Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Cardinal Writes to Priests Prior to Election
posted on November 5, 2012At The Chicago Tribune, Manya A. Brachear reports that in a letter, “Cardinal Francis George … suggested that priests in the Chicago Archdiocese remind parishioners on Sunday that Catholic social teaching should guide their voting decisions” in the election this week. “The principles are not partisan,” George said, “but the hierarchy of the values they espouse and the evils they condemn is clear and needs to be used by Catholics.”
Is It Ethical to Defy Evacuation Orders?
posted on November 5, 2012In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, at Religion News Service G. Jeffrey MacDonald analyzes the ethics of evacuation orders. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called those who defied orders to evacuate ahead of the storm “selfish” for putting the lives of “first responders in significant, significant danger … because you decided that you wanted to be hardheaded.” “The idea of evacuation as a moral duty has gained traction among some local officials, theologians and hurricane survivors,” writes MacDonald. “But others find the notion misguided, uncompassionate and a threat to individual liberties.”
Neo-Nazis Stockpiling Legal and Illegal Weapons
posted on November 5, 2012For Deutsche Welle, Marco Muller reports that Neo-Nazis in Germany are stockpiling large caches of weapons. “But police are finding it an uphill battle to deal with the problem,” writes Muller, because the legality of the weapons possession is in question. “”We have to prove that a person is not fit – for whatever reason – to own a gun,” says Rainer Wendt, chairman of the German police union.
French Church Says Gay Marriage Law Just for the Few
posted on November 5, 2012For Reuters, Tom Heneghan writes that the Catholic Church in France is objecting to new legislation to legalize gay marriage in that country. “Speaking in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, Paris Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois urged Catholics to show their opposition to a planned marriage reform by writing and speaking to their elected officials or taking part in protest marches,” reports Heneghan. “The presidential and legislative elections (earlier this year) did not give them carte blanche, especially not for reforms that very profoundly affect the equilibrium of our society,” said Cardinal Vingt-Trois.
Heartbeat: My Involuntary Miscarriage and ‘Voluntary Abortion’ in Ohio
posted on November 5, 2012At The Huffington Post, Tamara Mann chronicles her decision to terminate her 13-week-old pregnancy when a sonogram showed that the fetus was severely deformed. Because the fetus had a heartbeat, Mann discovered that her insurance deemed the procedure “an optional abortion.” Mann writes that the preoccupation “with the heartbeat” as a sign of life is not one found in own Jewish faith. “In Judaism, the dominant metaphor for life is not the heartbeat–it is the breath. In Genesis 2:7, God breathes life into man: ‘Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man become a living soul.'”
Egypt’s Coptic Church Chooses New Pope
posted on November 5, 2012For the Associated Press, Aya Batrawy reports that, following the death of Pope Shenouda III, Bishop Tawadros was chosen to become the new leader of the Egyptian Coptic Church. “The papal election comes during a shift in Christian attitudes toward their relation to the state,” writes Batrawy. “For years, Christians largely relied on the church to secure protection for their rights, using Shenouda’s close relationship with [deposed President Hosni] Mubarak.”
Adding a Ritual to a Wedding: Showing Support for Gay Marriage
posted on November 5, 2012For The New York Times, Samuel G. Freedman describes a growing trend in the wedding ceremonies of straight couples to include a ritualized reading of the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage in that state. “While much of the heat and light in this election season has centered on four states with ballot measures on same-sex marriage–Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington–social change is being advanced by newlyweds using the moral and religious force of the wedding ceremony,” writes Freedman.
The Case of the Mormon Historian
posted on November 2, 2012David Haglund at Slate investigates the story of Michael Quinn, a Mormon historian who focused on the “‘problem areas’ of the religion’s past.” Quinn’s research created uproar in the Mormon Church, eventually leading to his excommunication. In spite of the excommunication, Quinn still feels that no other faith “has driven him to contribute to the lives of others the way the faith in which he was born and raised once did.”
Female Lutheran Pastor Mounts Uphill Bid for Ohio Congressional Seat
posted on November 2, 2012For Religion News Service, David Yonke reports that Angela Zimmann, an ordained Lutheran minister, is currently running as the Democratic challenger in the race for Ohio’s 5th Congressional District. Zimmann, the pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Riga, Michigan, stated, “Being from the Christian faith, our values are to care for the needy. The Bible talks about helping the elderly and the widows, and I see that as an analogy for helping anyone who doesn’t have their needs met.”
Suicide by Choice? Not So Fast
posted on November 2, 2012At The New York Times, Ben Mattlin considers the issue of physician assisted-suicide. Mattlin, a self-described “lifelong disabled person,” finds fault in the idea that this choice might be forced upon disabled people whose situations are described as hopeless: “I can’t help wondering why we’re in such a hurry to ensure the right to die before we’ve done all we can to ensure that those of us with severe, untreatable, life-threatening conditions are given the same open-hearted welcome, the same open-minded respect and the same open-ended opportunities due everyone else,” writes Mattlin.