TruthBook Religious News Blog

Now that America is at war with Iraq, Christians, Jews and Muslims are praying for peace, divine guidance for world leaders and the protection of U.S. troops. They've been talking like never before, among themselves and to government officials. "Dialogue is crucial to peace,' said the Rev. Howard Lincoln, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino, which has participated in local ecumenical meetings on Middle East issues. "I see more positive than negative,' said Dany Doueiri, a leading scholar of Islamic studies and a lecturer at Cal State San Bernardino.

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Sunday, March 30, 2003

Pope Warns That War Could Bring 'Religious Catastrophe'

Pope John Paul II said today he hoped that the human tragedy of the war in Iraq would not set Christians and Muslims against each other and spark "a religious catastrophe." "Let us not permit a human tragedy to become a religious catastrophe," he said.

The pope is opposed to the war in Iraq and led a Vatican diplomatic campaign to avert it. The Iraq conflict has put the Vatican at odds with the Bush administration because the pope has refused to bless the conflict as a "just war."

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Saturday, March 29, 2003

Is there a God?

Some of the celebrities that answered the question are: William Shatner, Clive Barker, Patricia Heaton, Bill Maher, Michael Moore, Suzanne Vega, Ray Davies, Elmore Leonard, Steven Wright, Stan Lee, Conan O'Brien, Laurie Anderson, Roger McGuinn and David Byrne.

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Most religious leaders not taking position on war, poll finds

The latest Pew poll has found only 17 percent of people who attend religious services at least once a month say their religious views have influenced their opinion on the war with Iraq. 57 percent of that group says their pastor or religious leader has spoken about the war, with 34 percent of clergy taking no position on the war, 7 percent supporting it and 14 percent opposing it. Forty-one percent said their clergyman hasn?t mentioned the war.

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Clergy against war walk 'delicate line'

`I'd like to be able to go somewhere in the world and not have to apologize for being from the United States,'' the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church said recently of his disagreements with the Bush administration. Conservative journalist Fred Barnes retorted, ''I'd like to be able to go somewhere in the world and not have to apologize for belonging to a church whose leader says such embarrassing things.'' The exchange limned a noticeable gap over the war with Iraq: While most Americans support it, the leaders of most denominations are publicly antiwar.

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Newspaper should publish positive news also

BHOPAL: Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has said that newspapers should also publish good and positive news of development. He said that journalists are the eye, ear and tongue of our society. He said that sensational news could be necessary for a newspaper, as they help in its sale but the stories pertaining to development should not be left out. Singh said that the journalists should help in creating a positive atmosphere so that people understood their responsibilities.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Tutu: It's better to talk than to fight

Tutu says the world can learn about peace from South Africa

South Africa has shown the world that there were better ways to deal with bitterness and conflict than going to war, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) chairperson, said today.

"It is better to talk than to fight. Whatever war can do, peace can do better,"

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Religion is good but a factor in wars - Survey

Most Americans are convinced that the influence of faith in the world is a good thing, but a majority also believes that religion plays a significant role in most wars and conflicts, according to a survey conducted by the Washington-based Pew Forum.

The positive attitude to religion's influence is overwhelming -- 80 percent. Furthermore, 51 percent say that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, showed that there is too little religion in the world; there should be more. Only 28 percent stated the opposite.

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Pope rejects use of war to solve conflicts

The vast antiwar movement in the world shows that a "large part of humanity" has rejected the idea of war as a means of resolving conflicts between nations, Pope John Paul II said in a message issued Tuesday.

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Pope's plea for peace

The Pope yesterday denounced the war in his first public comments since the start of hostilities, labelling it a threat against the "fate of humanity".

Speaking on a religious TV channel, he said: "It is ever more urgent to proclaim, with a strong and decisive voice, that only peace is the road to follow to construct a more just and united society. Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of men."

In the months leading up to the war, the Pope had used behind-the-scenes diplomacy and impassioned speeches to call for a negotiated solution.

A few hours after war began, the Vatican issued a statement blaming both sides for failing to resolve the issue.