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God Gets Graphic

It is not in praise of the Creator that R. Crumb portrays him — in the splash page that begins his much-anticipated adaptation of Genesis in comic-book form — as Crumb sees his own father. He grew up in helpless terror of Charles Crumb Sr., a former Marine Corps master sergeant who lorded over his family with icy severity. Early in his progress on “The Book of Genesis,” Crumb was asked by Robert Hughes of Time magazine if he was drawing God to look like Mr. Natural (the burlesque cartoon shaman whom he has long employed to poke fun at pop spirituality). Crumb replied: “He has a white beard, but he actually ended up looking more like my father. He has a very masculine face.” Both paternity and masculinity are matters of dubious value to Crumb, a wonderfully unlikely candidate to breathe new life into the founding narrative of masculine privilege and paternal authority in the Judeo-Christian world.

More HERE.

Apostasy is a crime punishable by death in Islamic countries

Catholic Church Emerges as Key Player in Legislative Battle

Man confesses to shooting Kan. abortion provider

Inside the Gunman's Mosque

Christian Billboard Denies Church/State Separation; No One Outraged?

Haggard starting new church at his Springs home

Berlin bans fast-growing neo-Nazi group

DeConversion.org

Catholic League Angered By Larry David Peeing On Jesus

Demonstrate Against Al Muhajiroun

Nightline: Scientology Report - part 1

“No God” #1 trending topic on Twitter

In a classic case of irony, Christians tried to get the statement “No God, No Peace. Know God, Know Peace” to trend today on Twitter.

The result of this effort was the phrase “No God” became the #1 trending topic.

Please understand that atheists have been trying for months to get an atheist related topic to trend and this one was gifted to us.

More HERE.

Nigerian police raid Islamic sect, detain hundreds

Police in the western Nigerian state of Niger have raided an Islamic community and detained hundreds of its members, weeks after an uprising by a radical sect killed almost 800 in the remote northeast.

Gay marriage fight, `kiss-ins' smack Mormon image

The Mormon church's vigorous, well-heeled support for Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California last year, has turned the Utah-based faith into a lightning rod for gay rights activism, including a nationwide

‘Focus on the Family’ faces dire financial straits (maybe not)

Cypriots seeking love potions wear away saints' tomb

Unhappy lovers in Cyprus have been taking so much stone from the tomb of Saint Agapitikos to use in love potions that soon there won't be anything left.

Artist gets death threats for depicting Ganesh naked

An Indian artist has received violent threats from Hindu nationalists for
showing the popular god Ganesh in unusual poses, including naked and as an
Oscar statuette.

Court to rule if man can starve to death

A QUADRIPLEGIC who says his life is "hell" could be granted the right to die in a landmark ruling.

Law requiring ultrasound for abortions struck down

I have been abducted by aliens, says Japan's first lady

Move over Michelle, watch your backs, Carla and Sarah. There's a new kid on the first lady block, and she looks like upstaging the lot of you.

Couples told by Roman Catholic church to PRAY before sex

A new book brought out by the Roman Catholic Church invites couples setting out on their married life to recite a specially composed 'Prayer Before Making Love'.

Bachmann ‘hearing voices’ other than God’s, says top Dem

Suicide Madonnas are a shock too far for Israeli art enthusiasts

At first glance the exhibition which previewed in Tel Aviv this week was a collection of classic and very familiar images of the Madonna and child, with variations on the pious theme executed by Raphael, Botticelli and other Renaissance masters.

Legendary Christian coach canned after student converts

Fordson High School, Dearborn, Mich. A high school hall of fame and Christian wrestling coach in Dearborn, Mich., claims he was muscled out of his long-tenured coaching job by the school's principal, a devout Muslim, because the administrator was furious

Fanatic hijacked Mexican plane after 'revelation'

A Bolivian religious fanatic briefly hijacked a jetliner from the beach resort of Cancun as it landed in Mexico City on Wednesday, police said. All passengers and the crew were released unharmed.

Best-selling Bible to undergo revision

The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text.

