On with the show

Quote of the Day: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas

"So, how was your day?"

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, a few hours after he became the highest-ranking congressional leader to be indicted while in office. He made the comment Wednesday (Sept. 28) in Washington while giving a speech to supporters of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

"Unlikely Angel" discusses drugs and God

Quote of the Day: Former hostage Ashley Smith of Duluth, Ga.

"If I did die, I wasn't going to heaven and say, `Oh, excuse me, God. Let me wipe my nose, because I just did some drugs before I got here.'"

-- Ashley Smith of Duluth, Ga., a former hostage who reveals in her new book, "Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero," that she battled a methamphetamine addiction. She was quoted by The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.

Vatican Rules Would Try to Prevent Gays From Entering Priesthood

Stacy Meichtry, RNS' Vatican correspondent, reports on new rules that would bar gay men from Roman Catholic priesthood.

Quotes:

A Vatican official, speaking to RNS on the condition of anonymity because Vatican policy prohibits public discussion of internal matters, confirmed that a document containing the new regulations had been submitted to the pope for final approval.

However, he stressed that the document could still be returned to the Congregation for revision. If that happened, its publication could still be years away.

and

Given the volatility of the issue, some have wondered if the pope will actually sign the document or simply let the guidelines be issued by the Congregation for Education without his official endorsement. If Benedict personally signed off on the guidelines -- an endorsement known as "in forma specifica" -- it would make the document's teaching more difficult to reverse.

Gays in the Catholic Church; Palau's festivals; finding meaning through Kabbalah

David Briggs writes in Wednesday's RNS report about the potential effects of the Vatican's proposed document on homosexuality in the Catholic Church. While some gay rights groups have condemned the document, they say a ban on celibate gay seminarians cannot stop the momentum for gay and lesbian rights: Leaders seeking change in faiths from Catholicism to Islam to mainline Protestantism said the decision of the Episcopal Church to stand behind its election of a gay bishop and the United Church of Christ's vote to endorse same-sex marriages are part of a "great awakening" on gay rights issues.

Luis Palau is redefining evangelism with his festivals, according to correspondents Adelle M. Banks and Judith Cebula. His upcoming "DC Festival" on the National Mall Oct. 8-9 will feature a "party approach" to evangelism, defined by the slogan, "Great Music! Good News!" Palau will continue a team effort his ministry has established, moving away from the centuries-old crusade model made famous by Billy Graham. Graham has defined large-event Christian evangelism with a fabled career that presents the gospel in stadium crusades. Palau's model has been so successful in attracting young people that some see it defining evangelism in the early part of this century as Graham shaped it in the latter part of the last century.

Juanita Westaby talks to practitioners of Kabbalah, an ancient form of Jewish mysticism, to find out how they practice their beliefs: If you want to find Len Robinson, a longtime practitioner of the Jewish mystical path Kabbalah, it won't be through his local synagogue. The best way to Robinson, the Kabbalist, is through local theater circles, where he is a director and actor. To be the best director he can be is at the heart of his Kabbalah practice. "I direct Kabbalistically," Robinson says. "I have to sit back and go into exile to allow creativity to happen." Which is how, according to Kabbalah practitioners, God created the world. "God wanted to share and the only way to share was `tzim tzum,' to pull back," Robinson says.

Episcopal Bishop John Chane

Quote of the Day: Episcopal Bishop John Chane of Washington

"If the church is to really focus on the issues of the Bible's teaching and the core teachings of Jesus Christ, why does this archbishop spend so much time on human sexuality issues while so many of his countrymen and women are oppressed by poverty, illiteracy and violence?"

-- Episcopal Bishop John Chane of Washington, writing in a column in Washington Window, his diocesan newspaper, about Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola's criticism of the pro-gay policies of the Episcopal Church.

