Faith Digest: Bible museum planned for capital

image_pdfimage_print
A large-scale Bible museum will open in Washington, D.C., within four years, according to planners who have been touring the world with portions of their collection.

Bible museum planned for capital. A large-scale Bible museum will open in Washington, D.C., within four years, according to planners who have been touring the world with portions of their collection. Cary Summers, chief operating officer of the Museum of the Bible, a nonprofit umbrella group for the collection of the billionaire Green family of Oklahoma, said they considered Washington, Dallas and New York but decided the nation's capital was the best location. Planners hope to confirm the museum's exact location later this summer.

Discount for churchgoers challenged. For more than a year, Prudhomme's Lost Cajun Kitchen in Lancaster County, Pa., has offered a Sunday special: Diners who bring in a current church bulletin receive 10 percent off the purchase of their dinners. But John Wolff of Lancaster, an atheist and member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission claiming the restaurant should not give discounts based on religion. The restaurant's co-owner, Sharon Prudhomme, questions how the promotion for churchgoers differs from senior citizen discounts or free meals for kids under age 12. "A senior discount isn't so bad. We'll all get there eventually. But we won't all become churchgoers," said Wolff, who is 80.

Faith DigestMormons high on Romney, wary of media. Most Mormons in Utah believe Mitt Romney's rise to become the apparent GOP presidential nominee is a good thing for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But many do not trust the media to cover the church fairly, according to a new poll. The study, conducted by Key Research and Brigham Young University's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, revealed more than eight in 10 Utah Mormons said they are "very excited" or "somewhat excited" about Romney's accomplishment. Nearly as many (77 percent) said his nomination is a good thing for the LDS church; just 2 percent told pollsters it was a negative development. However, more than two-thirds of Utah Mormons said Romney's nomination will bring bad and good publicity for the LDS church. An identical percentage (68 percent) said they do not trust the media to cover the church fairly.

Ministers put health at risk. Most members of the clergy are taught to put the physical and spiritual needs of others first, but that self-denial may be harmful to their own health, according to a new Duke University study. Studies of United Methodist pastors in North Carolina found high rates of chronic disease and depression, and researchers worry it can be difficult to convince clergy to seek help. Duke Global Health Institute research found the 40 percent obesity rate among North Carolina United Methodist clergy eclipsed the state average of 29 percent. Pastors also suffered high rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, arthritis and hypertension. More than 10 percent showed symptoms of depression, about double the national rate. Despite these health issues, clergy also were more likely to say their health did not negatively affect their work.

Compiled from Religion News Service


We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.

Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.

More from Baptist Standard