Raw Story » UK lesbian couples get ‘equal rights’ to be named parents

Jaycee Dugard's Abduction Case Highlights Failure of Psychics

Amazingly, a Reno psychic is now claiming the case proves the accuracy of her abilities.

Flap over flag, hijab leads to suspension of Hernando student

A student is suspended for confronting a girl in a hijab for sitting during the pledge. SPRING HILL — Heather Lawrence didn't know the name of the girl with the Muslim head covering, or where she was from.

Jaycee's girls and God's Desire: 'like Little House on the Prairie meets robots'

Shari Arison, Israel's Wealthiest Woman, Says She Can See the Future. Really.

TEL AVIV The office door has a steel vault veneer, and Shari Arison -- controlling stockholder in Israel's largest bank and its largest construction company, heiress to the Carnival Cruise Lines fortune and head of a long list of other undertakings -- has a lot to protect.

After Ted Kennedy's Death, Silence from the Pope

The Vatican has never had the best relations with the Kennedy clan. And church conservatives are not mourning the passing of the U.S. Senator

Man indicted for threatening Boulder abortion doctor Warren Hern

Children sent home for wearing Islam is of the Devil shirts

Its pretty offensive, isnt it? Khan said of the message on the back of the shirt. Particularly in a school setting where you are trying to create an atmosphere where people are supposed to respect each other

Raw Story » Polls show atheists on the rise in America

Bachmann: Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform

Fla. man says Home Depot fired him over God button

Earlier this month, he began bringing a Bible to read during his lunch break at the store in the rural town of Okeechobee, about 140 miles north of Miami. That's when he says The Home Depot management told him he would have to remove the button.

Keezer refused, and he was fired on Oct. 23, he said.

More HERE.

Italy school crucifixes 'barred'

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against the use of crucifixes in classrooms in Italy.

The Vatican said it was shocked by the ruling, calling it "wrong and myopic" to exclude the crucifix from education.

More HERE.

Democrats’ healthcare bill would pay for ‘prayer’ treatment

Three senators have quietly inserted a provision into the Democrats' healthcare overhaul that would allow the Christian Science church to receive remuneration from the federal government for prayer treatments as medical expenses.

Why are liberal Democrats teaming up with a conservative senator for a provision that would normally be the bane of the Senate's liberal elite? Because the headquarters of the Christian Science church is in Boston.

More HERE.

'The Evolution of Confusion' by Dan Dennett, AAI 2009

Harlan Ellison talks about LRH

"The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion"

So what does an anti-choice woman do when she experiences an unwanted pregnancy herself? Often, she will grin and bear it, so to speak, but frequently, she opts for the solution she would deny to other women -- abortion.

More HERE.

Jordanian honor killing

A Jordanian man was charged on Sunday with premeditated murder after allegedly stabbing to death his 22-year-old daughter because she became pregnant outside wedlock, police said.

"The father and his brother took the girl on Saturday to a doctor because she suffered stomach pains, and everybody was surprised to learn that she was six months pregnant," a police spokesman said.

"On their way home, the father stabbed the girl with a sword 25 times in her stomach, killing her immediately as well as her unborn baby boy."

More HERE.

How to make 'Stigmata'

Oklahoma abortion law ‘like undressing women in public’

A new Oklahoma law that forces women who have had abortions to post details of the procedure online is being sharply criticized by women's rights groups, and is now being challenged in court by two Oklahoma women.

As of November 1, doctors in Oklahoma will be compelled -- under penalty of criminal prosecution -- to post the details of each abortion they perform online. Among the details to be posted for every abortion is the patient's age, marital status and race; her financial condition; her education; and the total number of her previous pregnancies.

More HERE.

African Children Denounced As "Witches" By Christian Pastors

EKET, Nigeria — The nine-year-old boy lay on a bloodstained hospital sheet crawling with ants, staring blindly at the wall.

His family pastor had accused him of being a witch, and his father then tried to force acid down his throat as an exorcism. It spilled as he struggled, burning away his face and eyes. The emaciated boy barely had strength left to whisper the name of the church that had denounced him – Mount Zion Lighthouse.