Hurricanes' lessons; intelligent design

Tuesday's RNS report includes a story about the lessons hurricanes offer to people of faith. Adelle M. Banks and Jason Kane write: The one-two punch of hurricanes Katrina and Rita is serving as both a test of faith and a teachable moment for the nation, religious leaders say. As resources are stretched to aid those affected by the double disaster, long-standing charity efforts are combining with new examples of interfaith cooperation. "I think most people tend to pray harder through something like this," said Loui Dobin, director of the Union for Reform Judaism's Greene Family Camp near Waco, Texas, which has become a shelter for hurricane evacuees.

Bill Sulon reports on the trial taking place in the Dover Area School District in Pennsylvania, regarding the teaching of intelligent design to its ninth-grade students: The lone witness in a federal lawsuit being scrutinized across the country testified that a statement on intelligent design being read in the Dover Area School District is "terribly dangerous." Kenneth R. Miller, a biology textbook author and professor of biology at Brown University in Rhode Island, said the Dover policy is based on flawed information and "misleads students" into equating intelligent design with evolution.

Actor says "Jesus is the only way to Heaven"

Quote of the Day: Actor Kirk Cameron

"If we present the gospel simply as a life improvement program, well, boy -- there's lots of things that work to improve your life. You could get into yoga, become a vegetarian."

-- Actor Kirk Cameron, known for his role in the 1980s situation comedy "Growing Pains" as well as a more recent role in the "Left Behind" movie series, commenting on findings of a Newsweek/Beliefnet poll. He was quoted by Agape Press, an online Christian news source.

Katrina's displaced pastors; intelligent design case; and the giant Jesus

In Friday's RNS report, Bruce Nolan reports from New Orleans on the struggles faced by displaced pastors, who lost not only their church buildings and their congregations, but also their chief source of personal income: The rebuilding, such as it is, presents enormous challenges to displaced pastors struggling to find hundreds of church members scattered across the country...In places such as Baton Rouge, Houston and Atlanta, displaced New Orleans pastors are locating a few scores of their former church members and holding worship services in borrowed churches or university student centers.

We also offer a story out of Harrisburg, Pa., where on Monday U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III will hear a suit to stop the Dover School Board from introducing intelligent design in science class as an alternative to evolution. Mary Warner writes: As the nation watches, a 21st-century courtroom drama will emerge from an old and ongoing cultural divide in America. It's about evolution. In a nonjury civil trial expected to last until late October, the latest challenge to the teaching of evolution in public schools receives its first courtroom scrutiny.

And in Middletown, Ohio, Bill Sloat considers a giant Jesus statue on the side of the road: Nicknamed "Super Savior," a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus dominates a once-deadly stretch of Interstate 75 that slices through southwestern Ohio. The monolith's upraised hands and arms have been compared to a football referee signaling a score, earning it another nickname, "Touchdown Jesus." But don't laugh -- not long after a church had the roadside statue erected last summer, the highway suddenly became safe.

Praying before the big game

Quote of the Day: Fellowship of Christian Athletes Executive Dan Britton

"The landscape of sports is so crazy -- parents beating up coaches, NBA players going into the stands, baseball players getting traded halfway through the season. A wooden bat and a leather ball make a horrible god. We say, let's go to the Bible."

-- Dan Britton, Fellowship of Christian Athletes vice president, linking a change in athletic culture to a trend toward spirituality among athletes. He was quoted in the
Washington Post.

Grilling Judge Roberts

Quote of the Day: Wall Street Journal columnist Manuel Miranda

"How insulting. How offensive. How invidiously ignorant to question someone like Judge Roberts with such apparent presumption and disdain for the religion he practices. The JFK question is not just the camel's nose of religious intolerance; it is the whole smelly camel."

-- Columnist Manuel Miranda, in an editorial appearing on www.Opinion-Journal.com. Miranda compared the religious questioning in Senate hearings on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts to the grilling 1960 presidential candidate John F. Kennedy faced about Catholicism's impact on his decisions.

The Voice of Guilt

Oy Vey! Book Offers Guidance to Wrestling with Jewish Guilt

RNS' article of the week, by Sarah Price Brown, reviews the book "The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt." Click the link above to see the whole piece.

Quote: The term "Jewish guilt" tends to conjure up stereotypical images of nagging, overprotective mothers and their angst-ridden sons. But anthology of essays edited by Ellenson explores in a nuanced way the different kinds of guilt experienced by modern American Jewish women.

