Did you watch Diane Sawyer’s interview with abduction survivor Jaycee Dugard last night? There are a lot of parallels to the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, though Smart was rescued after nine months, while Dugard was held captive for 18 years, giving birth twice in her backyard prison. Both Smart’s kidnapper Brian David Mitchell and Dugard’s kidnapper Phillip…

In the spirit of summertime and my own recent hiatus, I’ve enjoyed the “Pope takes a vacation” stories on this appropriately slow news week. (Perhaps he’s already burned out from tweeting?) Pope Benedict Begins His Busy Vacation (Catholic News Agency) Vatican Reflects on Spiritual Benefits of Vacation (Catholic News Agency) Vatican: God Bless Vacation (USA…

One of my favorite religious sayings is “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” though I usually mean it in a light-hearted way. Still, it comes to mind now, as we see the frenzy of outrage over “Tot Mom” Casey Anthony’s not guilty verdict, and speculation on whether she’ll be getting some kind of divine justice instead,…

Sorry for the delay, folks — technical difficulties! The Huffington Post’s Religion section published a range of July 4-themed columns, reflecting the range of beliefs practiced in the United States these days: ‘God of Liberty’: The Role of Religion in American Independence The Torah, The Constitution & The 4th of July The 4th of July:…

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