A month later, he died.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/18/african-children-denounce_n_324943.html

Texas man faces execution after jurors consult Bible to decide fate

Amnesty International has appealed to the state to commute the sentence on Khristian Oliver, 32, who is due to die on November 5.

He was sentenced to death in 1999 for murdering a man whose home Oliver was burgling. The victim was shot in the face and beaten with his own rifle.

It later emerged that while deciding whether he should be given the death penalty, jurors consulted the Bible. Four jury members admitted that several copies had been in the jury room and that highlighted passages were passed around.

At one point, a juror reportedly read aloud from a copy, including the passage: "And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death."

More HERE.

Why GOP Leader Opposes Hate Crimes Protections for Gays

In an email, Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said Boehner "supports existing federal protections (based on race, religion, gender, etc) based on immutable characteristics."

"He does not support adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes," Smith continued.

Boehner's position, then, appears to be grounded in the notion that immutable characteristics should be protected under hate crimes laws. And while religion is an immutable characteristic, his office suggests, sexual orientation is not.

More HERE.

HUMOR: If God Had Wanted Me To Be Accepting Of Gays, He Would Have Given Me The Warmth And Compassion To Do So

From The Onion:

I don't question God. The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall put none above Him. Which is why I know that if it were part of God's plan for me to stop viciously condemning others based solely on their sexual preference, He would have seen fit—in His infinite wisdom and all—to have given me the tiniest bit of human empathy necessary to do so.

It's a simple matter of logic, really. God made me who I am, and who I am is a cold, anti-gay zealot. Thus, I abhor gay people because God made me that way. Why is that so hard to understand?

More HERE.

Richard Dawkins: Keep Libel Laws OUT of Science

Coach took team to church, baptized them

The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service — and that the school district’s superintendent was there and did not object.

“Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,” said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.

“He said it would bring the team together,” Robert, a sophomore, said in an interview.

More HERE.

UFO belief

'I'll use my own judgment.'

The Discovery Institute and Censorship

Conservatives react after Lutherans lift gay ban

"This will cause an ever greater loss in members and finances. I can't believe the church I loved and served for 40 years can condone what God condemns," said the Rev. Richard Mahan, pastor at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Charleston, W.Va. "Nowhere in Scripture does it say homosexuality and same-sex marriage is acceptable to God. Instead, it says it is immoral and perverted."

More HERE.

Charlie Crist says prayer has spared Florida from hurricanes

He recently told a group of real estate agents Friday that Florida has been hurricane free thanks to prayer notes he placed on the Western Wall in Jerusalem. He said each year he has placed them there or has asked someone to place them. The notes, he said, say this: "Dear God, please protect our Florida from storms and other difficulties. Charlie."

More HERE.

Abstain from having kids, not sex

While the environmental impact of children is probably the most unselfish reason against procreating, the idea that your children will disappoint you always sticks with me. My parents had few expectations for me, which was a mixed blessing. The only real expectations my parents had for me was to be Catholic and to have children. I have failed at both.

More HERE.

Did Jesus reveal Obama as the antichrist?

According to WND, an “American Christian” identified only by his YouTube handle, ppsimmons, posted a video to YouTube explaining that a passage from the book of Luke that quotes Jesus may, in fact, be a warning that Barack Obama is Satan.

The passage, Luke 10:18, states: “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

As reported by David Neiwert at the Crooks and Liars blog, the video argues that, since the Hebrew words for “lightning” and “heaven” are “baraq” and “bamah,” respectively, and since Jesus spoke a language similar to Hebrew (Aramaic), Jesus’ message may have been “I beheld Satan as baraq bamah.”

More HERE.

Frank Schaeffer talks about the Right Wing

Fears for abortion doc after US Marshals remove protection

Dr. Leroy Carhart of Nebraska, who has announced his intention to take the place of the assassinated Dr. Tiller in providing late-term abortions to Kansas residents, had his U.S. Marshals protection pulled two weeks ago, says a report at the reproductive health news site RHRealityCheck.org.
More HERE.

Church says God will hold Pa. gunman accountable

More Church of Scientology defectors come forward

Airport chapels removing Christian symbols

Catholic bank owned pill shares

A Roman Catholic bank in Germany has apologised after admitting it bought stocks in defence, tobacco and birth control companies.