Catholics on Communion and ecology

Vatican correspondent Stacy Meichtry writes on Wednesday about the debate on how Catholics receive Communion, and cites as an example a group not recognized by the Vatican. "Lefebvrists," as the Vatican calls them, or members of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), as they refer to themselves, consider themselves observant Catholics who are loyal to the late Bishop Marcel Lefebvre, whom John Paul II excommunicated in 1988. Meichtry writes: Their Mass cannot be celebrated inside a Catholic Church because it follows outdated rules that were dramatically altered by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. As a result, the Mass has become the organization's battle cry. The debate over how Catholics receive Communion generally gets overshadowed in the media by hot-button issues. But inside the church, few topics generate more debate than the Eucharist because it cuts straight to the core of Catholic identity. In October, hundreds of Roman Catholic bishops from around the world will gather in Rome for a special synod, or assembly, dedicated to the Eucharist where they will determine who can receive Communion and under what conditions.

Jim Lockwood contributes another Catholic story, this one about nuns who promote faith-based ecology: It was 25 years ago when the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell founded Genesis Farm in Blairstown, N.J., as "a learning center for Earth studies." The nonprofit, self-sustaining farm is largely based on the teachings of Catholic "geologian" Thomas Berry, who held that the institutions of economics, religion, education and government were failing to address global ecological problems, said founding member Sister Miriam MacGillis. Since Genesis Farm began in 1980, ecological problems -- in MacGillis' view -- have gotten much worse, but the nuns' commitment to faith-based environmentalism has increased.

Richard Land on Religious Freedom

Quote of the Day: Southern Baptist religious liberty expert Richard Land

"The greatest threat to religious freedom in America are secular fundamentalists who want to ghettoize religious faith and make the wall of separation between church and state a prison wall keeping religious voices out of political discourse."

-- Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, speaking Sept. 9 at a Baptist Distinctives Conference at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He was quoted by Baptist Press.

Jewish guilt; Faith-based disaster relief; Mormon preparedness

Sarah Price Brown starts off Tuesday's RNS report with a review of a new book, "The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt," edited by Ruth Andrew Ellenson: It came to her, the rabbi's daughter, while she was sitting in her grandmother's church. It was the voice of guilt. Ruth Andrew Ellenson, whose mother converted to Judaism and whose father runs Hebrew Union College, where most Reform rabbis are trained, had gone to church to hear her grandmother sing in the choir. But it wasn't easy. "Was it worse to betray my Judaism by sitting in front of a giant cross, or to disrespect my beloved grandmother by bolting?" she wondered. Unable to decide between the two, Ellenson sat still, "paralyzed by guilt." As Jews around the world observe the High Holidays, beginning with Rosh Hashana Oct. 3, the Jewish New Year, and culminating Oct. 12 with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, many of them are bound to feel guilty about some of their behavior the past year.

An article by Dan Murtaugh, Virginia Bridges and Guy Busby out of Mobile, Ala., looks at the role of religious organizations in hurricane relief, and what their response will mean for future faith-based efforts: While some traditional disaster responders have been faulted for their pace in the face of Hurricane Katrina, many religious organizations have quickly welcomed, clothed and fed thousands of storm victims. Their no-red-tape response follows a trend of faith-based organizations playing an increasing role in functions traditionally performed by the government and secular charities. And it has Gulf Coast area church leaders and some government officials -- emboldened by the large role houses of worship assumed after the storm -- saying they want congregations to do even more.

Joy E. Stodghill writes about how Mormons are taught to be prepared in the face of disaster: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) always has a "disaster plan in place before the storm," said Mary Strength, a church member. Strength was one of more than 100 people who sought shelter in the church in St. Martin, Miss., during the storm. The building was constructed to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds and proved to be that sturdy. Mormons are taught to keep enough food at each family's home for one year. Strength credited the church's push for preparedness as a reason for their survival. "Our preparation has come in handy this time," Strength said.

Hurricane Katrina -- Act of God?

