Religion

(Updated) Jesus FTW: God-Lovin' Kountze Cheerleaders Trounce Heathens In Court Battle

Updated with statements from Governor Rick Perry and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In a high-profile battle based on small-town football, the cheerleaders in the little East Texas burg of Kuntze have won a court battle to praise Jesus during football games. The Kountze case drew national a ... More >>

Zack Kopplin, The 19-Year-Old Face of the Anti-Creationist Movement

Having fought his battles in Louisiana, the Rice University student is now ready for Texas and any move to put faux science in the public schools here.

The Pope Quits? Popes Don't Quit!

The world was rocked and shocked with the news that George Ratzinger, 85, was quitting his day job. Sure, 85 seems a reasonable age to retire, but the thing is that Ratzinger also goes by the name Pope Benedict XVI, and popes, to put it simply, don't quit. Borgias have tried to get them to quit an ... More >>

Sikh Temple Shooting: Houston Sikhs Consider Their Options, Plead For An End to Ignorance

Harmeet Kaur was sitting in her Sikh temple in Houston this morning when a girlfriend texted her the news. The girlfriend had stayed home and was watching television as the news broke about the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin. At least seven people were killed in the 10:25 a.m. attack carried out ... More >>

Be Pure and Tell the Truth: Our 5 Favorite Musical Buddhists

Today His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns 77. Although he didn't officially become the temporal head of Tibet until he was 15, he's made the most of 62 years in the position. He's won a Nobel Peace Prize, advocated for his country and countrymen, and amassed more than 4 million Twitter followers. He' ... More >>

Beaumont Diocese Sued Over Priest Who Allegedly Abused Teen in 1976

A Dallas County man is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, and Bishop Curtis Guillory, over sexual abuse the man allegedly suffered by a now-deceased priest in 1976-1977. Filed last week in Jefferson County District Court, the man -- identified as John Doe 104 -- claims that Father Ronald ... More >>

SPECIAL MORMON EDICION

Imprinting the Divine: Byzantine and Russian Icons from The Menil Collection

How NOT to Raise Money to Make a Music Video

Friends and enemies, music videos are an enduring passion of ours, both filming them ourselves and reporting on the best that we come across year after year. We think the medium has only become better and better with technology being made easier and cheaper for the average independent artist to mast ... More >>

Mistaken Identities

Being a Sikh means you get called a terrorist because your hair is bound up in a turban on your head. Now imagine being a Sikh teenager in Texas, where if you follow your faith you'll never blend in.

Dan Shea, The Man Who Sued the Pope, Sounds Off on Joe Paterno

Penn State and the Catholic Church​Bella figura can mean many things, but at its core is presentation...how one looks, how one comports oneself, how one makes the best possible impression in all things. That such a concept is hardwired into the Italian psyche is no surprise: what else could be ... More >>

Mormons: Whether We Should Hate Them or Not

A Shallow Yet Helpful Guide

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs, the Rosh Hashanah Edition

If you're Jewish, happy new year and l'shana tova! If you're not Jewish, you can still enjoy this week's roundup of Rosh Hashanah-themed food blog posts, and perhaps learn a little something new along the way. Voracious: At our sister paper in Seattle, food critic Hanna Raskin asked the Washington ... More >>

Whole Foods: "We Should Not Highlight Ramadan"

No "Ramadan Mubarak" wishes this year from Whole Foods.​Under pressure from right-wing bloggers who blindly associate Ramadan and Muslims with terrorism and burqas, Whole Foods has sent an email to its stores across the United States in which it specifically tells stores not to promote Ramadan ... More >>

Ramadan Begins Today: Where Will You Eat Iftar?

I use this photo for Ramadan every year because Burger King's ads amuse me to no end.​The annual period of fasting called Ramadan has begun today for observant Muslims across the world. What does that mean? In a nutshell, no eating or drinking from sunrise until sunset -- and in August, that's ... More >>

Five Real Wizards Who Make Harry Potter Look Like David Blaine

​By the time you read this, your humble narrator will be on the edge of our seat at the West Oaks Alamo Drafthouse watching the triumphant finale of the Harry Potter films. The books and movies have given us of our best times over the past decade, and it's hard to believe that it's all over. ... More >>

Rappers Agree, Almost, That There Is A God

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Slim Thug, Bun B, KAB, Trae, ESG, Lil Flip, Kyle ... More >>

Gay Presbyterian Ministers -- Houston Church Reacts: "Breathe Deeply (Multiple Times)"

Breathe deeply in Montrose.​The Presbyterian Church (USA) is expected to approve rule changes that would allow gays to be ordained ministers, a move members had contentiously rejected just two years ago. What's the reaction locally? The minister of one Houston church has sent out a letter urg ... More >>

Intelligent Design Tries Again In Texas, Group Says

Evolution in the cross-hairs​Texas might be getting ready to fill its science textbooks with anti-evolution material, critics are warning. The State Board of Education may soon take another step in its effort to adopt material that pushes Intelligent Design, they say. "Two years ago State Bo ... More >>

