Dalai Lama discusses religious freedom in Tibet

Christianity most persecuted religion in the world

Pope encourages Chinese bishops to defend their faith "with courage"

Here is a video that talks about the Chinese bishops mentioned in the previous post.

The War on Christmas

Ashley's post was the first I'd heard about the Atheist's billboard. I wanted to follow up on that because it hits so close to home for many of us. My questions are:

1. Should the billboard be tolerated (it will in America, because of religious freedom) even though it seems to attack Christianity because of the nativity scene?

2. Could Atheism be lumped into a "religious" category, meaning, is it their freedom of religion (or non-religion) to say what they want?

Either way, we are lucky in the U.S. to be able to have talks about these things. First, the billboard was allowed to be communicated to masses who drive by. Then, it is allowed to be broadcasted in the news on TV and through newspaper and radio. Also, it stimulates discussion (probably debates), which shows that this is an open forum in America.

One thing I thought was interesting is that in this video, Silverman (President of American Atheists) is upset that Atheists are unrepresented in government and other positions. He urges Atheists to "come out" because there are millions of them hiding. Why are they hiding? Do they think they'll be persecuted in some way?

White Collar's Matt Bomer Speaks on Religious Tolerance

In my last post, I talked about USA Network's new campaign, Characters Unite. Now other media outlets are starting to cover news and stories from the campaign, including TV Guide Network. Last Tuesday, TV Guide posted this video and article about White Collar's Matt Bomer, who is speaking out about religious tolerance.

It's great to see celebrities using the spotlight to focus in on important issues, like religious tolerance. You can also check out our classmate's blog (celebsfightback) to see how other celebrities are communicating and using publicity to help their causes.

Response to Mosque near Ground Zero

What can President Obama say about the proposed Muslim mosque that would be built near Ground Zero? He's in a tough spot - he said in one speech that they should be free to worship anywhere to be consistent with American ideals, and then another day said that he didn't say it was wise to choose the plan the mosque where they did. Here is an interesting, short NPR clip about the debate and Obama's and Bush's reactions to the proposed mosque.

What would you say about this if you were the President?

France Reacts to Christian Attacks in Iraq

Here's a quick video from a French correspondent. It was posted six days ago by France 24, a French News Station.

Pope Encourages Religous Freedom in Iran

I posted on this a couple days ago...here is a video.

Obama's Remarks on Jihad

While in India, President Obama spoke to a group of Muslims about "jihad" and his interpretation of the religion. He said, "I think all of us recognize that this great religion in the hands of a few extremists has been distorted to justify violence towards innocent people that is never justified."

Obama also added that "Islam is one of the world's great religions and people of all faiths need to treat one another with respect and mutual dignity." Do you think people will begin to better respect  and understand different religions if top leaders continue to address religious issues? I think communication can only enhance respect between religious groups.

And speaking of communication, it was neat to see the difference between the United States and India's coverage on Obama's remarks-- both audiences seemed to be receptive and appreciative.

In France, burqa ban leads to terrorist threats

Recent legislation in France has banned the burqa, a garment that covers the entire body and is worn by some Islamic women. This law has been very controversial from the beginning but the issue seems to have gotten worse. France has been very firm about keeping the ban a law, but this law may soon threaten the safety of the entire nation. Lately, al-Queda leader Osama bin Laden threatened in a video to kill French citizens for revenge on France’s law.

Journalists Can't Cover Christianity in China

In response to Tony's post, I wanted to share a brief video clip about the repression of Christianity in China. Here, the government is destroying churches. Chinese journalists who tried to cover this story were thrown in jail, along with many other Christians who've been thrown in jail for holding private Christian services in their homes. This report suggests that there has been an explosion of Christianity in China, so now there are more Christians than communists-- a fact that the government most likely dislikes.