Quote of the Day: Bishop Carlton D. Pearson of Tulsa, Okla.

"God is a good God and doesn't have or need to throw temper tantrums like a spoiled and undisciplined child, in order to get his way or because he appears not to have it. We should not attempt to reduce God to such mundane human variables.''

-- Bishop Carlton D. Pearson of Higher Dimensions Ministries in Tulsa, Okla., commenting on his belief that Hurricane Katrina was not an act of God.

Prayer for Katrina's victims; Goals of U.N. World Summit

Friday's RNS report includes a story by Adelle M. Banks about the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for hurricane victims that took place at the Washington National Cathedral today: President Bush joined clergy from a range of faiths in a worship service Friday that featured prayers for those who died or were displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Bishop T.D. Jakes, a Dallas megachurch pastor, preached a sermon at the Washington National Cathedral that tied the rebuilding of now-submerged bridges to the need for better relations among the nation's disparate groups.

Nicole LaRosa reports from New York on the final day of the U.N. World Summit, during which religious groups urged world leaders to commit to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals of 2000, which aim to halve global poverty by 2015: Religious activists were cautiously optimistic about the response, particularly from the United States, with President Bush's speech to the General Assembly cited as a highlight. Religious activists credited lobbying from evangelicals, a key Bush constituency, for a renewed commitment to address the anti-poverty agenda.

President Bush speaks out against anti-Semitism

Quote of the Day: President Bush

"When we find anti-Semitism at home, we will confront it. When we find anti-Semitism abroad, we will condemn it. And we condemn the desecration of the synagogues in Gaza that followed Israel's withdrawal."

-- President Bush, speaking Wednesday (Sept. 14) to a dinner audience marking the 350th anniversary of American Judaism.

Atheists Newdow and O'Hair leave their mark

Wednesday's ruling on the Pledge of Allegiance tops today's RNS report. Adelle M. Banks and Rich Preheim report that conservative Christian groups are calling on teachers to practice civil disobedience and lead their students in the pledge in defiance of the ruling in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento. Judge Lawrence K. Karlton said that he was bound by a 2002 appeals court ruling that "the pledge is an unconstitutional violation of the children's right to be free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."

Madalyn Murray O'Hair probably would have agreed with this ruling. Her legacy as America's most outspoken atheist is the subject of Rebecca Phillips's report today. Phillips writes: O'Hair was known for her role in the landmark 1963 Supreme Court decision that ended school prayer in public schools across the U.S. and turned her into the self-described "most hated woman in America." Now, 10 years after her mysterious disappearance, which culminated in the discovery years later of her grisly murder by a former employee, the legacy of this controversial activist still influences atheists in America today."Madalyn gave legitimacy to the atheist movement," said Ann Rowe Seaman, author of a recent O'Hair biography. "She put it on the map as a viable thing."

Faith versus Law

Quote of the Day: Supreme Court Nominee John Roberts

"My faith and religious beliefs do not play a role in judging. I look to the law books. I don't look to the Bible."

-- Judge John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to be the next chief justice of the United States, answering senators' questions about his Catholic faith.

Religious Studies on the Rise

Post-9/11 Interest in Other Faiths Fuels Increase in Religion Majors

RNS' article of the week, linked above, looks at the surge in the number of college students studying religion. According to author Jeff Diamant:

Professors cite three main reasons for the increases: 9/11 spurred many students to learn about Islam and their own religions; recent immigration has made Americans more curious about their new neighbors' faiths; and Christian evangelical students seem more comfortable studying religion on campus.

But there's a challenge:

One reason the number of religion majors has not risen even higher, professors say, is because many students and their parents worry they won't be able to get good jobs with the degree.

Revving reverends; and the power of Mother Angelica

David Briggs writes in Wednesday's RNS report about "revving reverends" who compete against each other in stock car races to benefit charities: The Rev. Jason Russ of Church of the Open Door in Elyria, Ohio, was closing in on the leader in a stock car race at Lorain County Speedway. The owner of the car he was driving had encouraged him to be aggressive and not be afraid to bump into another car on the way to the winner's circle. Russ was only inches behind, with the pedal almost to the floor, and he wanted "like crazy" to get around the other driver. But he pulled back from the car driven by the Rev. Greg Ball of Church on the North Coast in Lorain. "All I could see was his wife and children. There's no way I'm bumping him," Russ recalled thinking. Ball finished first. Russ finished second. Welcome to the world of muscle-car Christianity.

