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January 24th, 2011
11:02 PM ET
Exposed priest: We shouldn't have to choose between marriage, faithBy the CNN Wire Staff Almost two years after racy photos exposed his relationship with a woman and prompted the end of his tenure as a Roman Catholic priest and media star, Albert Cutie on Monday said celibacy is not necessary or particularly healthy for those aiming to heed God's call. Speaking with HLN's Richelle Carey to promote his best-selling book, "Dilemma," Cutie (pronounced koo-tee-AY) criticized Catholic doctrine that prohibited priests from marrying. The South Florida resident married the woman shown in those photos - one of his former parishioners, Ruhama B. Canellis. After leaving the Roman Catholic Church, he started on the path to become an Episcopalian priest in spring 2009. "Unfortunately, (Catholic) priests are forced to choose between something that is very good - like your love for God and the church - and something that is also very good - which is the love of your partner, your wife," he said.
January 24th, 2011
08:01 PM ET
Pastor Joel Osteen: Homosexuality is "a sin"Best-selling author and Pastor Joel Osteen, and his wife Victoria Osteen, are the guests on Wednesday's "Piers Morgan Tonight," and the hour-long discussion touches on faith, finances, charity and more. But one part related to a topic Osteen rarely discusses – sin. Specifically, why homosexuality is a sin, and according to the scriptures, Elton John is a sinner. "The scriptures shows that it's a sin," said Osteen in the interview. "But you know, I'm not one of those that are out there to bash homosexuals and tell them that they're terrible people and all of that. I mean, there are other sins in the Bible too...I don't believe homosexuality is God's best for a person's life."
January 24th, 2011
07:40 PM ET
Al Qaeda-linked group attacked church in Egypt, authorities sayThe Palestinian Islamic Army, which has links to al Qaeda, carried out the New Year's Day attack on a Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt, that left almost two dozen people dead, Interior Minister Habib al-Adly said Sunday. It was not immediately clear what evidence he had or whether anyone had been arrested. A spokesman for the Army of Islam, Abu Musanna, denied the allegation Sunday, saying the group had no link to the attack. Egyptian authorities earlier this month released a sketch of a man they think is responsible for the attack. "The man in the picture is unknown and authorities are trying to confirm his identity," Col. Alla Mahmoud of the Interior Ministry said at the time. Read the full story here on the suspect in the church attacks in Egypt.  An anti-abortion protestor prays silently in front of the Supreme Court as an officer looks on.
January 24th, 2011
05:59 PM ET
Thousands rally against abortion on Capitol HillBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor Thousands of abortion opponents joined Monday afternoon in a cold march on Capitol Hill, beginning on the National Mall and ending at the Supreme Court building. Saturday marked the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal throughout the United States. Organizers planned the rally for Monday so marchers could visit with their congressional representatives to express their opposition to the law. As thousands of bundled-up marchers walked up Constitution Avenue, some prayed the rosary, feeding wooden rosary beads through gloved fingers. Others held signs calling for the government to "Defund Planned Parenthood." Barbara Murray, a real estate agent from Havertown, Pennsylvania, who is Catholic, came down by bus with a group of 80 others. She said she has high hopes for the new GOP majority in Congress.  Lt. John Corbin fights his way through Armegedon Now: World War 3 a Christian comic about the end of days.
January 24th, 2011
06:00 AM ET
Armageddon illustratedBy Gabe LaMonica, CNN It’s the end of the world: Terrorists release deadly gas in New York City, then set off a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles, while an earthquake in the city of Jerusalem collapses the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Then a million soldiers are killed in “the greatest single battle in the history of the world.” At least that's how it's envisioned in a new graphic novel, "Armageddon Now: World War 3," the collaborative brainchild of Phil Hotsenpiller, a pastor who specializes in prophecy, and Rob Liefeld, one of the most polarizing artists in the comic book industry. “Ezekiel actually talks about what happens prior to the battle of Armageddon,” said Hotsenpiller, explaining his use of Old Testament passages in bringing scripture to life in comic book form.
January 24th, 2011
05:00 AM ET
Opponent of NYC Islamic center becomes advocate for mosques nationwide An artist's rendering of a proposed mosque in Temecula, California that has met local opposition but is supported by the Anti-Defamation League. By Dan Gilgoff, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor When the Anti-Defamation League - a leading Jewish group devoted to fighting anti-Semitism and "all forms of bigotry" - came out against the construction of an Islamic center and mosque near New York's ground zero last year, some critics alleged that the organization had lost its way. "I would have expected the ADL to support the building of this Muslim community center," wrote Alan Dershowitz, an influential legal and Jewish voice. "...At the very least I would have expected it to remain silent and not to lend its powerful and distinguished voice to an opposition that includes many bigots." Stephen Prothero, a prominent religion professor and CNN Belief Blog contributor, said the ADL's opposition to the Lower Manhattan Islamic center showed that the group and its leader, Abraham L. Foxman, "no longer occupy a moral high ground." CNN host and Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria returned an award and honorarium he'd received a few years earlier from the ADL, saying he hoped the move would "spur them to... return to their historic, robust defense of freedom of religion in America." But several months after the controversy over the New York Islamic center has died down, the Anti-Defamation League has quietly emerged as a leading advocate for mosque construction projects that have run into local opposition across the country. |
  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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