Five Four Musicians Who Practice Witchcraft

​Gerald Gardner founded Wicca in the 1960s, though many claim the idea was originally thought up with assistance by Aleister Crowley. Regardless, the faith has become one of the most prominent neopagan belief systems in the world, and the pentacle symbol used by adherents is even approved for ... More >>

Rosh Hashanah Foods

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is upon us, and like most religious holidays, it brings with it many food-related traditions. Even my Jewish friends who are generally non-observant make it a point to have a round challah or apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah. Here's a list of some of the most c ... More >>

Hayya' alas Salaah: Ramadan Begins Tomorrow

That's right: Even Burger King gets in on the Ramadan festivities.​August 11 marks the beginning of Ramadan in 2010. The date that signifies the beginning of the ninth month of the Islamic religious year changes each year based on the Islamic lunar calendar (which is, coincidentally, the only ... More >>

"Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam"

The MFAH deepens its commitment to Islamic art

The Man Who Sued the Pope

Houston's Daniel Shea thinks Joseph Ratzinger has a lot to answer for if he'd talk.

This Week's Cover Story: The Man Who Sued The Pope

​Most times when you ask Houston lawyer/theologian Daniel Shea a question, you get a treatise in response, one that can take in everything from the Edict of Constantine and to the deeds of Admiral Rickover to the sins of many a modern-day bishop in the ongoing sex abuse scandal roiling the Rom ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Five Fictional Pedophiles Who Could Teach The Vatican A Thing Or Two

It's hard out here for a priest. The sex-abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church refuse to go away, with more cases coming to light and casting doubt on the actions of those in the highest offices of the Vatican, including Big Pope-a himself: Critics have charged that Pope Benedict XVI, ... More >>

Pop Rocks: John Travolta, Humanitarian

​The tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti has, as expected, brought out both the best and worst of humanity. As an example of the former, we've seen the nations of the world send supplies and relief workers to help the stricken Caribbean nation. As for the latter, well, the comments of extraordinar ... More >>

TDCJ Inmate Wonders What's A Dude Gotta Do To Get His Wicca On In Prison

​Charles Roberts -- aka Alabama, aka Hell Boy (according to a lawsuit he filed from prison) -- was recently transferred to Huntsville from Edinburg after he claimed, via lawsuit, that the prison didn't allow him to practice his Wiccan religion. Michelle Lyons, the director of public information fo ... More >>

"A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People"

A pontiff bridges a centuries-old divide

When the Moon Becomes Round: Songs for the Summer Solstice

Frederic Vincent/ Wikipedia In Houston, June 21 comes and goes with very little fanfare. While technically it's the first day of summer, anyone can tell you summer around here started about two months ago. Nonetheless, it seems like a shame to leave all the celebrating to the pagans; why, they don't ... More >>

Angels & Demons with Tom Hanks

Another treat for whacked-out male conspiracy theorists

For St. Patrick's Day: The Five Least Convincing Irishmen In Movies

St. Patrick's Day is more than just an opportunity for amateur drunks to get in fights after drinking since noon, it's also when all of us claim (usually bogus) Irish heritage. I can personally trace my Irish ancestry back to the 17th century. Of course, they were Ulster Huguenots and probably not v ... More >>

Evolution-Loving Evangelical Comes To Houston

It's been 200 years since the birth of Darwin, and 150 years since the publication of his book, On the Origin of Species, so we guess it's about time that religion and science stopped fighting and figured out some common ground. The Reverend Michael Dowd, an ordained evangelical preacher, and his wi ... More >>

Emmett, Also, Visits With The Sikh Family That Said It Was Harassed

The Sikh family that says it was harassed by Harris County Sheriff's deputies has been getting to know county politicians more than they might have guessed.Over the weekend, sheriff-elect Adrian Garcia met with the family and many other Sikhs; yesterday is was County Judge Ed Emmett.Emmett apologize ... More >>

Sikh Family Claims Harassment By Sheriff's Deputies

A Sikh family in Houston, backed by a national organization, is crying foul over how they were treated by deputies of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.Kawaljeet Kaur tells Hair Balls that her family phoned 911 after discovering their home was burglarized November 26; things went downhill quickly f ... More >>

Bring Out Your Dead (Popes)

Know Your Texas Cults

A Mainstream Mormon's Test of Faith

Seven months have passed since the polygamist raid in Eldorado, but the effects linger

Steak, Wine and Pie at Dharma Cafe

I Come From Alabama With A Shofar On My Knee

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart? Beautiful. Molesting Altar Boys? Not So Much.

Christian Polygamy Advocate Says Mormonism Is the Problem

Authorities Raid Polygamist Compound in West Texas

Parish Predators: Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Agrees to Settlement in Abuse Case

Rod Paige and Scientology, Margaret Thatcher at the Warwick, Pool Owners and Public Works

Scientology rumors swirl

Parish Predators: Trial Set in Molestation Case Against the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Creationism and the Dumbing Down of Texas

Parish Predators

Despite the bishop’s remarks to the contrary, the Galveston-Houston Roman Catholic Archdiocese had child molesters and let them go. But don’t blame just the Church.

Big Love, Texas-Style

Polygamists live in a compound on our state's dry western plains

Altar Egos

An Episcopalian gets bounced from her church for pressing the issue of female priests