Islam Online: Esther Benbassa said, "France has been always encountering problems with its minorities, noting that it did everything possible to melt them away into one crucible....the "hard-line' tone of the French govern-ment...will never work with Muslims or Arabs, though it was used with the Jews in the 18th century. She warned that the principles of the French Revolution are threat-ened with extinction if France fails to live up to its multi-cultural society. 'The real danger lies in the mono-view-point adopted by France,' she said.... The Jews, at that time, had no place to go, whereas the Arabs and Mus-lims in France still have connections with their homelands"

Associated Press via USAToday: New Zealand's parliament has been debating proposed legislation that would grant 'civil union' status to couples — both same-sex and heterosexual — who live together, giving them many of the same rights as married couples. Conservative critics have labeled it the 'Gay Marriage Bill,' although it doesn't formally recognize gay marriages and differentiates between civil unions and marriage. 'Spouses rightly deserve specific and categorical legal recognition by the state,' the pope said, 'while any attempt to equate marriage with other forms of cohabitation violates its unique role in God's plan for humanity.'"

"In fundamental terms, in other words, the president’s faith divides the world into two camps: good and evil. There is no gray. There is only right and wrong. In Plan of Attack, his examination of the Bush administra-tion’s buildup to the war in Iraq, Bob Woodward por-trays Bush as unwavering in his belief that his cause was righteous, not merely right. 'I haven’t suffered any doubt,' Bush said in an interview with Woodward. The president’s religious conviction is the defining measure of his life, and of his administration. Lest there be any doubt, Bush said in that book: 'I was praying for strength to do the Lord’s will.... I pray that I will be as good a messenger of His will as possible.'"

Toby Young in NY Observer: Is Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter's "opposition to Bush is in some sense authentic?...My own pet theory is that he...is trying to position himself as a credible Democratic opponent to Michael Bloom-berg in next year’s Mayoral election. The one issue Graydon...care[s] passionately about...is smoking. He was furious when Bloomberg’s goons ticketed him for lighting up in his own office, and I can easily imagine [his] thoughts of revenge as he sucks down Camel Light after Camel Light in the stairwell of the Condé Nast building. What better way to retaliate than running against Mr. Bloomberg on a pro-smoking ticket—and winning?"

AP via Macon Telegraph: "Now, for those seeking money to attend college, it no longer hurts to be gay, lesbian or transgender. An increasing number of charities, professional groups and university campuses offer scholarships specifically for students whose sex-uality doesn't fit the coed mold. More than 50 such scholarships are available nationwide—from the $1,000 scholarships that Zami, an advocacy group in Atlanta, is giving to 21 black lesbians and gays this year, the $2,000 awards the United Church of Christ distri-buted to gay seminarians, and the $3,000 fellow-ships George Washington University administers so gays and lesbians can spend a semester studying politics in the nation's capital."

AP: "A university president and a Democratic state lawmaker said rules put in place this year to protect conservative viewpoints on Colorado campuses have harmed free speech and led to death threats against professors. Republican lawmakers responded that conservative students are still being harassed and more needs to be done. The comments came as a handful of college officials and students went before the Legislature's Joint Education Committee on Thursday to report on efforts to enforce the Academic Bill of Rights. All state-funded colleges adopted the policy this year under pressure from Republican lawmakers."  

BBC News: "Nancy Coulter-Parker, a young mother in Boulder, Colorado, said she was not anti-religious, but did not want policy made on the basis of faith. She cited a range of issues where she felt religion had intruded improperly into the political sphere, including abortion, stem cell research, education, and the Iraq war. 'Everyone is entitled to have their belief and I am completely supportive of that but I don't believe it has a place in the US in the way the country is run or deci-sions are made,' she said....Two-thirds of Americans say churches should not endorse political candidates, but a slim majority say they should express views on political issues."

Albert Mohler, Crossroads: "sometimes a book comes along that demands immediate attention and will earn long-term influence. That is certainly the case with Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey, which may well be one of the most important Christian books of our times. Total Truth, subtitled 'Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity,' is a manifesto for Christian worldview thinking in the 21st century. The book is a masterpiece of cultural analysis and intellectual engagement, tracing the odyssey of its author even as she provides virtually an entire education in Christian worldview understanding in a single volume. This is no small achievement." 

