The presidential candidates discuss their faith

Both Pres. Barack Obama and presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney answered nine questions from Cathedral Age.

You can read it here: CathedralAgeFaithAndTheElection

Romney’s favorite verse?

I am always moved by the Lord’s words in Matthew: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me.”
(matthew 25:35–36, kjv).

And Obama’s?

I do have a few favorites. Isaiah 40:31 has been a great source of encouragement in my life, and I quote from it often. Psalm 46 is also important to me; I chose to read it on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Niebuhr’s serenity prayer is a good one as well.
I’ve also been blessed to receive a daily devotional from my faith advisor, Joshua DuBois, who will send me Scripture or thoughts from people such as C.S. Lewis or Howard Thurman every morning.

 

If you’re heading for eternal glory…

…why fight so hard to stay alive?

DickG. sends this, an ABC News story about how deeply religious parents can sometimes be the family members most anxious to employ heroic measures to keep their loved ones alive.

Say what? I thought we already had the right to pray.

My fellow Missourians overwhelmingly passed a “Right to Pray” amendment yesterday, and God help ‘em.

You can read more about the legislation — which among other things allows students to skip any part of a lesson they believe violates their religious beliefs — here or here. Perhaps you can see some problems with such legislation. I certainly can. Sad that the entire language of the bill wasn’t included on the ballot. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

The ballot did not mention language in the amendment allowing students to refuse to participate in school assignments that violate religious beliefs, or ensuring elected officials the right to pray on government property.

“This was misleading in its presentation and possibly unconstitutional in its application, so now we’re headed for the courts,” said Karen Aroesty of the Anti-Defamation League of Missouri and Southern Illinois. “We’ll let the next branch of the democratic process do its part, and I suspect a case will be on file pretty soon.”

Critics have warned the amendment will indeed open the door to taxpayer-funded lawsuits.

“This is going to be a nightmare for school districts, which will end up getting sued by individuals on both sides of church-state debate,” said Alex Luchenitser, associate legal director for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. “This is the most far-out constitutional amendment we’ve seen in the church-state area.”

Thank you, Islamic world, for the coffee and democracy

And thank you, Leftover, for this link.

And Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Just because he’s a Muslim…

Imam Khalid Latif reflects on Ramadan, which continues until Aug. 19. He writes:

Just because I am a Muslim, does not mean I am a threat. Just because I am Muslim, doesn’t justify me being treated differently from anyone else. People every day are facing this reality because of their skin color, country of origin, culture, ethnicity, religious affiliation and many other variables. The emotional anxiety that is felt is not really describable. I’ve seen women who are pregnant in the detaining rooms and grandmothers in the glass box as their grandchildren watch them go through these experiences. To anyone who has gone through something similar, I’m sorry that you have been treated like that. It’s not OK for you to be singled out or for anyone to justify a racist profiling of you and people like you. Be strong and true to who you are. The solution is not to hide yourself, but empower yourself, share your story and ensure that you are doing what you can so that those who come after you won’t have to go through something similar.

A Buddhist’s perspective on access to guns

Right here.

And if you want to read more on guns in America, go here.

God and the eurozone

In regard to the eurozone financial crisis, Chris Bowlby at BBC News asks:

Discussion among eurozone leaders about the future of their single currency has become an increasingly divisive affair. On the surface, religion has nothing to do with it – but could Protestant and Catholic leaders have deep-seated instincts that lead them to pull the eurozone in different directions, until it breaks?

 

Jesus the teacher

Yep times 4

Americans are losing confidence in religion

Read it and weep.

You can read more here or here.

And thanks, DickG., for the link.