Note: Registration or subscription to the host news sites may be required to read some of the stories linked here.

Stories about Thanksgiving:

In times of pain and death, is gratitude really possible?
"Just be grateful for what you have." That is the advice people often offer to those who are struggling, to give them encouragement. You hear the admonition from all kinds -- from those who emphasize psychological self-help, from those who are into New Age spirituality and those who are loyal to institutional religion. It is a very annoying phrase.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, October 10

'This is my best Thanksgiving ever'
Reunited mom and daughter share turkey at Union Gospel Mission
Vancouver Sun, October 12

Stories about the Ten Commandments:

'Profound' parchment transcends faith
The 10 Commandments, the moral giant of Western civilization, usually depicted as giant slabs raised over the head of Moses descending from Mount Sinai -- or of Charlton Heston in the movie -- actually fit neatly onto a 2,000-year-old document a mere 18 inches across and seven inches high. The fragile piece of parchment, the oldest-known written version of the complete 10 Commandments, will be on display at the Royal Ontario Museum starting tomorrow. Those who study ancient biblical texts say that the tiny piece of parchment is profound.
Charles Lewis, National Post, October 9

Commas and commandments
It turns out the 10 Commandments aren't exactly set in stone. There could be 14 of them. Or 17.
Globe and Mail, October 10

Stories about the Nova Scotia bishop and child porn:

Church vocal in face of scandal
New generation of Catholics speak out on Lahey: 'When something happens like this, we all suffer'
Globe and Mail, October 8

Sexual images of boys as young as eight on bishop's laptop: search warrant
Evasive answers, shifty eyes and a passport stamped with known hot spots for child pornography drew the attention of border officials to Bishop Raymond Lahey, a search warrant released Thursday alleges.
Canadian Press, October 8

Laptop held images of young boys: warrant
Search application reveals that multiple red flags went off after the 69-year-old cleric flew from London to Ottawa
Globe and Mail, October 8

Warrant describes evasive bishop
Bishop Raymond Lahey avoided eye contact, changed his vocal tone and gave evasive responses when a border agent at Ottawa International Airport questioned him last month about his electronic equipment.
Halifax Chronicle Herald, October 9

Bishop's travels raised concern, document says
A former Nova Scotia bishop facing child pornography charges was initially flagged by customs authorities when he landed at the Ottawa airport because his passport revealed extensive travel to countries notorious as sources of such illicit material, a court document alleges.
CanWest News Service, October 9

Judge grants changes in bishop's bail conditions
Lahey allowed to move to Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Ottawa after residents in New Brunswick town complained about his presence.
Globe and Mail, October 9

Bishop gets new bail conditions on child porn charges
A Catholic bishop facing child pornography charges will live among other priests in a quiet neighbourhood as he awaits trial. On Friday, a judge granted Raymond Lahey's request to live in Ottawa until his trial begins, after residents in the New Brunswick town where he was staying complained about his presence.
Canadian Press, October 9

N.S. diocese lawyer says he wants to explain settlement to alleged abuse victims
A lawyer for an embattled Roman Catholic diocese in Nova Scotia said Friday he'd like to meet with alleged victims of sexual assault by its priests to clear up any confusion surrounding a landmark class-action settlement. Bruce MacIntosh, representing the diocese of Antigonish, said some appear to misunderstand exactly what the $15-million agreement can achieve for people who claim they were abused by priests decades ago.
Canadian Press, October 9

N.S. man kept abuse secret for decades
Philip Latimer says he didn't tell family about sexual abuse he allegedly suffered at hands of town priest until launching $2-million lawsuit this week
Globe and Mail, October 9

Delictum gravius
What I do know is that the Church in North America is paying grievously today for her concessions to "liberal" pressure in past decades, and especially for having bought into the hippie-trip idea that a man who has shown tendencies to child molestation can be "cured" by psychological counselling. For that was the "compassionate" idiocy behind the quiet re-assignments of problem priests in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.
David Warren, Ottawa Citizen, October 11

This made them search the bishop
This is rough stuff and, at times, it's hard to believe what you are reading. Suffice it to say, the bishop gave the game away early and often.
Terry Mattingly, GetReligion.org, October 12

Computers, storage units seized during search of home, office of N.S. bishop
RCMP in Nova Scotia have seized three computers and various storage devices during searches of the residences and office of a bishop accused in Ottawa of possessing child porn.
Canadian Press, October 14

N.S. church denies role in alleged sexual abuse by priest in 1950s
In separate statements of claim filed earlier this year with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Kenneth Joseph Boudreau and Raymond Boudreau allege they were abused as children by Rev. Adolphe LeBlanc - who died 35 years ago - in two small parishes.
Canadian Press, October 14

The last acceptable prejudice
It was as predictable as an Orangeman putting on his sash or a latte coffee-drinker buying but not actually reading the latest risible volume from one of the new, inflated atheists. A former Roman Catholic bishop in Nova Scotia was charged with the possession of child pornography and within a day there were letters, blogs and articles explaining why the Church is doomed, why married and women priests have to be recruited and how this is entirely typical of those bloody awful Catholics who should really know their place.
Michael Coren, National Post, October 14

Earlier: Stories about the Nova Scotia bishop accused of having child porn

Continue article >>

Stories about Islam and the West:

Muslim group moves to ban burka
Canadian lobbyists say garments are 'medieval' and 'misogynist' and they are urging Ottawa to take action
Canadian Press, October 7

