[Islam, Christianity]Desire to divorce leads Catholics to convert to Islam, says Coptic patriarch
e easiest way to get out of a marriage, for a Christian whether its the man or the woman, is to become Muslim - for them it is easy to divorce and have the benefit of full rights against the other partner or spouse and full custody of the children.
Posted on Sep 03 2010

[Religion Trends, Christianity]New Lutheran Church born in schism
The vote followed the ELCA's decision to move gay pastors into its fold, becoming the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. to allow noncelibate gays into its ranks. The move came during Lutheran CORE's annual meeting, held this year in a Church of the Nazarene megachurch in Grove City, just south of Columbus.
Posted on Aug 31 2010

[Catholic]In message to nuns, pope says Mother Teresa models 'Christian virtue'
– Marking the special year that begins today for the centenary of the birth of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope Benedict XVI "joins himself spiritually" to the celebrations and expresses confidence that it will allow "the Church and the world" to " joyful gratitude to God for the inestimable gift that Mother Teresa was in her lifetime". The message signed by the Pope, addressed to Sister Prema, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, asks the sisters to continue the work of Mother, becoming " draw closer to the person of Jesus, whose thirst for souls is sated by your ministry to him in the poorest of the poor... the sick, the lonely and the abandoned. "
Posted on Aug 26 2010

[Religion Trends, Christianity, Anglican]Homosexuality against Word of God__ African bishops
"Homosexuality is incompatible with the word of God," said conference host and Ugandan Archbishop Uganda Henry Luke Orombi.
Posted on Aug 24 2010

[Religion Trends, Politics]More Americans say Obama is Muslim
– Roughly one in five Americans wrongly saysPresident Barack Obama is a Muslim, according to two new US opinion polls out Thursday amid a furor over a planned mosque near New York's "Ground Zero." And roughly 30 percent of Americans say followers of Islam should be barred from running for president or serving on the US Supreme Court, according to one of the surveys, published in Time magazine and available on Time.com. The Time poll found 24 percent of respondents said they believed Obama -- who attends a Christian church and has repeatedly spoken out about his faith -- is a Muslim, while 18 percent said the same in a study from the non-partisan Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Posted on Aug 19 2010

[Religion Trends, Islam, Politics]New York archbishop to mediate in mosque dispute
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has volunteered to act as a mediator in an increasingly bitter debate over plans to build a mosque near the "Ground Zero" site of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Posted on Aug 19 2010

[Religion Trends]Survey _ 1 in 8 Americans Switched Out of Christianity
According to the Christian research group, the most common reasons for leaving Christianity included life experiences, such as gaining new knowledge or education; feeling disillusioned with church and religion.
Posted on Aug 17 2010

[Islam, Christianity]Christians and Muslims from Algeria to Italy in the footsteps of Saint Augustine
Among them are Muslim converts and catechumens. They want to pray for the Church to accept Muslims who want to be baptized. A Berber cross commemorating the pilgrimage to Milan (where Augustine received baptism and Pavia his tomb.
Posted on Aug 13 2010

[Religion Trends, Christianity]Catholic parish to host Episcopal Church ordination of gay rights proponent
Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will ordain an Episcopal cleric from New York State as the Episcopal bishop of Alaska on September 4. The ceremony will take place at a Catholic parish in Anchorage. The bishop elect was a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester’s Committee for Gay and Lesbian Ministry.
Posted on Aug 12 2010

[Religion Trends, Christianity]ELCA Reports Biggest-Ever Drop in Membership
By the end of 2009, ELCA membership stood at 4.5 million – 90 thousand less than the year before, reported the ELCA Office of the Secretary and ELCA Research and Evaluation. Before the latest drop, the biggest loss was 79 thousand – a drop witnessed in 2005.
Posted on Aug 11 2010