Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: faith and the Myanmar elections, a Muslim man is killed in India over a rumor of a slaughtered cow, Mahmoud Abbas says Palestine is not bound by the Oslo Accords, and Kim Davis's meeting with the Pope.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
A Kairos Moment: Faith Calls to Action
by Katherine Marshall
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-marshall/a-kairos-moment-faith-cal_b_8207062.html
Over this six-month period, world leaders will meet time and time again. They face daunting agendas and the stakes are high. Hopefully they see starkly what seems so obvious: that the complex challenges are closely related one to another (peace and poverty, environment and political will) and that bold action is urgent. This rare convergence of opportunities can and should be seen as a Kairos moment: a propitious point in time for decision and action. Rarely have so many interrelated global problems converged, and rarely have so many chances presented themselves for those designated as world leaders to lead the world towards a better course.
AROUND THE WORLD
Hardline Buddhist Monks and Myanmar’s Opposition Clash in Social Media Row
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/10/01/hardline-buddhist-monks-and-myanmars-opposition-clash-in-social-media-row/
A war of words is being fought in Myanmar, largely over social media, between nationalist Buddhist monks and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, highlighting divisions in the run-up to a general election on Nov. 8.
Fleeing Iraqi Christians Find New Life in Lourdes
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/10/01/fleeing-iraqi-christians-find-new-life-in-lourdes/
For Iraqi Christians fleeing Islamic State militants in their native land reaching Lourdes, the French town long synonymous with miraculous religious visions, feels little short of a modern-day miracle.
Tension Over Al-Aqsa Mosque Could Lead to Religious War, Abbas Tells U.N
by Louis Charbonneau
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/10/01/tension-over-al-aqsa-mosque-could-lead-to-religious-war-abbas-tells-u-n/
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday accused Israel of sabotaging U.S. efforts to broker peace and said Israeli security operations at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem could lead to a religious war.
Mob in India Kills Muslim Man Over Rumors of Cow Slaughter
by Suhasini Raj
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/asia/india-mob-kills-muslim-man-cow-slaughter.html?ref=world&_r=0
52-year-old Muslim man died after he was beaten with bricks and sticks by a mob in a village outside New Delhi in response to rumors that he had slaughtered a cow and eaten beef. Hindus consider cows to be sacred, and it is illegal to slaughter the animals in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the attack took place. At least two other Indian states have adopted or tightened bans on the slaughter and consumption of beef since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won parliamentary elections last year.
Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority President, Says He’s No Longer Bound by Oslo Accords
by Rick Gladstone and Jodi Rudoren
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/middleeast/mahmoud-abbas-palestinian-authority-un-speech.html?ref=world
In his annual General Assembly speech, Mr. Abbas accused Israel of having violated the accords and subsequent agreements that outline security, economic and other arrangements. He asserted that there was no reason that the Palestinians should remain faithful to them as long as the Israelis were not.
Pope Francis Wants to Be the First Pontiff to Visit Mainland China — but it Won’t Be Easy
by Adam Taylor
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/09/28/pope-francis-wants-to-be-the-first-pontiff-to-visit-mainland-china-but-it-wont-be-easy/
Fresh from an attention-grabbing tour of the United States and Cuba, Pope Francis has his sights on another destination. "I'd really love to go to China," the Catholic leader told reporters on a flight back to Rome on Monday, the Italian news agency ANSA reports. "I love the Chinese people."
How Dragging Our Feet on Refugees Creates More Terrorists
By Anne Speckhard
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/opinion/how-dragging-our-feet-on-refugees-creates-more-terrorists.html
It is in America’s best interest to speed up the refugee acceptance process for humanitarian reasons and our national security. Counterterrorism data is clear: Most of the terrorists on American soil do not come from the ranks of refugees but are individuals who are born here and who become vulnerable to recruitment.
Shia And Sunni Muslims In India Stand Shoulder To Shoulder For Joint Prayers
by Carol Kuruvilla
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shia-and-sunni-muslims-in-india-stand-shoulder-to-shoulder-for-joint-prayers_560ab20ce4b0768126ff2c2f?utm_hp_ref=religion
Shia and Sunni Muslims in Lucknow, India, came together as one family to hold joint prayers for Eid al Adha this year. The Sept. 25 service was a grassroots effort by "Shoulder to Shoulder," a group of volunteers seeking to highlight the common spiritual roots between these two sects of Islam.
DOMESTIC
How Greens and Skeptics Read the Biblical Creation Story
Economist Erasmus blog
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/09/genesis-and-environment
Scriptural interpretation generally tells you at least as much about the interpreter as it does about the scripture.
Meeting with Kim Davis has Pope-Watchers Asking, What Did Francis Mean?
by Michelle Boorstein and Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/pope-francis-added-to-religious-liberty-debate-by-meeting-with-kim-davis/2015/09/30/4a5fb380-679c-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html
The revelation of a private meeting last week between Pope Francis and Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, set off a vigorous debate in the United States on Wednesday about what message the popular pontiff may have been trying to send.
The Not So Secret History Of Mormon Women's Leadership
by Joanna Brooks
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanna-brooks/mormon-women-leadership-_b_8217586.html
This weekend, millions of Mormons around the world will direct their thoughts, television dials and internet browsers to the historic center of the faith in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints convenes its 185th General Conference, October 3 - 4. Meanwhile, outside the Conference Center, Mormon women's ordination advocates will reenact scenes from church history depicting the fact that Mormon women in the past had a stronger role in church leadership and a stronger claim on its priesthood than Mormon women do today.