Locals take comfort in 'holy work' of pulling mines from Afghan soil
Their progress is slow, the sun is hot and the work is dangerous - but that doesn't seem to matter to the loyal Afghans who are working to restore their country's former glory.
Canadian Press, October 8

Sermon helps defuse 'day of rage' in Jerusalem
It wasn't so much because of Barack Obama, but a surprising mood of peace prevailed over most of Jerusalem Friday. Surprising because, all week long, tensions had been building throughout the city, and Friday's midday prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City were expected to be the climax.
Globe and Mail, October 9

Burn your burka
In October 2006, when Britain's former foreign secretary Jack Straw asked a constituent wearing a face-mask in his office to remove her veil, he was lambasted by U. K.'s mosque establishment and clerics as a racist and Islamophobe. Three years later, it was the mother of all Islamic clerics -- Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque and Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University in Egypt -- who found himself in Jack Straw's shoes. Speaking to students in a girls' school in Egypt, Sheikh Tantawi asked a girl draped in a head-to-toe black burka to take off the veil from her face. The girl refused, leading the frustrated Egyptian cleric to say he will issue a fatwa (religious edict) against the growing trend among Muslim women to wear the niqab (a dark veil covering the entire face, leaving a hole only for the eyes). He told the young woman that full-face veiling is a custom that has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.
Tarek Fatah, National Post, October 9

To each, her own
Elsewhere on this page, Tarek Fatah pleads that the burka should not be permitted in Canada; to do so, he argues, would be letting misogyny take root in our soil in the name of liberalism. The problem, of course, is that letting people wear what they like is liberalism.
Colby Cosh, National Post, October 9

Born in blood
From early days, the power struggles within Islam were settled with violence
Salim Mansur, National Post, October 10

Earlier: Stories about Islam and the West

Related stories:

My wife's religious beliefs are coming between us
It's clear our values are different, but I do love her. Thoughts?
Lynn Coady, Globe and Mail, October 8

Group of U.S. conservatives rewrite the Bible
The folks behind Conservapedia, a right-leaning version of Wikipedia, have launched the Conservative Bible Project, aimed at getting rid of what they call liberal bias, wordiness, emasculation and a general dumbing down of the Old and New Testaments.
Globe and Mail, October 9

Cross Purposes
Perched high above the ground in the middle of California's Mojave National Preserve is a two-metre-tall structure known simply as the cross in the desert. The white cross, erected 75 years ago by veterans to honour soldiers killed in the First World War, has plunged the U. S. Supreme Court once again into a debate on the separation of church and state.
Michael Higgins, National Post, October 9

McGill abortion advocates block opposing opinions
Pro-life activist Jose Ruba is building quite a resume. He's been shouted down at St. Mary's University, shut down at York, and now he's been sung down at McGill.
Tim Mak, Full Comment, National Post, October 9

Casting stones
Last month, an article of mine appeared on these pages under the headline "Why I became a Catholic." It is inspiriting and piquant to observe that this article has provoked a theological controversy among National Post letter writers. However, I must remind these correspondents of a few facts.
Conrad Black, National Post, October 10

Go on, have a pint with the Lord
Beer isn't the only thing on tap at the local pub. It may be an unorthodox place for a theology group, but pastors who've tried it say a little libation goes a long way in having honest-to-God discussions on faith
Globe and Mail, October 12

Spiritual revival
Chinese youth are embracing Christianity
CanWest News Service, October 13
Earlier: Stories about the 60th anniversary of Chinese communism

Disgraced B.C. biker-evangelist ready to preach again
It's been more than a year since biker-dude B.C. faith healer Todd Bentley drew 300,000 wide-eyed and ailing people to his revival in Lakeland, Florida. Things fell apart last August after the former criminal had became involved with one of his devoted volunteers, began drinking, left his Canadian wife and kids and endured accusations of fraud.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, October 13
Earlier: Todd Bentley undergoing .restoration,. say supporters

Alberta Hutterites lose bid for second hearing over photo ID
The Supreme Court of Canada will not let a group of Alberta Hutterites re-argue their case against photo drivers licences. The high court gives no reasons for refusing the appeal, but such a second chance is rarely granted. The Hutterites went to court after the province required in 2003 that all licence holders be photographed for a provincial facial recognition data bank.
Canadian Press, October 15
Earlier: Stories about the Hutterites and drivers licenses

A Prayer for the New Atheists
Author Karen Armstrong on quitting the convent, launching the Charter for Compassion, making 'The Case for God', and more.
The Tyee.ca, October 15

How Canadian evangelicals vote
Just as American evangelicals tend to support the Republican Party, Canadian evangelicals are more likely than most Canadians to support Stephen Harper's Conservative Party. A fascinating study by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada plays down the possibility that Canada has its own version of the militant U.S. Religious Right, but the polling data it analyses still shows Canadian evangelicals have strong political leanings toward Harper, who is also an evangelical.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, October 15

Too old to mature
When is it too late to grow up? Our current series examines the "hipster parents" who refuse to act their own age, and desire to be the cool contemporaries of their children rather than be boring ol' Mum or Dad. I can't say I have had much contact with such parents, as most of my time is spent at the university with those not yet married, or in my parish with those whose children are already grown.
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, October 15

Moonies' Messiah bows out with mega-wedding
It was probably Rev. Sun Myung Moon.s last hurrah. This week, the billionaire leader of the Unification Church staged his biggest mass wedding in years, marrying an estimated 34,000 couples.
Araminta Wordsworth, Full Comment, National Post, October 15

October 15/2009