Der Spiegel newspaper discovered the bank had invested 580,000 euros (£495,310, $826,674) in British arms company BAE Systems.

More HERE.

Savita bhabhi tests India's patience for porn

U.S. military accused of atrocities against Iraqi gays

Homeless Man Leaves Behind Surprise: $4 Million

Billionaire Sheila Johnson supports homophobe for VA governor

Suspect in abortion doc's death pleads not guilty

Sudan 'trousers trial' adjourned

Nigerian troops kill 100 Islamic militants

Utah boy goes for spin to avoid church

...on the Ryan Commission Report

One of the most uncomfortable and heartbreaking videos you'll ever see...

Family of Hate (Again)

What kind of parents take kids on vacation to picket Walter Cronkite’s funeral, telling mourners yesterday he will burn in hell? John Avlon tags along with the sick clan behind the Westboro Church.

More HERE.

Fool!

Will Travolta leave Scientology?

There's a rumor going around that one of Scientology's most powerful proponents, John Travolta, is looking to leave the draconian religion once and for all. After the year he's had, it would make sense.

According to the Daily Mail - who rounded up some interesting quotes on the matter - it appears to be a very real possibility. To say Travolta's had a rough go of it recently would be putting it very, very lightly.

More HERE.

Peter Hitchens - radio debate

HUMOR: Climate Change Denial 101

Liberty Patriot Freedom Republic University is proud to present Climate Change Denial 101, an introductory four week course in the art of climate change denial featuring a new prayer topic every week, presented for the objective fundamentalist in an unbiased, socially conservative dominionist setting. Upon completing CCD 101, students should be able to defend the fossil fuel industry, willfully ignore and wildly mis-interpret data, and reconstruct their own apologetic to the secular consensus held by climate researchers.

Week 1 Introduction -- An overview of the global warming conspiracy with vigorous classroom discussion of why facts and science have an unfair liberal bias (All six pages in text booklet), and a careful review of the NASA Global Temperature Record with correct interpretations written by our crack science faculty (Attached graph). The class will then pray the demons out of James Hansen's soul.

More HERE.

Black Pastor Rents Texas Billboard

New 'shock' report into Irish church sex abuse

Adulterous Saudi Princess Granted British Asylum For Fears Of Death Penalty

Family planned to murder daughters, first wife

Third alleged affair tied to C Street Christian dorm

North Korea Executes Christian For Distributing Bible

Should Christian's have Unbelieving Friends?

Mark Sanford: Cheating SC Gov Says God Will Make Him Better

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, still clinging to office after admitting to an extramarital affair, wrote in an opinion piece released Sunday that God will change him so he can emerge from the scandal a more humble and effective leader.

"(W)hile none of us has the chance to attend our own funeral, in many ways I feel like I was at my own in the past weeks, and surprisingly I am thankful for the perspective it has afforded," Sanford wrote in the opinion piece widely published online Sunday by South Carolina newspapers.

Sanford, a two-term Republican, returned from a mysterious, nearly weeklong disappearance last month to reveal a romance with a longtime friend in Argentina. In a series of Associated Press interviews, he described the woman as his "soul mate" but said he would work to repair his relationship with his wife, Jenny, the mother of their four sons.

Some lawmakers have called for Sanford to resign, and one state senator plans hearings on whether state money was used to facilitate the trysts. A criminal probe found nothing illegal.

Sanford and his wife left the state earlier this week for an undisclosed location and are expected to return Sunday evening, spokesman Joel Sawyer said.

In the opinion, Sanford vows to work with lawmakers he's long fought and cites scripture and his faith in God – just as he's done in his few public appearances since admitting the affair.

"It's in the spirit of making good from bad that I am committing to you and the larger family of South Carolinians to use this experience to both trust God in his larger work of changing me, and from my end, to work to becoming a better and more effective leader," he wrote.

More HERE.