San Diego Channel: "The federal suit said sopho-more Chase Harper, 16, was suspended for express-ing his 'sincerely held religious beliefs,' 10News reported. Harper wore the shirt during and after the April 21 'Day of Silence,' a national event held on high school and college campuses to protest discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. The T-shirt had the words, 'I Will Not Accept What God Has Condemned' hand-written on the front and 'Homosexuality is Shameful' on the back. When Harper wore a similar shirt the next day, a teacher told him he was violating the school dress code and must remove the shirt or go to the office."

Haaretz: "With the help of Jewish actors and come-dians like Richard Belzer, Sarah Silverman and David Cross, Soloway and her codirector, Maggie Rowe, are parodying the phenomenon, using the actual scripts provided in Hell House how-to kits created by Pastor Keenan Roberts of the Destiny Church of the Assem-blies of God, located in Broomfield, Colo. In using evangelicals' own words to lampoon the evangelical Christians, Soloway and Rowe hope to give a much-needed kick in the rear to a phenomenon they see as narrow-minded and moralistic."

Alan Cooperman: "Bush [has] not actually said that abortion is tantamount to murder. Nor, according to aides, has he ever said that all abortions should be illegal. When asked by reporters during the 2000 pres-idential campaign and again last fall whether abortion should be banned, Bush said the nation was not ready for that step, without indicating his position. George W. Bush is among the most openly religious presi-dents in U.S. history. A daily Bible reader, he often talks about how Jesus changed his heart. He has spoken...of hearing God's call to run for the presidency and of praying for God's help since.... But despite the centrality of Bush's faith to his presidency, he has revealed only the barest outline of his beliefs...."  

WRMEA.COM: The Western Pennsylvania museum "opened to the public with a special exhibition entitled 'A Man from Lebanon: The Art of Kahlil Gibran.' The display includes 40 original pieces of art produced by the noted author and 20th century multi-media artist. ...'The Gibran exhibition affords many opportunities for enriched learning about the Eastern heritage and culture through collaborative partnerships for special lectures and readings,' stated Fr. Michael Massouh, executive director for Antiochian Village. 'Kahlil Gibran is a renowned name in literature and fine art whose paintings will attract regional and national visitors.'" 

David Neff, Christianity Today: "'The Question of God' is 'think TV.' It is also an excellent opportunity for church groups to watch and then discuss. (A discus-sion guide can be downloaded from the program's website.) Better yet, it is an opportunity for Christians to gather and talk (rather than argue) with the poly-morphously spiritual, the agnostic, and the atheistic."
Charles W. Colson, Breakpoint: "I encourage you: Watch "The Question of God" on PBS and get your friends and neighbors to do the same thing. And then start a discussion. Then you should write or e-mail PBS and thank them for putting the program on. There's a good chance they will rerun a special like this, and the more people who see it the better."

Paul Kengor in SF Chronicle: "I hear the question so often that I'm tired of responding to it: 'What about Bush's fundamentalism?' When I'm not providing an answer, I'm reading statements to that effect, like the recent remark from former Vice President Al Gore... who...described the current president's faith as 'the American version of the same fundamentalist impulse that we see in Saudi Arabia,' a nation where people of minority faiths are executed. This assessment of Bush comes mainly from foes on the political left, and from secularists. It does not come from conservatives and certainly not from, of all people, Christian fundamenta-lists. Fundamentalists find the claim laughable."

Bill Tammeus via KRT Wire, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel: "Almost certainly all of us have used inade-quate and misleading labels for people - conservative, evangelical, liberal, reactionary and on and on. We need to stop. We'd be much better off if everyone— including me—would avoid using such broad labels whenever possible....Radio talk-show hosts make a living tossing around labels and pretending they mean something. Oh, sometimes labels can help define broad categories in useful ways, but, like all words, they are mainly metaphor. And because they usually are too abstract and too broad, their primary use is not to describe but to demonize."

A Christmas gift from Xnmp—The "gift" is a tip. Add the Google toolbar to your computer's Internet Explorer browser. It zaps popup ads on news websites, which is great, but even better, its search option to "search this site" is awesome. It's virtually an index of any site, including this one. Try it—go to the web address below, click "download," and it automatically installs itself if your computer is WIndows XP. And Merry Christmas!
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