Interfaith:   Home  /  Archive for January 2008

January 31, 2008

Muslim ‘Pleasure Marriages’ Cause Concern

by Rohan Parker

Some members of the Muslim community are concerned with what has become known as the ‘pleasure marriage’ - a union between Muslim men and women that is based on indulgence, convenience and brevity.
“I had sexual desires and was looking for a girl,” says Firaz, a 24-year-old Shiite Muslim. “Pleasure marriage is a way I could […]



Bush Speaks Out About Addiction

by Rohan Parker

President George Bush has surprised many political observers this week, using personal anecdotes in discussions with two former prisoners about the difficulties of addiction. Referencing his own troubled history with alcohol dependency, the president expounded the virtues of “faith-based” programs when trying to overcome such serious addictions.
“I understand addiction,” he said, “and I […]



January 30, 2008

Nigerian State Introduces Sharia Wealth Tax

by Rachael Grant

According to Islamic custom, Muslims are supposed to give a percentage of their wealth to charity in order to purify it, but the Bauchi State government in Nigeria have now passed a law, as an act of forced giving, that commands that the rich give this tax, termed Zakat, to them instead.
It has been […]



Seductive Science Vs Spirituality

by Rachael Grant

Science vs. religion debates have been around for a long time, and trailing on the back of the recent cancellation of Pope Benedict’s speech due to student protests, he has warned against the ’seductive’ powers of science.
According to the Pope ‘no science can say who man is, where he comes from or where he’s […]



January 29, 2008

Girl Taken By Davao Cult Sues Mother

by Rachael Grant

In Baguio City, Philippines, 62 year old Erlinda Rillion, who fought to reclaim her teenage daughter from a cult in Davao City, has been sued by her daughter for coercion. Arlene, now 21, finally met with her mother in 2007 after Erlinda spent years fighting Apollo Quiboloy, an evangelist, who took Arlene when she was […]



Head of the Mormon Church Dies Aged 97

by Rachael Grant

Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since March 1995, died on Sunday, at the age of 97.
Groups of church members have gathered around the temple in Salt Lake City to commemorate his life. Utah Governor Jon Hunstman says of Hinckley that he ’served as a […]



China Pursues Kosher Market

by Rohan Parker

In a response to the recent U.S. debacle concerning contaminated foodstuffs, China has turned to Jewish rabbis in an effort to lend credibility to their claims of renewed quality control.
”When we certify a product, consumers know there is another pair of eyes” on it, said Mordechai Grunberg, one American rabbi tasked with the examination […]



January 28, 2008

Scientology Website Attacked by Internet Group

by Rachael Grant

The Church of Scientology, famously backed by Tom Cruise, was targeted by a group going by the name ‘Anonymous’, a collection of hackers, and self-confessed activists. The attack proceeded a You Tube video of Cruise waxing lyrical about the virtues of Scientology. The video has now been watched over 6,000 times, and ‘Anonymous’, addressing the […]



Artificial Life One Step Closer

by Rohan Parker

Scientists at the Venter Institute in the US have made a significant move towards the creation of artificial life this week, having built a synthetic chromosome containing the genetic code necessary to create a primitive bacterium.
The story, first broken to the scientific community in the Institute’s online journal Science, tells of the team using laboratory […]



January 25, 2008

Conflict Over Church Voting Venues

by Rohan Parker

Concerns that voting in predominately Protestant Churches may impinge on freedom of religious rights have snowballed recently in the United States, with a growing number of concerned religious representatives weighing-in on the debate.
Religious groups protesting that the use of Church grounds violates the intended neutrality of voting facilities, plan to file a petition with the […]