We also offer a feature by Greg Garrison on Mother Angelica, who at 82 still wields tremendous influence despite suffering from debilitating strokes. Raymond Arroyo, EWTN news anchor and author of "Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles," said, "She's the most influential and powerful woman in the Catholic Church."

Lamenting the destruction

Quote of the Day: Orthodox Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

"The destruction of a synagogue is akin to a knife being thrust into our very being. When synagogues are destroyed, with ... lack of action of a governing authority, we can only ask, `What kind of government is this?'"

-- Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, lamenting the destruction of former Jewish synagogues by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The synagogues were abandoned when Israel forcibly removed all its citizens from the Gaza settlements.

Vatican v. China; church growth

Tuesday's RNS report includes a story about relations between the Vatican and China -- the world's largest church and most populous country, respectively. Stacy Meichtry reports that: Since the death of the late Pope John Paul II a wave of optimism has been building over the possibilitythat decades of icy relations between China and the Vatican were beginning to thaw. That wave broke Saturday (Sept. 10), when the Chinese government appeared to reject Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to four Chinese bishops to join him in Rome for an upcoming synod, an international congress of Roman Catholic bishops.

Frank Bentayou writes about church growth and the combination of qualities that enables a Protestant church to grow, especially when research indicates that eight of 10 American churches are barely maintaining or are declining in their attendance. Bentayou looks at evangelical consultant and author Thom Rainer's new book, "Breakout Churches" (Zondervan), in which he examines what makes them work and how they have distinguished themselves from the common run of evangelical congregations.

W. Todd Bassett on relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina

Quote of the Day: W. Todd Bassett, Salvation Army National Commander

"Certainly, in my history of 41 years as a Salvation Army officer, this is the greatest mobilization of churches in general, but definitely the Christian churches, who in my mind have come to truly realize what Jesus said in Matthew in the 25th chapter: `Inasmuch as you do unto the least of me, you do unto me.'"

-- Commissioner W. Todd Bassett, the Salvation Army's national commander, who has been heavily involved with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He was quoted in the New York Times.

Benedict's influence; Religious leaders combat poverty; Faith communities' work in Katrina's wake

RNS starts off the week with a story on Pope Benedict XVI's new influence on the U.S. hierarchy and what kinds of changes we can expect. Rocco Palmo writes: Benedict has inherited the papacy's absolute authority to select suitable leaders for the world's 2,700 dioceses, 197 of which are in the United States. His first major American test is appointing a new archbishop of San Francisco to succeed Archbishop William J. Levada, chosen by Benedict to head the Vatican's doctrine office. Levada will play a similar "kingmaker" role in the naming of new bishops.

Jason Kane reports on a meeting of religious leaders from around the world taking place Sept. 11-13 at the Washington National Cathedral. Those attending the "Consultation of Religious Leaders on Global Poverty" will discuss the church's role in ending severe global poverty and commit to reducing it by half by 2015. Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town, South Africa, said, "We have the resources; all we are lacking is political will. It's important for the (political) leadership to know where the religious leadership stands on this and also for us to use our moral authority to try and influence change in the right directions."

We are also offering a series of vignettes illustrating how faith communities have begun the slow and arduous process of cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina: In Baton Rouge, La., Jewish groups came together to rescue Torah scrolls from flood-damaged synagogues. In Bayou La Batre, Ala., the floodwaters moved a statue of St. Peter -- the patron saint of fishermen --halfway down a church but left it intact. And from Portland, Ore., one pastor sent a rented Suburban to personally rescue stranded families and resettle them in Oregon.

Help for Hurricane Katrina survivors

Quote of the Day: Mahdi Bray of Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation

"I think there's not a better way to honor the memory of those who lost their lives through the dastardly terrorist attack that took place on Sept. 11 than to take care of those who are here, suffering now as a result of Hurricane Katrina."

-- Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Washington-based Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, commenting on Muslim groups being assigned Sept. 11, by Houston relief coordinators, to provide hot meals to Hurricane Katrina survivors. He was quoted by The Washington Post.

Ground Zero church still waits to rebuild

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of 9/11, RNS's Friday report includes a story about a church in New York still waiting to rebuild. Kim Lawton of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reports that the historic St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at the foot of the South Tower of the World Trade Center was destroyed, and four years later, parishioners are still waiting to rebuild the church, a congregation of about 70 families but with a much wider ministry in New York's Wall Street financial district. Greek immigrants acquired the property, built in the 19th century, in the early1920s and turned it into a home for their fledgling congregation. The congregation's president says some of his earliest childhood memories are of attending Holy Week services at the church with his grandfather, a founder of the congregation.

Remembering Chief Justice Rehnquist

Quote of the Day: The Late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist

"I have a day job. But I keep my Sundays free."

-- Words of the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, recalled by his pastor, when the high court judge was asked to help at a Sunday service. The recollection by the Rev. George Evans of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean, Va., came during Rehnquist's funeral on Wednesday (Sept. 7). He was quoted by The Washington Times.

Donor preferences; kids and Katrina; the Exorcism of Emily Rose

We continue our coverage of Hurricane Katrina on Thursday with a story by G. Jeffrey MacDonald about donors' preferences: As Americans set new records for charitable giving in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, fundraisers across the board are seeing a principle confirmed: Donors love to help innocent victims of cataclysmic events. At the same time, however, data suggest donors are losing patience with chronic problems that have no quick solutions, such as poverty. And some, both in religious circles and beyond, fear mercy is increasingly being reserved for those who appear to have done no wrong. Comparing total giving so far to Katrina victims to giving for others perceived as more culpable in their suffering illustrates the problem.

Michele M. Melendez considers the effects Katrina and other events -- like 9/11, the Asian tsunami, news of school shootings and child abductions -- will have on children: These children won't remember the events themselves, but they will inherit the outcome: heightened airport security, metal detectors in schools, sex offender registries, disaster plans. The result may be overprotective parents and a conformist, risk-averse generation on the way.

The film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" opens on Friday, Sept. 9, and correspondent Sarah Price Brown looks at how it addresses contemporary issues, with its themes of the conflict between religion and science, faith and reason and even good versus evil: It's our culture's obsessions magnified on the big screen, simplified in the one-on-one setting of the courtroom, where there is a winner and a loser.

Faith and the U.S. Supreme Court

Quote of the Day: Georgetown University Professor W. Clyde Wilcox

"Knowing someone is a Catholic doesn't really tell you where they are on abortion at all."

-- W. Clyde Wilcox, professor of government at Georgetown University, talking about Judge John Roberts' nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Roberts is a devout conservative Catholic. Wilcox was quoted by The Washington Post.

Katrina and the Hand of God

People Search for Hand of God in Katrina's Wake

The RNS article of the week (linked above), by Adelle M. Banks and James Varney, reports on the varying views of divine intervention in the Katrina hurricane disaster.

On the extremes:

"Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed a wicked city," declared Michael Marcavage, director of Repent America, on the Web site of his Philadelphia-based evangelistic organization that opposed the annual gay "Southern Decadence" festival that was scheduled for Labor Day weekend.

and

"How can typical Christians reconcile their belief that their god is all-good and all-powerful with the heartbreaking scenes of devastation being telecast from Louisiana and Mississippi?" asked Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the atheistic group. "Where was their god? ... Their omnipotent god was certainly conspicuously absent when two levees broke (Tuesday), submerging the city of New Orleans."

What happens post-Katrina; college kids study religion

Adelle M. Banks and Suleman Din write in Wednesday's RNS report about the efforts of churches to find members and assess the damage in the wake of Hurricane Katrina: Faith-related assessments of damage from Hurricane Katrina are hard to come by, and people are dispersed so widely that some pastors have no clue how their congregants are doing. ... But the emotional and spiritual toll is certainly heavy as church families are separated, with the future uncertain.

