 |
|
|
|
 CNN I-Reporter Aaron Baer took this photo of a prayer walk at the Arizona state house Monday morning.
January 10th, 2011
03:45 PM ET
Arizona prayer walkEditor's Note: CNN I-Reporter Aaron Baer of Phoenix, Arizona brings us this report. Baer works for Center for Arizona Policy, a non-profit organization in Phoenix. Every year his organization has a prayer walk at the start of the legislative session but said attendance was way up this year in light of the recent tragedy. 
January 10th, 2011
12:58 PM ET
Independent commission to continue work on government's televangelist reviewBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has asked the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, a Christian financial accreditation group, to pick up where his office's review of televangelists and taxes left off. On Thursday the ECFA established the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, appointing CPA Michael Batts as the chair of the group. Their task is to take a look at the recommendations from the Grassley review, such as evaluating whether churches and houses of worship should file the yearly detailed financial reports that other nonprofits file, called the IRS Form 990. They will also examine whether housing allowance exclusions for clergy should be curbed, whether a ban against religious groups endorsing or actively support political activities should be repealed, and whether clarity is needed in the tax code when "love offerings" are given to clergy.
January 10th, 2011
10:22 AM ET
Pope upset over Christian attacksThe pope worries about a recent spate of attacks on Christians worldwide. CNN's Jill Dougherty reports.  Pakistani Islamists shout slogans during a rally in Karachi Sunday against the amendment of the blasphemy laws.
January 10th, 2011
10:18 AM ET
Thousands demonstrate in support of Pakistan's blasphemy lawThousands of people turned out in Karachi Sunday to show their support for Pakistan's current blasphemy laws and warn the government against changing the laws. The rally, called by the leaders of several hard-line Islamic groups, closed main roads and markets throughout the city. Demonstrators demanded Pakistan leave its blasphemy laws untouched. They make it a crime punishable by death to insult Islam, the Quran or the Prophet Mohammed. A number of banners at the rally stated support for Muhammad Mumtaz Qadri, accused of shooting the governor of Punjab province earlier this month. Qadri was a bodyguard for Gov. Salman Taseer, a liberal lawmaker who spoke out against the blasphemy laws. Qadri told police he assassinated Taseer because "he did blasphemy of the Prophet Mohammed."
January 10th, 2011
07:00 AM ET
My Take: Rep. Giffords and the karma of politics as war
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN My reflections on America's latest assassination attempt and on politics as "the continuation of war by other means" begin with one simple claim: ideas matter, as do the words we use to express them. We do not yet know what moved the killer to take aim at Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday. But we know that when he shot her and murdered six others, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, he did not act in a vacuum. He acted in a state where handguns such as the 9 mm Glock he reportedly used are about as easy to get as cigarettes. |
  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.  |
|
|
|
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.