Ramadan, a month of fasting from dawn until sundown, began on Wednesday for Muslims around the world. For Minnesota Vikings football player Husain Abdullah that means lots of training camp practice with nothing to eat or drink. Team trainers have given Abdullah a nutrition plan including large early morning breakfasts, late dinners, and a midnight protein shake. Ramadan may be a time of fasting, but it’s a feast for stock markets in Muslim countries. Stocks in Muslim markets over-perform during the holy month. Advertisers are beginning to seek out Muslim consumers through “Islamic marketing.”
The West Virginia Council of Churches takes a ‘hard walk’ between opposing coal mining and supporting mining families.
Sharron Angle claimed that President Obama and the Democrats are making “government our God” and cited government entitlement programs as form of idolatry. Her campaign later re-articulated the comments more figuratively, but not without calling Harry Reid the real religious zealot in the race.
Strippers and church-goers are protesting each other.
Just when I thought the rhetoric around the Park51 project couldn’t get any worse, one conservative thinks it’d be funny to build a gay bar next to the proposed Islamic community center. Nothing says reasoned debate more than an extended gay joke. Opponents of Park51 are also taking there message to New York City buses.
Senate candidate Rand Paul ran into trouble this week for skipping the St. Jerome church picnic, a famous campaign stop for Kentucky politicians. GQ reports that Paul spent his time at Baylor University worshipping something called Aqua Buddha, smoking pot, and kidnapping a female swim teammate.
In Nebraska, police arrested a man roaming naked in search of “a religious experience.” I hope he finds it.
The mosque used by the plotters of the 9/11 attack has been closed down in Hamburg, Germany. Muslims in Britain held al-Hidayah 2010, a three-day anti-terrorism camp for young people.
A New Jersey school district will observe Eid al-Fitr, the day marking the end of the month of fasting, along with Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice and the Hindu new year holiday, Diwali. Some parents fear that kids are getting too many days off.
More atheist billboards, this time in Florida.
Denver Broncos rookie Tim Tebow has added a tonsure haircut to his mix of evangelical Christianity and football. The new do has drawn comparisons between the former Florida Gator star and Saint Francis of Assisi. Then there’s the question of why the usual scripture citation on Tebow’s eye-black didn’t make in onto the cover of the latest NCAA football video game. Perhaps to capitalize on the new evangelical football star in Denver, Focus on the Family will be airing ads during Broncos games this season. Which prompts the question, is football its own religion?
Does the black church keep black women single?
Julia Roberts has become a “practicing Hindu” after spending time in India shooting her latest film. Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service will issue a stamp commemorating Mother Theresa on August 26th, what would have been her 100th birthday.
