March 25, 2008

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Floridians might vote on church-state issue
Marc Caputo/Miami Herald (03/25/2008)
Florida voters could be asked this November to lift a constitutional ban on spending public money on religious institutions.

Hindu prayer kicks off legislative business
Luige del Puerto/Arizona Capitol Times (03/25/2008)
A Hindu chaplain began business in the state Senate and the House March 24 by reciting Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures.

MEDICAL ETHICS
When Is Sedation Really Euthanasia?
Kathleen Kingsbury/Time (03/25/2008)
Terminal sedation is the decision to keep dying patients, who cannot be made comfortable in any other way, unconscious until they die. As a last resort, such drug-induced sedation is legal in most countries including the U.S., and it is widely accepted as a mainstay of end- of-life care. Opponents of terminal sedation argue, however, that some doctors misuse the practice as a substitute for euthanasia.

FAITH LEADERS
Bishop readies for next round
Michael Paulson/Boston Globe (03/25/2008)
CONCORD, N.H. - Five years after he was consecrated a bishop in a nearby hockey arena, wearing a bulletproof vest under his new golden vestments, Gene Robinson is bracing for another round of controversy.

Muslim Baptized by Pope Sought Dialogue
Frances D'Emilio/Associated Press (03/24/2008: washingtonpost.com)
ROME -- The Egyptian-born commentator who renounced Islam and converted to Roman Catholicism with a baptism by Pope Benedict XVI has built his career crusading against what he calls the "inherent" violence in Islam and championing Israel's existence. Magdi Allam, a deputy editor at the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera who has been honored for encouraging tolerance between cultures, angered some in the Muslim world Monday with his high-profile conversion in an Easter vigil service led by Benedict in St. Peter's Basilica.

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Study: Spirituality a big part of kids' happiness
Ron Csillag/Religion News Service (03/25/2008: usatoday.com)
Spirituality is a major contributor to a child's overall happiness — even more so than for adults — according to a new study from the University of British Columbia.

Tri-state Zoroastrians celebrate New Year
Hema Easley/Journal News (03/25/2008)
Zoroastrianism is one of the smallest and one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. Its central message - think good thoughts; speak good words; and do good deeds - was preached by the prophet Zarathustra, or Zoroaster, as the Greeks called him, at least 2,600 years ago.

SCIENCE
In Search of the God Particle
Ana Elena Azpurua/Newsweek (03/24/2008)
The biggest experiment in physics starts this summer in Europe. Will it change our views of the universe and our place in it?