Baptist Publication Fakes Signatures on Kern's Morality Proclamation

Paralysed Kids Buried For Healing

Muslim woman in Malaysia sentenced to caning for drinking beer

Vatican launches inquiry into 'abusive' religious order

Mass 'Kiss-In' Protest At Mormon Temple Leads To Confrontation

Basiji militiaman: I raped virgins before their executions

Woman says she feared Alamo would hurt her sister

Neil deGrasse Tyson on "2012"

Apologists for Evil - Pat Condell

Solar eclipse pits superstition against science

Atheists sue to keep 'In God We Trust' off Capitol

Abortion is latest controversy in health overhaul

Existence of Atheists Scares Florida Christians

Atheists choose 'de-baptism' to renounce childhood faith

Sect leader gets prison time in Wis. corpse case

Brad Pitt Doesn't Believe In God

US Anglicans vote to allow ordination of gays

Conductor Edward Downes And Wife Joan Die In Swiss Suicide Clinic

Arizona governor approves abortion constraints

Oxymoronic 'homosexual Christians' focus of Barna report

NY Yankees settle 'God Bless America' suit

Pharmacists can't refuse Plan B pill, appeals court says

Episcopal bishop terms individualistic salvation 'heresy'

Indian yoga guru challenges gay sex ruling

‘C Street’ group tied to Ensign is linked to yet another secretive group

Sudan women 'lashed for trousers'

Saudi 'genie' sued for harassment

Baseball Idiots

Chilling extremism

Stolen Statue of Liberty replica decapitated in chilling video saying 'Death to America'

Gov. Perry Appoints Board of Education Chairman

"...she has fervidly advocated for Creationism in the classroom enough to draw plenty of criticism."
Story HERE.

Inside the 'Legion of Christ'

When Todd Carpunky was 16, he joined the Legion of Christ. I his six years with the Catholic order, he bore witness to a culture of sexual abuse that rocked the Church. Here, he talks candidly to Peter Stanford about the secretive world created by the order's founder while the papal authorities looked the other way.
Story HERE.

'Earth has been here for 6000 years...'

Rep. Steve King Lone Vote Against Acknowledging Slave Labor Construction Of US Capitol

Story HERE.

DADT Repeal effort

'Michael meant more to us than Jesus...'

CNN: Was Navy Sailor Killed Because He Was Gay?

Find God, win a trip to Mecca (or Jerusalem, or Tibet)

Turkish game show enlists imam, Greek Orthodox priest, rabbi and monk to try to convert atheists, with pilgrimage as reward.

Representative Sally Kern

More recent stuff HERE.

A Beautiful Speech by Matt Dillahunty

Truth Rundown: Scientology defectors

Child Molesting Priest Leads to 'Shattered' Faith

Peter Atkins: Galileo's Finger

In the last half of the VIDEO, Peter Atkins addresses 'Intelligent Design.'

Kayden Kross takes notes

Funny stuff... read them HERE.

Critics assail Afghan law that 'legalizes rape'

A new Afghan law makes it legal for men to rape their wives, human rights groups and some Afghan lawmakers said Thursday, accusing President Hamid Karzai of signing the legislation to bolster his re-election prospects. Critics worry the legislation undermines hard-won rights for women enacted after the fall of the Taliban's strict Islamist regime.

US university scraps porn after funding threat

The BRAD BLOG : VIDEO: Huckabee Jokes About Keeping Voters Away from the Polls in VA Gubernatorial Election

One man's ambivalent retreat from his racist past

Elwin Hope Wilson leans back in his recliner, a sad, sickly man haunted by time.

Meacham: The End of Christian America

The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades. How that statistic explains who we are now—and what, as a nation, we are about to become.

PoliGazette » Rasmussen to apologize to ‘Islamic World’

Rasmussen to apologize to 'Islamic World'

Egypt 'wife swap' couple jailed

An Egyptian couple are jailed by a Cairo court for organising and holding sex parties with other married couples.

Six gay men shot to death in Iraq by tribe members - CNN.com

Six gay men were shot dead by members of their tribe in two separate incidents in the past 10 days, an official with Iraq's Interior ministry said.

