'Yo Mama' artist debates with Catholic critic | Renee Cox defended her depiction of Christ as a nude black woman in a debate on Tuesday with William Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. (The New York Times)
'Last Supper' with cartoon characters under fire | "What you see in the statement are our recognizable figures," says director of Chicago Athenaeum, where painting is displayed. "They're more recognizable (to most people) than the 12 apostles. It's a statement about our culture. It is a fun painting." (The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Illinois)
Foreign aid hike pushed | Bush considers Helms' call for 'faith-based' initiative (USA Today)
Religious groups wary of Bush plan | John DiIulio calls concerns of Lutheran, Catholic, and Jewish groups "misplaced" (Associated Press)
Prolife issues:
Abortionist convicted of manslaughter | LouAnne Herron, died when her uterus had been ruptured by a medical instrument during a 1998 abortion. (Associated Press)
Fetus bill moves on | Emotional plea to let families bury fetuses that die in the womb aids Colorado House committee approval (The Gazette, Colorado Springs)
Russia's Antichrist concerns:
Antichrist fears put church in crisis | Russian Orthodox Church's Theological Commission warns that Patriarch Alexy II and the Holy Synod will be deemed traitors of Orthodoxy if they give their blessing to Russians to accept the "number of the beast" (The Moscow Times)
Analysis: Choosing the next pope | The next conclave is unlikely to elect a pope who is prepared to reconsider such controversial issues as contraception, priestly celibacy and the ordination of women. (BBC)
Ethnic employees to be given time off for prayers | Laws to protect people from religious discrimination are being planned by the Government despite warnings from businessmen that they will create yet more costly red tape. (The Daily Telegraph, London)
Colorado children's deaths rekindle debate on religion | The deaths of three Colorado children whose parents denied them medical treatment on religious grounds have fueled support for legislation that would prevent parents from using their religion as a defense against prosecution. (The New York Times)
Dr. Laura will go to bat for divorce bill | State House bill would require parents to go through a year of counseling before a divorce is final. (The Gazette, Colorado Springs)
Reducing the Word of God | Guinness Book of World Records endorses Bible that's only 1.9 centimeters tall (The Montreal Gazette)
Choir, minister up for Grammy | The Rev. Hezekiah Walker and the choir at Bensalem's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church have been nominated for a best contemporary soul gospel album Grammy for "Family Affair." (Associated Press)
Idaho library board approves Net filtering plan | East Bonner County library board decides that parents will choose whether to allow their children unrestricted Internet access on library computers (Associated Press/Freedom Forum)
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Our new Dark Age | Loss of faith is a danger to us all because it opens the way for a return to paganism and superstition (Ruth Gledhill, The Times)
Boy Scouts' values worth defending | In shaping the identity of millions of boys over the past 90 years, Scouting has done immeasurable good. If gay activists can succeed in demonizing the Scouts and eventually bending the group to their will, anything is possible. (Don Feder, Boston Herald)
With corporate consolidation in worship music, more entities are invested in the songs sung on Sunday mornings. How will their financial incentives shape the church?