David Gibson
David Gibson is an award-winning religion journalist, author, filmmaker, and a convert to Catholicism... moreDid 'W' Dis the Palins? Bush Says He Doesn't Watch 'Dancing With the Stars'
Barbara Bush made waves last week when she gave a soft-as-steel brush off to Sarah Palin, as the former first lady told Larry King that Palin is beautiful and seems happy in Alaska, "and I hope she'll stay there." Could Bush's son, former President George W. Bush, have taken a cue from his mom -- and a sideswipe at the Palin clan? Bush and Palin are on dueling national book tours these days -- his a recollection of what it was like in the Oval Office, called "Decision Points," and hers a recollection of why she wants to be in the Oval Office, called "America by Heart." On Monday, Bush's ...
Bible Protects Against Global Warming? Energy Chair Hopeful Tells Us So
The House's new Republican leadership will begin doling out coveted committee chairs after the Thanksgiving break, and it's unclear whether Rep. John Shimkus is helping his chances to lead the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee by arguing that climate change is a myth because God told Noah he would never again destroy the Earth by flood. Shimkus, an Illinois Republican, who won his seventh term this month, earned a dubious bit of YouTube notoriety in March 2009 when he told a subcommittee hearing on energy and the environment that we needn't worry about global warming because of Genesis ...
FBI: Hate Crimes and Anti-Religious Offenses Declined in 2009
The FBI says the number of reported hate crimes dropped significantly in 2009 from the previous year, to their lowest point in more than 15 years, despite the deepening recession and growing social tensions. Anti-religious crimes also declined, although attacks against Jewish targets continued to far outstrip incidents aimed at Muslims and Islamic sites. Whether that downward trend -- and the proportionally low number of anti-Muslim incidents -- continued into 2010 will only come to light in next year's report. Given the supercharged political atmosphere that marked this election year, and ...
Saying Grace at Thanksgiving? Pray There's a Republican at the Table
Talk about grace under pressure. As families and loved ones gather around the table on Thursday for one of the most beloved rituals of the national religion -- that would be Thanksgiving, the Norman Rockwell version -- all eyes will be on the person designated to lead the diners in giving thanks, with God being the traditional object of the praise. If you are a Republican, chances are good that you will take up the task with a glad heart and a practiced tongue. If you are a Democrat, you may want to pray -- for perhaps the first time in your life -- that there's a Republican at the table. ...
Pope's High Praise of Holocaust-Era Predecessor Sparks Jewish Ire
Coverage of Pope Benedict XVI's new book-length interview has focused almost exclusively on his remarks about using condoms to prevents AIDS, but Jewish leaders are voicing objections to his unqualified praised for his war-time predecessor, Pius XII, whose record during the Holocaust is a perennial source of frictions between the Vatican and the Jewish community. "For his part, [Pius XII] did all that he could to save people," Benedict tells German journalist Peter Seewald in the book, titled "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times," which is to be formally ...
Christian Right Activist Blasts Medal of Honor as 'Feminized,' Sparks Fury
Related Stories Obama Bestows Medal of Honor on Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta Army Sgt. Salvatore Giunta Earns Medal of Honor for Afghan Firefight Pentagon Nominates Medal of Honor for Living Veteran, First Since Vietnam While a divided nation last Tuesday finally rallied around one bright shining moment of patriotic glory -- President Obama's awarding of the Medal of Honor to Afghan hero Army Sgt. Salvatore Giunta -- a popular right-wing Christian commentator sharply split opinions even within his own camp. He blasted the award as "feminized" because it honors Giunta for saving his ...
Pope OKs Condoms in Some Cases, Such as Prostitutes Avoiding HIV
Pope Benedict XVI has said that in special cases, such as that of prostitutes trying to prevent HIV infection, condoms could be justified under Catholic ethical thinking, especially if their use leads to an awareness that engaging in such a "banalization of sexuality" is morally harmful. Many reports portrayed the pope's statements as a stunning reversal for the church, although Benedict was actually articulating longstanding Catholic tradition on the morality of preventing HIV and was not approving condoms for birth control. But his remarks were important for the extent of their explanation ...
Pope Is No Tea Partier: Benedict Backs Guaranteed Health Care For All
As newly empowered Republicans prepare a congressional agenda topped by a promise to repeal health care reform, Pope Benedict XVI has strongly reiterated Catholic teaching that universal health care is an "inalienable right" that must be guaranteed by every nation and society. "It is necessary to work with greater commitment at all levels so that the right to health is rendered effective, favoring access to primary health care," Benedict said in a message on Thursday to the 25th annual conference of the Vatican office that promotes health care ministry. "Health justice should be among the ...
Holy Cities, Holistic Bodies: Men's Health Ranks Religious Hot Spots
The popular magazine Men's Health is best known for its glossy cover shots of guys with six-pack abs and features on diets and workouts so that you, too, can look like Mark Wahlberg (this month's pin-up), as well as advice on keeping your prostate healthy and your sex drive turbocharged. So when the latest edition hit the newsstands this week with a piece called "Holy Hometowns," it made some readers sit up a little straighter in their office chairs, and not just to strengthen their abdominal core. The unusual feature was part of the magazine's regular "Metrogrades" rankings of various ...
Catholic Bishops Reject Moderate Leader, Elect New York's Timothy Dolan in a Shocker
In a surprising result that upends tradition, the Catholic bishops of the United States have rejected a bishop who was favored to win election to a three-year term as leader of the American hierarchy and instead chose New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan. The defeat of Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, who had been vice-president of the conference and therefore expected to become the next president by longstanding tradition, was chalked up at least in part to a last-minute campaign by conservative Catholic activists who resurrected charges that Kicanas ignored indications of sexual problems by a ...
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