Obama: U.S. "Not A Christian Nation Or A Jewish Nation Or A Muslim Nation" (VIDEO)

Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage, Overrides Governor's Veto

The Associated Press: 10 Holy Cross priests object to Obama invitation

Parents accused of using sticks in 'demon' beating

Homes, cars, art seized in Colo. Ponzi scheme

A former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints allegedly operated a Ponzi scheme from his suburban Denver home for about 15 years, bilking investors out of millions of dollars to collect religious art and classic cars.

Dobson admits defeat

Rick Warren Cancels ABC Appearance "Moments Before," Claims "Exhaustion"

Yankees force "God Bless America" on fans: lawsuit

A man ejected from Yankee Stadium during the playing of a patriotic song has sued the baseball team and New York City, saying his civil rights were violated when police barred him from going to the bathroom.

Women protesting at 'pro-rape' law attacked by Afghan men - Asia, World - The Independent

Women marching against new legislation which effectively legalises rape met violent opposition from an opposing mob in Kabul yesterday.

Pakistan on course to become Islamist state, U.S. experts say

A growing number of U.S. intelligence, defense and diplomatic officials have concluded that there's little hope of preventing nuclear-armed Pakistan from disintegrating into fiefdoms controlled by Islamist warlords and terrorists, posing the a greater threat to the U.S. than Afghanistan's terrorist haven did before 9/11.

Vatican decries reaction to pope's condom remarks

Critics of the Catholic Church's social teachings are trying to intimidate Pope Benedict XVI into silence, the Vatican charged Friday in responding to attacks on the pontiff's remarks about AIDS and condom use.

Texas promotes transgender 're-education' legislation (OneNewsNow.com)

BBC NEWS | UK | Faith Diary: Vote Jesus?

This week - why the BNP is claiming Jesus as a supporter, Saudis' resist their strict Islamic laws, and the fate of churches with no congregations.

BBC NEWS | UK | Faith Diary

There's been a rising chorus of alarm from church leaders at what they regard as the "aggressive secularism" marginalising Christianity

Open-Mindedness

Hardline Saudi clerics urge TV ban on women, music

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A group of Saudi clerics urged the kingdom's new information minister on Sunday to ban women from appearing on TV or in newspapers and magazines, making clear that the country's hardline religious establishment is skeptical of a new push toward moderation. In a statement, the 35 hardline clergymen also called on Abdel Aziz Khoja, who was appointed by King Abdullah on Feb. 14, to prohibit the playing of music and music shows on television.

"We have great hope that this media reform will be accomplished by you," said the statement. "We have noticed how well-rooted perversity is in the Ministry of Information and Culture, in television, radio, press, culture clubs and the book fair."

Although it raises the pressure on the new minister, the recommendation is likely to have little effect. Khoja's appointment was part of a government shake-up by Abdullah that removed a number of hardline figures and is believed to be part of an effort to weaken the influence of conservatives in this devout desert kingdom.

"No Saudi women should appear on TV, no matter what the reason," the statement said. "No images of women should appear in Saudi newspapers and magazines."

More HERE.

George Tiller, Kansas Doctor, Acquitted In Late-Term Abortion Case

WICHITA, Kan. — One of the nation's few late-term abortion providers was acquitted Friday of misdemeanor charges stemming from procedures he performed, but moments after the verdict the state's medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that are nearly identical to those the jury had rejected.

Prosecutors had alleged that Dr. George Tiller had in 2003 gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires, but a jury took only about an hour to find him not guilty of all 19 counts.

Tiller, who could have faced a year in jail for even one conviction, stared straight ahead as the verdicts were read, with one of his attorneys patting his shoulder after the decision on the final count was declared. His wife, seated across the courtroom, fought back tears and nodded. The couple declined to speak to reporters afterward.

"You would hope it would be over," said Tiller attorney Dan Monnat, "but there is a group of people who want to suppress the constitutional rights of women."

More HERE.

What Does Don McLeroy Really Want to Teach?

This Week in God: Religion Costs Counties Cash, 'I Believe' License Plates, and Evolution

A round up of what went down in religious right circles this week.