A second Katrina story looks at "disaster fatigue," and questions how long Americans will pay attention to post-hurricane recovery efforts. "This tends to set in when people feel not only overwhelmed by the images but also feel helpless to do anything. Perhaps they've already made donations to the Red Cross or Salvation Army, already held a bake sale or yard sale to raise money," says Susan Moeller, author of "Compassion Fatigue: How the Media Sell Disease, Famine, War and Death." And according to reporter Dru Sefton, September is the worst month for a crisis, since families are concentrating on going back to work and to school.

A third story today focuses on a national trend of more college students studying religion. Reporter Jeff Diamant reveals three chief reasons for this growth: Sept. 11 spurred many students to learn about Islam and their own religions; recent immigration has made Americans more curious about their new neighbors' faiths; and Christian evangelical students seem more comfortable studying religion on campus.

Billy Graham on Hurricane Katrina

Quote of the Day: Evangelist Billy Graham

"The disaster of Hurricane Katrina may be the worst tragedy America has known since the Civil War. ... It may be the greatest opportunity to demonstrate God's love in this generation."

-- Evangelist Billy Graham, in a Friday (Sept. 2) statement.

Religious stampedes; Noah's Ark in Louisiana

Tuesday's RNS report begins with an article about the danger of stampedes at large Islamic religious rites. Andrea Useem looks at the Aug. 31 stampede during a Shiite pilgrimage in Baghdad, as well as the stampede deaths in recent years of pilgrims during the annual Muslim hajj. She asks, Is there something inherently dangerous about Islamic religious rites? and talks to experts about cause and ways to prevent future tragedies.

We continue our reporting on Hurricane Katrina with a story out of Thibodaux, La., where a church has welcomed pets that evacuated New Orleans with their owners. Millie Ball reports that Petco and PetSmart have donated cages to the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center on the Nicholls State University campus. Said the Rev. Jim Morris of this Noah's Ark: "Our altar has never been adorned more beautifully than it is with these people seeking the sanctuary of God."

Hurricane Katrina relief efforts

Along with the coverage Religion News Service is providing about the religious aspects of addressing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, our news service has produced a list of religious organizations assisting with the relief efforts. Please consider this list as you make personal efforts to help out.

Thanks, Adelle M. Banks, Senior Correspondent, Religion News Service

-- Adventist Development and Relief Agency: 800-424-2372 or www.adra.org
-- American Friends Service Committee (Quakers): www.afsc.org
-- American Jewish Committee: www.ajc.org
-- Assemblies of God: www.disasterrelief.ag.org
-- Baptist World Aid: www.bwanet.org
-- Catholic Charities USA: 800-919-9338 or www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
-- Catholic Extension: www.catholicextension.org
-- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): www.weekofcompassion.org
-- Christian Life Missions: 407-333-0600, ext. 1103 or www.christianlifemissions.org/giving
-- Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: 800-552-7972 or www.crwrc.org
-- Church World Service: 800-297-1516 or www.churchworldservice.org
-- Cooperative Baptist Fellowship: www.thefellowship.info
-- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Domestic Disaster Response: 800-638-3522 or www.ELCA.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/ddisaster.asp
-- Episcopal Relief and Development: 800-334-7626 or www.er-d.org
-- International Aid: 800-251-2502 or www.internationalaid.org
-- International Orthodox Christian Charities: 877-803-4622 or www.iocc.org
-- Islamic Circle of North America Relief: www.icnarelief.org
-- Jewish Reconstructionist Federation: www.jrf.org
-- Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod: 888-930-4438 or worldrelief.lcms.org
-- MAP International: 800-225-8550 or www.map.org
-- Operation Blessing: 800-730-2537 or www.ob.org
-- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance at 800-872-3283 or www.pcusa.org/pda/donate/accounts.htm
-- Salvation Army: 800-725-2769 or www.salvationarmy.org
-- Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board: 800-462-8657, ext. 6440, or www.namb.net
-- Union for Reform Judaism: www.urj.org
-- Unitarian Universalist Association Gulf Coast Relief Fund: www.uua.org
-- United Jewish Communities: 212-284-6944 or www.ujc.org
-- United Methodist Committee on Relief: 800-554-8583 or www.methodistrelief.org
-- United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism: www.uscj.org
-- World Relief: 800-535-5433 or www.worldrelief.org
-- World Vision: 888-511-6514 or www.worldvision.org
-- Your Catholic Voice Foundation: 661-869-1000 or www.ycvf.org

