploring the Deeper Magic | Even as an adult, Narnia continually enchants me--and encourages all of us to explore the Deeper Yearnings that make us human (Richard Mouw, Beliefnet)
  
  
• Disney takes a leap of faith with fairytale | Is it a Christian allegory or isn't it? (The Australian)
  
  

Music:

• Shouting hip-hop's praises | The Rev. Tommy Kyllonen is in his Sunday best — a sparkling white "Twice-born" T-shirt under his open sport shirt — as he strides onto a catwalk and launches into a sermon on "how Christ would roll," how he would act, facing anger, self-righteousness and deceit (USA Today)
  
  
• Without Creed, Scott Stapp can rock | Maybe Scott Stapp should have been solo from the start (Associated Press)
  
  

Anglicanism:

• High hopes for new archbishop | The Church of England has celebrated the appointment of its first black archbishop with a feast of sound and colour at York Minster to inaugurate John Sentamu as Archbishop of York (BBC)
  
  
• Also: Archbishop beats drums for change | Dr Sentamu's sermon was a stern lecture to the Church of England to grow out of being a "judgmental and moralising" congregation of "pew-fillers, hymn-singers, sermon-tasters, Bible readers, even born-again believers and Spirit-filled charismatics" and go out to make friends in the world (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Also: Anglicans name first black archbishop | With drums beating time to a favorite African hymn, Uganda-born John Sentamu was enthroned Wednesday as the first black archbishop in the Church of England (Associated Press)
  
  
• Downloaded 'choice' is no substitute for classic prayers | The words penned by Thomas Cranmer more than 400 years ago have grown unfamiliar. Worse, they have been replaced by "tired and trite" language designed to be accessible to modern worshippers (Christopher Howse, The Telegraph, London)
  
  

Other articles of interest:

• Breaking the taboo | Religious opposition to poker in steady decline (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Ca.)
  
  
• The "Left Behind" movies | How to end the world on a budget (Grady Hendrix, Slate)
  
  
• Christian doctor 'was forced out' | An eye specialist has accepted undisclosed damages after claiming that he was forced out of his job by Muslim colleagues (The Times, London)
  
  
• Faith in love | Can religion make or break a relationship? (The Kansas City Star)
  
  
• Something stinks in Amish argument | The Amish horses are particularly prone to leaving horse residue outside the local United Methodist Church, not because the horses are anti-Methodist bigots but because the church is located on a corner protected by a stop sign (Bill Wineke, Wisconsin State Journal)
  
  
• Faith, art, and opposites attracting: A love story | In the war over religion in American life, Seattle Pacific University English instructors Greg and Suzanne Wolfe have found a way to act as both provocateurs and peacemakers. For 16 years, they've published the nonprofit quarterly Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion (The Seattle Times)
  
  
• God makes a comeback after a generation of neglect | A distinctive feature of 2005 is that it has been virtually impossible to get away from religion (Frank Devine, The Australian)
  
  
• Religion news in brief | Israel accused of dragging its feet on Greek patriarch, Oklahoma's disputed Ten Commandments display draws support, Nigeria Anglicans form pact with two U.S. groups outside Anglican Communion, and other stories (Associated Press)
  
  

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