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By PEGGY FLETCHER STACK c. 2011 Salt Lake Tribune (RNS) Though many early Mormon texts and speeches mirror the English prose of the King James Bible, it was not always the Mormons’ only authorized version of Holy Writ. In fact, Mormon founder Joseph Smith had so many reservations about its language that he stated his…

By CATHY LYNN GROSSMAN c. 2011 USA Today (RNS) If thou hast a Bible in the house and readeth it at least once a month, chances are strong it’s the majestic King James Version of the Bible in Elizabethan English, according to a recent survey. Of the 89 percent of U.S. adults who own at…

By ADELLE M. BANKS c. 2011 Religion News Service ROCKVILLE, Md. (RNS) The V-shaped hand sign that made actor Leonard Nimoy famous as Mr. Spock may have seemed to be from a planet far away. But the “Star Trek” star says he created it from childhood memories of his Jewish family. “I reached back to…

By OMAR SACIRBEY c. 2011 Religion News Service (RNS) Officially, President Obama was talking to the Muslim world in his State Department speech on Thursday (May 19), but U.S. Muslims were equally interested in how their faith will be treated in a post-Osama bin Laden era. U.S. Muslims tuned in hoping for clear direction from…

By BOB SMIETANA c. 2011 Religion News Service NASHVILLE (RNS) In Hindu tradition, Lord Vishnu shows up in many forms. There’s Prince Rama, who killed the demon Ravana; Vamana the dwarf; Parashurama the vengeful; and Matsya the great fish. Then there’s Varasha, the boar who saved the world. “He’s like a superhero,” said Joan Cummins…

By KIM MICHELE RICHARDSON c. 2011 Religion News Service (RNS) The Vatican has given the world’s Catholic bishops one year to set policies for handling allegations of child abuse, including reporting to police where required by local law. And on Wednesday (May 18), the U.S. bishops released a 300-page report on the “causes and context”…

By DANIEL BURKE c. 2011 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) A sweeping new report on the clergy sex abuse scandal compares the Roman Catholic Church to police departments, with similar hierarchies, moral authority and isolated working environments. And because the church, like the police, has “historically ‘policed itself,”‘ as the report says, some lay Catholics…

By YONAT SHIMRON c. 2011 Religion News Service (RNS) Harold Camping’s campaign to warn Christians that the rapture is coming on Saturday (May 21) may have won him a band of followers, especially among those who have reportedly quit jobs or used up their life savings. But Camping’s acolytes may pale in comparison to the…

By JUDITH SUDILOVSKY c. 2011 Religion News Service QASR EL YAHUD, West Bank (RNS/ENInews) Pilgrims are flowing back to the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism on the Jordan River as Israel removes 40-year-old land mines and makes improvements to the area. “It is a very sensitive place politically and religiously and is of importance to…

By FRANCIS X. ROCCA c. 2011 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) Amnesty International has criticized the Vatican for falling short of its commitments to protect children from sex abuse. “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children,” the human rights group said in its latest…
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