-- Compiled by Adelle M. Banks and Jason Kane

Rescued from the roof

Quote of the Day: Hurricane Victim Bernadette Washington of New Orleans

"I thought we were going to die out there. We had to sleep on the ground. Use the bathroom in front of each other. Laying on that ground, I just couldn't take it. I felt like Job."

-- Bernadette Washington, a New Orleans homeowner, whose family was rescued from her roof by a helicopter and then delivered to a patch of land beneath a freeway. She was quoted in the Washington Post.

Help the victims of Hurricane Katrina

Quote of the Day: Episcopal Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold

"Life affords us very few securities and yet deep within us, often revealed in the midst of profound vulnerability and loss, springs up a hope that contradicts the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Such hope emerges from the depths of despair as a pure and unexpected gift. This is the way in which Christ accompanies us and seeks to share our burdens."

-- Episcopal Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, in a pastoral letter urging help for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Churches aid Katrina refugees; Trent Dilfer's heart-wrenching decision

Friday's RNS report leads with an article about the role of churches in helping Katrina's victims. Adelle M. Banks and Wayne Martin write: As the devastating reality of Hurricane Katrina begins to sink in, it has become clear that the government and nonprofit humanitarian agencies cannot meet the challenge alone. So houses of worship, from Muslims in Texas to Methodists in Tennessee, are opening their doors to give refugees shelter.

We're also moving a story about the difficult decision faced by Trent Dilfer, the Cleveland Browns' new starting quarterback whose faith was tested when his 5-year-old son was put on life support. Mary Kay Cabot writes: But the only thing keeping him alive now was the massive machine humming and whirring on the back wall. In fact, Dilfer and his wife, Cass, outspoken evangelical Christians, were faced with a heart-wrenching decision. Did they let his time run out on the machine or should they turn it off and say goodbye in a special way? Dilfer couldn't bear the thought of either.

God's presence in the storm; Sisters of Mary

RNS continues its coverage of Hurricane Katrina on Thursday with a story by Adelle M. Banks and James Varney on people finding God -- or not -- in New Orleans: In the garden behind St. Louis Cathedral on Royal Street lies an incredible tangle of zig-zagging broken tree trunks and branches, mixed with smashed wrought iron fences. But right in the middle, a statue of Jesus is still standing, unscathed by the storm, save for the left thumb and index finger, which are missing. The missing digits immediately set off speculation of divine intervention, that in an answer to prayer the hurricane moved a bit east and didn't directly hit the city.

Catherine O'Donnell's story on the Sisters of Mary points out how this order of Catholic nuns founded in 1997 by Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan is growing at a time when other Catholic religious orders are disappearing: The order is different from many others today in that members wear the traditional, floor-length habit, place strong emphasis on community life, and spend at least three hours each day in traditional communal prayer, some in Latin. Is something countercultural going on?

Tony Perkins on new Air Force guidelines

Quote of the Day: Family Research Council President Tony Perkins

"The Air Force seems to be fighting perceived religious intolerance with actual religious tolerance -- ultimately telling the military chaplaincy how to pray."

-- Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council, criticizing new Air Force guidelines on religious tolerance.

Hurricanes and the Apocalypse

Did Hurricane Katrina Deliver a Spiritual Message?

RNS' article of the week (linked above), from content-partner Beliefnet, outlines a variety of meanings being read into the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Stephen O'Leary, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, sees little distinction between religious end-times beliefs and more secular Earth Changes views.

"When people leave behind the Christian version of the apocalypse, they don't quit being apocalyptic," O'Leary says. "They switch brands."