Review Of Top Religion Stories This Week

This week showcased the best and worst of religion.. but we'll let you decide which stories are which.

The Vatican held its first conference on sexual abuse, "Towards Healing and Renewal." Clergy from around the world, and a handful of victims of sexual abuse attended the conference. In related news, retired Cardinal Egan regretted apologizing for how sexual abuse cases were handled while he was Bishop of Bridgeport in 2002. He claimed that he was not obligated to report abuse claims, and said, "I don't think we did anything wrong," the AP reports. Meanwhile, Obama's revised birth control policy has received support from a key Catholic group, the Catholic Health Organization. According to the new policy, religious employers will not be obligated to provide contraception coverage to their employees; instead the insurance companies will be directly responsible for providing free contraception, the AP reports.

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS, VIDEOS

On the flip side, the Department of Education recently determined that employees whose work is related to "religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing" will not qualify for loan forgiveness as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. Clergy members across the country have launched an informal campaign to qualify for student loan forgiveness.

The Air Force removed the word 'God' from the logo of an Air Force acquisitions office, after objections by the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. Many members of Congress are upset at this move; 36 of them signed a letter to the Air Force objecting.

Fr. Greg Boyle, Jesuit priest and founder and Executive Director of Homeboy Industries offered HuffPost Religion "Two Minutes of Wisdom" talking about his work and the motivation behind it. Check it out! His work inspired HufffPost Religion to launch Faith Inspires a weekly feature that will highlight people of faith who are creating an impact in society in this country and around the world. On that note, if you want to highlight the work of a religious or spiritual group, please email us at religion[at]huffingtonpost[dot]com or tweet us @HuffPostRelig with #FaithInspires.

Oprah Winfrey visited Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn to learn about their daily life and spiritual devotion. In a conversation with Rabbi Moti Seligson, she surprised us (and herself?) by saying, "I am more Hasidic Jew than I thought."

Meanwhile, Tamil Hindus celebrated the festival of Thaipusam. Unique to this celebration, devotees undergo extreme bodily mortification once their prayers are answered. HuffPost Religion has a gallery of striking photos -- check them out!

Noted singer Whitney Houston died on 11th of Feb. She was 48 years old. The night before she died, she sang, "Yes, Jesus Loves Me." Rest in peace, Whitney.

Finally, HuffPost Religion created a four-round bracket challenge to determine YOUR favorite Jesus movie. We are now in the second round of the challenge and you have until the 13th of Feb. 9 a.m. to ensure that your favorite Jesus movie make it to the penultimate round.

Comments

[edavies19]

09:31 AM on 02/28/2012

This is another religion story that I have read this week on miracles of Moses explained by science. Hilarious but very informative too

http://kenwoodtravel.com/blog/five-miracles-of-moses-debunked-by-science/

[Craig Gosling]

09:47 PM on 02/13/2012

I hope this Catholic conference is not meant to be a distraction from reform, detection and elimination of abuse. Talk is cheap.

[Craig Gosling]

09:40 PM on 02/13/2012

Religious radicals, whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim are the biggest threats to world peace and democracy. Whenever a belief in a deity replaces common sense and science, humanity is threatened.

[goncrazi]

05:52 PM on 02/20/2012

Well, that pretty well sums it up - we were doomed from the beginning, when that first guy stood up, looked into the sky and said What is that? And is buddy said That's God man. First guy says, no that stink his buddy says, oh that was 1st woman - she got sick on that decaying monkey we ate.

[driverstest]

04:34 PM on 02/13/2012

No good can come from this drama directed toward religion.

[mxcoach26]

04:07 PM on 02/13/2012

she's so desperate for attention its sad. that was a joke of a performance. why all the theatrics? just do your thing and perform. when these artists go overboard with this stuff it just draws away from the music they are trying to let us hear.

[Salty too]

01:31 PM on 02/13/2012

Once again at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, President Obama quoted the Bible to justify punishing success in the name of social engineering, trying to reconcile the teachings of Scripture with the teachings of Karl Marx. According to the President's statements, his policy arguments stem from his interpretation of his Christian faith, which was shaped and molded, according to the President's earlier writings and public statements, by the Black Liberation Theology of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a dedicated Marxist with a well-documented hate for white America.

[George Genung]

02:27 PM on 02/13/2012

Here's a thought, let's skip the so call National Prayer breakfast next year. Or better yet, have everyone pray to Homer Simpson and see if it makes any difference through the year. I know how I would bet.

[Salty too]

02:46 PM on 02/13/2012

I'd rather have that than to have a Pres who tries to convince people he's a Christian when it's very clear he is not. And I don't care if he isn't. I just wish that if he is, he would act like one. At least learn the bible and stop using it to say things it does not. All I've ever heard him do is mis-interpret it for what he wants. It's pathetic because he's not even close.

[Jim Fourniadis]

03:23 AM on 02/13/2012

Rational arguments don't usually work on religious people. Otherwise there would be no religious people.

- Gregory House, M.D.

[H P]

05:27 PM on 02/12/2012

Religious story of the week: the continued use of religion by Republicans to steer the talk away from the real problems in the country.

[Jim Fourniadis]

03:20 AM on 02/13/2012

fav

[Iamrebelriser]

03:30 PM on 02/12/2012

The pope, the bishops and the abusive clergy, including bishops and priests, are still being abusive in that they have no complaints against Viagra being paid for by insurance companies, but won't let women prevent pregnancies from all of the over sexed males using Viagra.

[hungryaardvark]

10:44 AM on 02/12/2012

Top news:

MYTH 1 claims that MYTH 2 is still wrong and will lead to eternal pain.
MYTH 3 is still busy killing MYTHS 4, 5 and 6.
MYTH 7 admitted that it is just all made-up s@*t, then revoked that statement claiming the debbil made him say it.

[Allen Jenkins]

09:28 AM on 02/12/2012

Who do they think they are fooling...third party payers that provide birth control spread the costs out over the entire group whether they approve or not.

There is a word for saying otherwise...

[Iamrebelriser]

03:33 PM on 02/12/2012

Are you ok with paying for Viagra, then? By your explanation, you're also paying for it, whether for sexual abusers or old men.

[PackCat]

09:47 PM on 02/12/2012

Don't forget about wars... everyone has to pay for wars... only the rich do not have to pay for it with their lives, they get deferments or European trips to France and slum it in posh chalets.

[blue53]

09:17 AM on 02/12/2012

Left out of the National reporting this week was this story. Look at this shinny object over there----Tell me again about the moral authority of the Catholic Bishops!

“Sealed documents filed in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy identify at least 8,000 instances of child sexual abuse and 100 alleged offenders - 75 of them priests - who have not previously been named by the archdiocese, a victims' attorney said Thursday.”

http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/archdiocese-bankruptcy-judge-allows-two-claims-to-stand-me44pue-139044534.html

[Klarsonent]

12:33 PM on 02/12/2012

Thanks for the link. This is absolutely beyond the pale. Justice needs to be done. Unfortunately, the justice may have to wait until the evil priests who have committed these atrocious deeds will meet their maker (death).

[Iamrebelriser]

03:37 PM on 02/12/2012

You're right. Bishops who were moving sexually abusive priests around so they could continue abusing children have NO RIGHT to complain about women wanting to prevent pregnancies they can't afford. Most catholics use birth control anyway, and having insurance provide birth control does not force any to use it who don't want to. Just more hypocrisy by sexually abusive, woman hating bishops & priests. In fact, the pope moved sexually abusive priests around to protect them.