A Kairos Moment: Faith Calls to Action
by Katherine Marshall
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-marshall/a-kairos-moment-faith-cal_b_8207062.html
Over this six-month period, world leaders will meet time and time again. They face daunting agendas and the stakes are high. Hopefully they see starkly what seems so obvious: that the complex challenges are closely related one to another (peace and poverty, environment and political will) and that bold action is urgent. This rare convergence of opportunities can and should be seen as a Kairos moment: a propitious point in time for decision and action. Rarely have so many interrelated global problems converged, and rarely have so many chances presented themselves for those designated as world leaders to lead the world towards a better course.
AROUND THE WORLD
Hardline Buddhist Monks and Myanmar’s Opposition Clash in Social Media Row
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/10/01/hardline-buddhist-monks-and-myanmars-opposition-clash-in-social-media-row/
A war of words is being fought in Myanmar, largely over social media, between nationalist Buddhist monks and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, highlighting divisions in the run-up to a general election on Nov. 8.
Fleeing Iraqi Christians Find New Life in Lourdes
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/10/01/fleeing-iraqi-christians-find-new-life-in-lourdes/
For Iraqi Christians fleeing Islamic State militants in their native land reaching Lourdes, the French town long synonymous with miraculous religious visions, feels little short of a modern-day miracle.
Tension Over Al-Aqsa Mosque Could Lead to Religious War, Abbas Tells U.N
by Louis Charbonneau
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/10/01/tension-over-al-aqsa-mosque-could-lead-to-religious-war-abbas-tells-u-n/
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday accused Israel of sabotaging U.S. efforts to broker peace and said Israeli security operations at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem could lead to a religious war.
Mob in India Kills Muslim Man Over Rumors of Cow Slaughter
by Suhasini Raj
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/asia/india-mob-kills-muslim-man-cow-slaughter.html?ref=world&_r=0
52-year-old Muslim man died after he was beaten with bricks and sticks by a mob in a village outside New Delhi in response to rumors that he had slaughtered a cow and eaten beef. Hindus consider cows to be sacred, and it is illegal to slaughter the animals in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the attack took place. At least two other Indian states have adopted or tightened bans on the slaughter and consumption of beef since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won parliamentary elections last year.
Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority President, Says He’s No Longer Bound by Oslo Accords
by Rick Gladstone and Jodi Rudoren
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/middleeast/mahmoud-abbas-palestinian-authority-un-speech.html?ref=world
In his annual General Assembly speech, Mr. Abbas accused Israel of having violated the accords and subsequent agreements that outline security, economic and other arrangements. He asserted that there was no reason that the Palestinians should remain faithful to them as long as the Israelis were not.
Pope Francis Wants to Be the First Pontiff to Visit Mainland China — but it Won’t Be Easy
by Adam Taylor
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/09/28/pope-francis-wants-to-be-the-first-pontiff-to-visit-mainland-china-but-it-wont-be-easy/
Fresh from an attention-grabbing tour of the United States and Cuba, Pope Francis has his sights on another destination. "I'd really love to go to China," the Catholic leader told reporters on a flight back to Rome on Monday, the Italian news agency ANSA reports. "I love the Chinese people."
How Dragging Our Feet on Refugees Creates More Terrorists
By Anne Speckhard
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/opinion/how-dragging-our-feet-on-refugees-creates-more-terrorists.html
It is in America’s best interest to speed up the refugee acceptance process for humanitarian reasons and our national security. Counterterrorism data is clear: Most of the terrorists on American soil do not come from the ranks of refugees but are individuals who are born here and who become vulnerable to recruitment.
Shia And Sunni Muslims In India Stand Shoulder To Shoulder For Joint Prayers
by Carol Kuruvilla
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shia-and-sunni-muslims-in-india-stand-shoulder-to-shoulder-for-joint-prayers_560ab20ce4b0768126ff2c2f?utm_hp_ref=religion
Shia and Sunni Muslims in Lucknow, India, came together as one family to hold joint prayers for Eid al Adha this year. The Sept. 25 service was a grassroots effort by "Shoulder to Shoulder," a group of volunteers seeking to highlight the common spiritual roots between these two sects of Islam.
DOMESTIC
How Greens and Skeptics Read the Biblical Creation Story
Economist Erasmus blog
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/09/genesis-and-environment
Scriptural interpretation generally tells you at least as much about the interpreter as it does about the scripture.
Meeting with Kim Davis has Pope-Watchers Asking, What Did Francis Mean?
by Michelle Boorstein and Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/pope-francis-added-to-religious-liberty-debate-by-meeting-with-kim-davis/2015/09/30/4a5fb380-679c-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html
The revelation of a private meeting last week between Pope Francis and Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, set off a vigorous debate in the United States on Wednesday about what message the popular pontiff may have been trying to send.
The Not So Secret History Of Mormon Women's Leadership
by Joanna Brooks
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanna-brooks/mormon-women-leadership-_b_8217586.html
This weekend, millions of Mormons around the world will direct their thoughts, television dials and internet browsers to the historic center of the faith in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints convenes its 185th General Conference, October 3 - 4. Meanwhile, outside the Conference Center, Mormon women's ordination advocates will reenact scenes from church history depicting the fact that Mormon women in the past had a stronger role in church leadership and a stronger claim on its priesthood than Mormon women do today.
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