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August 2nd, 2010
06:27 PM ET
NY panel to vote on landmark status for ground zero mosque siteBy Allan Chernoff, CNN Senior Correspondent New York (CNN) - The building slated to house a proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero leads Tuesday's agenda for a meeting of New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission. The 11 commissioners will vote whether to grant landmark status to 45-47 Park Place. It and an adjoining building are owned by real estate developer Soho Properties which intends to build an Islamic center two blocks north of Ground Zero. Watch the commission's vote now on CNN.com Live While the public vote has been the focus of much debate about the planned Islamic center and mosque, the commission cannot prevent the developers from building such a community center. The commission, by designating the building a landmark, can only prevent Soho Properties from demolishing the building or significantly altering its exterior.
August 2nd, 2010
03:09 PM ET
For sale: Bible said to have belonged to Mormonism's founderFrom CNN Salt Lake City affiliate KSL: The rarest of rare books, a one-of-a-kind family Bible, has surfaced in Salt Lake City. It's going on sale at an asking price of $1.5 million. That's because its original owner was evidently Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "It is in fact, unique," said rare books dealer Ken Sanders. "It's the only copy in the world, the family Bible belonging to the founder of Mormonism and his first wife, Emma Hale Smith."
August 2nd, 2010
02:22 PM ET
Chilean archbishop criticizes Argentina's same-sex marriage lawThe battle over same-sex marriage in Latin America has moved to Chile, where the nation's Roman Catholic archbishop said this weekend such unions are an "aberration." The comments by Monsignor Francisco Javier Errazuriz came just days after a same-sex marriage in neighboring Argentina, where a law approving the unions nationwide went into effect in mid-July. A Chilean senator said in June he will introduce a bill that would recognize civil unions among gay couples. Passage of the bill is far from certain.
August 2nd, 2010
02:08 PM ET
Katy Perry opens up on religious upbringingKaty Perry sang about kissing girls, and now she's talking tongues: In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Perry reveals that her Christian minister parents spoke in tongues when she was growing up. The California girl, who has "Jesus" tattooed on her left wrist, tells the magazine, "Speaking in tongues is as normal to me as 'Pass the salt..' It's a secret, direct prayer language to God." Perry, 25, adds that her dad usually speaks in tongues while her mom plays interpreter. "That's their gift," she explains.
August 2nd, 2010
02:01 PM ET
Peter Berger in Blogostan
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN Peter Berger is perhaps the most influential living scholar of religion, the author of such classics (and bestsellers) as The Sacred Canopy and The Social Construction of Reality. As of a few weeks ago, he is also a blogger, the man behind "Religion and Other Curiosities" at American Interest Online. I had the pleasure of getting to know Berger a bit after taking a job a decade or so ago at Boston University, where until his recent retirement (of sorts) he directed BU's Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs and held forth as a professor of religion, sociology and theology.
August 2nd, 2010
11:05 AM ET
Ray Bradbury on God, 'monsters and angels'Science fiction author Ray Bradbury, who turns 90 this month, says he will sometimes open one of his books late at night and cry out thanks to God. "I sit there and cry because I haven't done any of this," he told Sam Weller, his biographer and friend. "It's a God-given thing, and I'm so grateful, so, so grateful. The best description of my career as a writer is, 'At play in the fields of the Lord.' " Bradbury's stories are filled with references to God and faith, but he's rarely talked at length about his religious beliefs, until now.
August 2nd, 2010
08:20 AM ET
My Take: Why I support Anne Rice but am still a Christian
By Brian McLaren, Special to CNN Novelist Anne Rice recently made an important announcement: She has “quit Christianity.” Her choice and the reasoning behind it are far too interesting to simply be praised or blamed, agreed with or quarreled with. Anne was raised Catholic, left the faith at 18, described herself as an atheist for most of her adult life, returned to Catholicism in her fifties, and then last week announced—via Facebook—that she is no longer a Christian. She has concluded that she will never truly belong to the “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group” known as Christians unless she becomes “anti-gay … anti-feminist … anti-artificial birth control … anti-Democrat … anti-secular humanism … anti-science … anti-life.” |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.
Editor's Note: 