CHRISTIAN WORLD NEWS "Religion Roundup" Articles...

CHRISTIAN WORLD NEWS
Religion Roundup
Seattle-Tacoma Airport Removes Christmas Trees to Avert Lawsuit

SEATAC, Washington (AP) - All nine Christmas trees have been removed from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead of adding a Jewish menorah to the holiday display as a rabbi had requested.

Maintenance workers boxed up the trees during a weekend graveyard shift, when airport officials believed few people would notice.

Airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt says, "We decided to take the trees down because we didn't want to be exclusive."

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who had threatened to sue unless a menorah was placed along with the trees, said he was appalled by the removal of the Christmas trees. He said, "For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season."

Congressman Fears U.S. is Rejecting God

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - Congressman Walter Jones says America won't remain great if it "turns its back on God" -- but that's what he fears is happening.

The North Carolina Republican spoke at a Capitol Hill news conference defending Nativity scenes in public places, which once were common but have largely vanished amid court challenges.

Jones said, "For those of us who are Christians, this is a very special time of year." He asked, "Why should we be penalized because we believe Christ came as our savior?"

The congressman said prohibiting religious expression during the Christmas season is part of what he views as a broad attack on Christianity.



County Rules against Church Bells

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - The bells of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston, Virginia, must ring more softly, or not at all.

That's the mandate from Fairfax County's Department of Planning and Zoning, which says the Washington suburb cannot make an exception for the church.

The church bells have been softened for almost a year because of the dispute, although they've still been louder than the maximum 55-decibel level allowed in residential areas. St. John's pastor says they can't be softened further without silencing them altogether.

The church got complaints from neighbors after it installed the 50-thousand dollar electronic bell system in 2004. One local resident says, "No one here is anti-church or anything. People just want some peace and quiet."



Christmas in Bethlehem to Get Hamas Funding

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) - Islamic militants may be in charge but that doesn't mean there won't be Christmas this year in Bethlehem.

The cash-strapped Hamas government is promising to spend $50,000 to dress up Jesus' birthplace for the holiday. The extra cash, however, may not be enough to bring Christmas cheer to Bethlehem.

The biblical town is now walled in by Israel's West Bank separation barrier, poverty is deepening and Christians are leaving Bethlehem in droves.

Bethlehem's mayor says he won't start decorating until he sees the money. Only about 2,500 foreigners visited Bethlehem last Christmas. Before the Palestinian uprising began in 2000, the town attracted more than 90,000 visitors a month.



'The Nativity Story' Slips to Number Eight

UNDATED (AP) - "The Nativity Story" has slipped to number eight at the weekend box office.

The respectful portrayal of events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ debuted last week at number four, selling about eight (m) million dollars worth of tickets.

In its second weekend, the film's box office is estimated at five-point-six (m) million dollars.

The weekend's top film was "Apocalypto" by Mel Gibson, whose blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ" aroused hopes that Christians would flock to "The Nativity Story" as well.



Bushes Join in Christmas Carol at Washington Concert

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush and first lady Laura Bush have joined performers onstage at a "Christmas in Washington" concert to sing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."

The Sunday evening event benefited the Children's National Medical Center.

The president said, "The story of Christmas tells of the humble birth of a child whose life brought hope into the world. And at this time of year, we're especially grateful to those whose work brings hope and health to children."

The event will be broadcast Wednesday night on Turner Network Television.

Earlier Sunday, the Bushes attended services at St. John's Episcopal Church, a block away from the White House.



Faith-Based Programs Credited with Reducing Prison Violence

ANGOLA, La. (AP) - The Louisiana State Penitentiary where Senator Sam Brownback stayed overnight this past weekend houses more than 5,000 inmates, half of them convicted murderers.

But the prison also has six interfaith chapels, nightly prayer services, four part-time chaplains and a Bible college that has trained dozens of inmates to be ministers.

One such inmate says the prison, which "used to be one of the bloodiest in the country," is safer now because it's "covered with the blood of Jesus Christ."

Warden Burl Cain credits moral rehabilitation programs with reducing violence in the prison.

Senator Brownback joined hundreds of inmates at a prayer service before prison officials took him to his cell. The next morning, he toured the penitentiary and took a walk down death row.

The Kansas Republican has formed an exploratory committee for a possible presidential race.



Former Methodist Congregation Evicted from Church Building

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) - Members of Lane Boulevard Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, say they've been pushed out of their long-time home by the United Methodist Church.

The Methodists say the denomination and not the congregation owns the building.
Lane Boulevard's 120 members voted this year to remove "Methodist" from their name in a dispute over their effort to keep their minister.

The congregation also disagreed with the denomination's more liberal positions on ordaining women and accepting gays.

Last month, a Kalamazoo County judge issued a preliminary injunction giving the United Methodist Church control of the early 20th century building. Methodist officials then changed the locks.

The Lane Boulevard congregation now holds Sunday services at another church in Kalamazoo.



Head of Presbyterian Church USA Preaches in Cuba

HAVANA (AP) - The executive officer of the Presbyterian Church U-S-A has helped Cubans mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of Havana's first Protestant temple.

In his sermon Sunday, the Reverend Clifton Kirkpatrick urged all Christians to do more to eliminate global inequality.

Kirkpatrick spoke in English and Spanish to hundreds of followers and diplomats at the ceremony in central Havana. Delegations from Florida and Washington D-C also were present.

A Cuban choir sang Christmas songs, bathed in light from the church's stained-glass windows.

Protestants are a minority in Cuba, where Catholics and followers of the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion dominate.



Excommunicated Archbishop Installs More Married Bishops

WEST NEW YORK, N.J. (AP) - An excommunicated Catholic archbishop continues to defy the Vatican.

At a ceremony in New Jersey Sunday, former Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo installed two more married men as bishops.

The wives of both men helped their husbands on with their vestments.

The 76-year-old Milingo was excommunicated after anointing four married men as bishops in September.

Pope Benedict then convened a Vatican summit that reaffirmed mandatory celibacy for priests.

Milingo was married in 2001 to a Korean woman chosen for him by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon in a mass wedding performed by Moon's Unification Church.



Pope Distressed over Lebanon’s Religious Divisions

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict says he's distressed over recent developments in the Middle East, and he's calling on the international community to urgently seek solutions.

Speaking Sunday from his window overlooking St. Peter's square, the pope made special mention of Lebanon, where he said people of different religions need to find ways to talk and live together.

Lebanese have split along sectarian lines, with most Sunni Muslims supporting the Sunni prime minister and Shiites backing Hezbollah. Christian factions are split between the two camps.

Hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah-led protesters gathered in Beirut Sunday, demanding that the prime minister cede some power to the opposition or step down.



(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)