Religion in the News:

Republican politician Kathleen Harris has apparently swapped Kabbalah water for Jesus, and tells a Baptist paper that not only separation of Church and State a myth, but that “God chooses our rulers,” so voting for anyone else is a grievous sin:

"If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you’re not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin. They can legislate sin."

Got that? God chooses, but sometimes sin wins anyhow. Okaaay.

Speaking of Baptists with issues, the preacher who fired a Sunday School teacher because she was female is defending his decision. He also hints that the decision was made up to avoid accusations of 'slander.' Classy guy.

If the government thought placing a giant memorial cross under Federal jusridiction was going to stop people complaining, they were probably not paying much attention to the issue. A new group of Jewish War Vets are suing Donald Rumsfeld, claiming the cross is not only religious, but sectarian to boot. I find it a bit strange that they found the time to 'save' this hideous cross while at the same time find themselves unable to find the time to give Roberta Stewart permission to place a pentacle on her husband's memorial.

Jewish comedian Jackie Mason isn't thrilled that "Jews for Jesus," a Christian evangelical group that targets Jews for conversion, is using his routine in their tracts. Their response? ""Shame on him for getting so upset about this." Yes, shame on the Jewish man for being offended that his work is being used to lure people away from his religion...

The US Department of Education "accidentally" dropped evolutionary biology from a list of majors eligible for Federal education grant money. Whoops. Most ironically, the grants are part of a program designed to keep the US from falling behind in science. Too late, it would seem.

Weird:

If you share a birth-month with yours truly, you may be wondering where recent decisions to demote Pluto leave you as far as ruling planets go- but never fear, say astrologers, Pluto is still in.

Jesus & Mary sightings: Closet door, hot cocoa, and in many forms at the Traveling Museum of Oddities.

An Indian Muslim woman whose drunken husband "accidentally" divorced her has been ordered to marry a 70 year old man before she will be allowed to return to her husband- that is, if the old guy in turn agrees to divorce her.

A Jewish defendant who converted to Christianity during his trial is re-converting to Judaism after his conviction.

A couple who claim to use marijuana as a religious sacrament may actually have a chance in court, as supporters testify in favor of "New Religious movements." While the couple's Church is miniscule and odd, they've been around for fifteen years and have been pretty public about their choice of sacrament. The use of marijuana as sacrament spans many continents and can be found in the histories of many religions, from Rasta to Siberian shamanism to ancient Judaism, even earning itself a mention in the Old Testament.

A Polish soccer player might get jail time for crossing himself during a game. And here I thought Germany was a bit extreme for going after Madonna.

Links:

Fantastic: The Visionary Art of Paul B. Rucker

Nifty: The Buddha Project

Food for Thought: The politics of a witch