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I’m heading to the Religion Newswriters Association’s annual conference, held in Durham, N.C. this year. Check out the schedule and let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like me to cover, in addition to the Buddhism session I’m moderating Saturday. You can also follow the conference on Twitter at #RNA2011 (you don’t…

For all the brouhaha over not having clergy lead prayers at the 9/11 anniversary ceremony at the new World Trade Center memorial yesterday, there was plenty of faith at the observance, including biblical readings from President Obama, former President George W. Bush and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In fact, it was impossible to find coverage…

Every time the 9/11 anniversary comes along, I’m torn between wanting to cover the hell out of it, and wanting to curl up in the fetal position until it goes away. Pretty much the same way I felt as a journalism student and native New Yorker on the morning of the attacks. (The fetal feeling won,…

I’m mystified that GOP presidential contenders still get away with dismissing climate change as a a mere “theory” (like gravity?), but even more so when the doubting Thomas comes in the form of Gov. Rick Perry, of the drought-stricken state of Texas — not to mention the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. Yet at last night’s Republican debate,…

Ramadan, the holy Islamic month of daytime fasting and spiritual reflection, has ended with the usual Eid-al-Fitr festival fanfare — plus some controversy at Rye’s Playland amusement park (my old stomping grounds), confusion in Indonesia, and continued civil disobedience in Egypt. Now American Muslims are preparing for the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, which…

Hurricane Irene may not have wreaked quite as much destruction as initially feared — my family and friends are all OK, if a bit waterlogged and powerless, but that’s typical after any big storm in the New York suburbs — but let’s remember that we all briefly breathed a sigh of relief when Hurricane Katrina…

I dearly love the premise of GetReligion, a blog that points out weaknesses in the mainstream media’s coverage of faith-related issues, but I do get annoyed at its conservative Christian perspective at times. For example, all the pearl-clutching over Bill Keller’s recent New York Times column, which made the point that since religion plays such…

I’ve been busy this week covering some interesting research studies (blog posts to follow) on  American faith, politics and behavior. In the meantime, the world is still turning — and shaking. Surprisingly, no word yet from Harold Camping or other doomsday Christians on whether this Virginia earthquake is another sign that we’re in End Times. Also, keep…

Growing up Orthodox Christian, I always scratched my head at the Catholic Church’s unique insistence on celibate parish priests. A priest’s wife can be such an asset to the community, and it certainly makes sermons and pastoral counseling feel more relevant when drawn from the priest’s personal experiences with marital and family issues. (Priests with…

Catholic World Youth Day is underway, with Pope Benedict and ministering to hundreds of thousands of teens and young adults who have converged on Madrid, Spain for August 15-21 celebration. (This event takes place every three years, visiting a different country each time.) On top of the thorough WYD 2011 coverage offered by Catholic outlets…
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