VT Senate OKs marriage bill

Replay the video stream of the Vermont Senate vote on the same-sex marriage bill. Related coverage• Marriage vote worries Vermont politicians• Speaker: Marriage bill will pass House•

Christian valedictorian case headed for Supreme Court

Egan Says Celibacy Debate "Legitimate"

The Gitmo Guard Who Converted to Islam

Terry Holdbrooks stood watch over prisoners at Gitmo. What he saw made him adopt their faith.

Document: John Coale Scientology Memo

Pope orders probe into conservative order: report

US judge will drop charges in event of resurrection

A Religious War in Israel’s Army

JERUSALEM — The publication late last week of eyewitness accounts by Israeli soldiers alleging acute mistreatment of Palestinian civilians in the recent Gaza fighting highlights a debate here about the rules of war. But it also exposes something else: the clash between secular liberals and religious nationalists for control over the army and society.Several of the testimonies, published by an institute that runs a premilitary course and is affiliated with the left-leaning secular kibbutz movement, showed a distinct impatience with religious soldiers, portraying them as self-appointed holy warriors.

A soldier, identified by the pseudonym Ram, is quoted as saying that in Gaza, “the rabbinate brought in a lot of booklets and articles and their message was very clear: We are the Jewish people, we came to this land by a miracle, God brought us back to this land and now we need to fight to expel the non-Jews who are interfering with our conquest of this holy land. This was the main message, and the whole sense many soldiers had in this operation was of a religious war.”

More HERE.

New England pastor houses child killer, riles town

A pastor in this quiet, picturesque New England town thought he was doing the Christian thing when he took in a convicted child killer who had served his time but had nowhere to go. But some neighbors of the Rev. David Pinckney vehemently disagree, one even threatening to burn his house down after officials could find no one else willing to take 60-year-old Raymond Guay.

Sources: US to sign UN gay rights declaration

The Obama administration will endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that then-President George W. Bush had refused to sign, The Associated Press has learned.

Steven Johnson: A Live Chat on Science, Faith, Revolution, and the Birth of America -- Join me at 2pm (EST)

A Live Chat on Science, Faith, Revolution, and the Birth of America -- Join me at 2pm (EST) - The Huffington Post

Hijab debate lifts veil on limits of Norway's tolerance

A Muslim woman's request to wear a hijab with her police uniform has sparked national controversy.

Diane Tucker: Arab Women Beginning To Crack The Glass Ceiling

AFP: World Health Assembly: Pope Benedict "wrong"

Beheading: A Tradition

Christian salt seller hopes to shake up market

Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed

A scholar has rocked the world of biblical study with her claim that the Essenes, long attributed as the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, never existed

On Africa trip, pope says condoms won't solve AIDS

Condoms are not the answer to Africa's fight against HIV, Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday as he began a weeklong trip to the continent. It was the pope's first explicit statement on an issue that has divided even clergy working with AIDS patients.

Is Kabul the Capital of Oklahoma?

Egypt and Pakistan Push UN Resolution on “Anti-Muslim” Speech

'Right-to-Die' is a new reason to live

Michael Steele: Abortion Is An "Individual Choice"

Student facing twenty years in hell - Asia, World - The Independent

Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, the student journalist sentenced to death for blasphemy in Afghanistan, has been told he will spend the next 20 years in jail after the country's highest court ruled against him – without even hearing his defence.

"Great Sex" Sermons Cause Controversy In Alabama

A Ten Rock in the Park

The Supreme Court recently unanimously denied that a religious group had a free speech right to place a monument to its "Seven Aphorisms" in a town public park near where a monument to the Ten Commandments has stood for decades.

Heckler at Dawkins' OK Lecture

Army fired 11 soldiers in Jan. as openly gay

Video: South African women fall victim to 'corrective rape'

Across South Africa a rising tide of rape and violence is being used to suppress lesbian women

Claims of abuse by Catholic clergy rise - Crime & courts- msnbc.com

Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders saw a rise in molestation claims against clergy last year, according to a new report from U.S. bishops. Nearly all the 803 cases involved adults who said they had been abused as children decades ago.

Christian salt seller hopes to shake up market