Religion

• Sexually-Based Issues Dividing Black Churches. [CNN] Some high-profile black ministers continue to employ an agenda focused solely on sexually-based themes, like denying a women's right to choose an abortion or a gay couple's right to marry, to rally their congregations and drive a wedge through our people.

• 5-Day Meeting Draws Presbyterian Women. [Louisville Courier-Journal] More than 3,000 Presbyterian women are converging in Louisville today for a five-day gathering to worship, debate policy, gather shoes for the needy and celebrate key anniversaries of women's ordination.

• Beliefwatch: God's Girls. [Newsweek] Women make up 61 percent of all Americans who attend religious congregations, but they still struggle for their place in some denominations. Only 12 percent of the clergy in the 15 largest Protestant denominations are women. Some 112 million Americans belong to denominations that don't ordain women at all, including Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Southern Baptists, Mormons, Muslims and Orthodox Jews.

• Why the Vatican Opposes Female Clergy Anywhere. [Waterloo Record, Canada] Pope Paul in 1975 said the gender ban honors "the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held'' this fits "God's plan for his church.''

• A Female Primate to the Rescue? [Jamaica Gleaner] The election of Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori as the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church on June 20 could be a mixed blessing for the Church, which seems headed for a major split. Although the female primate was elected by a small margin from a field of seven, six of whom were men, she is probably the best candidate for the job ­ and, maybe she has come to this primatial office for such a time as this.

• Female Priests in Demand in Jamaican Anglican Diocese. [Jamaica Observer] A decade after the initial breakthrough, women ordained to sacred ministry in the Anglican Diocese of Jamaica have grown from three to 24, and now the church says its members are demanding more female priests to lead them. In Jamaica, females as heads of churches is not unknown, but such women tend to be the exception in male-centric Christianity.

• Synod Set to Debate Women Bishops. [Guardian Unlimited, UK] The Church of England is to consider whether women bishops are theologically justified. The Archbishop of York will speak in favor of a motion to "welcome and affirm" allowing women into the episcopate. The debate comes after members voted last July to remove the legal obstacles which prevent women from becoming ordained as bishops.

• Top Anglicans Vote to Allow Female Bishops. [New York Times] The governing body of the Church of England voted Saturday to allow women to be bishops, a huge change in centuries of policy for a church that ordained its first female priest just 12 years ago. The General Synod emphasized that it would be years before the first woman bishop is actually ordained.

• We'll Tell You What to Think About Female Ordination. [GetReligion] The story has a chart on various religious groups' policies on the ordination of women. But the chart, at least in my synod's case, is wrong. It says we permit females to preach in the church. Actually, we don't. We believe that preaching is a function of the Office of Holy Ministry, which is not open to females.

• Female Episcopal Bishop Could Strain Catholic Ties. [Detroit Free Press] Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's top liaison with non-Catholic Christians, addressed the Church of England's bishops and certain female priests. Mincing no words, he said that goal of restoring full relations "would realistically no longer exist" if Anglicanism's mother church in England were to consecrate female bishops.

• Don't Let Women Preach in Church. [Belfast Telegraph, UK] If Mr. Frazer was more familiar with the scriptures, he would be aware of Paul's teaching on women ministers. Corinthians I: 15, makes the Biblical position very clear: 'Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak.'

• Cardinal Fears Church Could Face Court. [Reuters] The Catholic Church could one day be prosecuted for its right-to-life stance by some countries where abortion is considered a woman's right, said Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, a senior Vatican cardinal.   "I fear that faced with current legislation, speaking in defense of life, of the rights of the family, is becoming in some societies a crime against the state, a form of disobedience of the government, a discrimination against women."

• Female Rabbis Bring Changes to Jewish Faith. [The Citizen's Voice] Women were initially judged by the same criteria as their male counterparts, but are now being accepted for their unique qualities as more women are ordained, said Rabbi Linda Steigman of Temple B’nai B’rith, a Reform Jewish synagogue, in Kingston. Today, about half of those ordained by the Reform Judaism rabbinical school, Hebrew Union College, are women.

• Islam Not Anti-Women, Say Scholars. [Daily News & Analysis, India] Several Muslim scholars, social workers and intellectuals on Saturday said that all religions of the world, including Islam, give equal status to women without discrimination.

• Women Allowed to Offer Prayer in Mosque in Jalalabad. [PakTribune.com, Pakistan] Women in the Eastern province of Nangarhar have, for the first time have been offered facilities to offer Jumma Prayers in mosque. According to the Imam of the mosque, men and women are allowed to offer prayers, standing at separate portions with loudspeaker facility being provided behind a single Imam.

• 'Aren't Women Human Beings Before God?' [Rediff, India] Kannada actress and producer Jayamala has created a stir by revealing that she entered the room where the idol of Lord Ayyappa is located at the Sabarimala temple, 19 years ago. Temple authorities have rejected Jayamala's claim, and say no woman can enter that room. Temple rules bar women from entering the temple after attaining puberty and only allow them in after menopause.

• Women's Lunacy. [Dar Al-Hayat, Lebanon] As soon as Kuwaiti women managed to obtain some of their rights, they intentionally began to forget their obligations and rights. Women in the Gulf seem aggressive and greedy, not only in terms of sentiments, rights and obligations: they would like to throw men from their perch and marginalize them as though man was not the 'other half' of woman, each with rights and obligations under Islamic law.

• If Women Remained Women. [Express Outlook, Mauritius] Enlightened, ancient civilizations placed women at the spiritual and material center of life. Unfortunately, politics, wars and invasions caused women to desert the public sphere and retreat to the sanctity of the family. The vacant space was filled with dogmas that seriously curtailed women’s freedom and fast made them into second grade citizens.

• The Politics of the Bedroom. [TheRealityCheck.Org] In the 1950s, marriage was something women looked forward to, so much that they married at ages like 19 and 20. To a woman, a man interested in commitment was the biggest turn-on. But today, women are afraid of commitment. This is what feminism has done to women. It has demonized marriage, it has demolished prudence, and it has denigrated the concept of commitment.

• Stop Hinduism From Promoting Discrimination Against Women. [American Chronicle] Following are certain practices and beliefs which need to be reformed or removed if we want Nepal to progress as a modern society: The practice of discriminating women when they are menstruating should stop. I know the supreme court has outlawed this but then it is not be honored.

• Bush's Back Rub Magnified in Cyberspace. [AP] An impromptu back rub that President Bush gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now posted on various blogs. Bush surprised Merkel at the G-8 Summit by quickly rubbing the back of her neck and shoulders. The chancellor immediately hunches her shoulders, throws her arms up and grimaces.

• O'Reilly Defends Inappropriate Massage of Female Peers. [News Hounds] Bill O'Reily's "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" is a snippet of news that O'Reilly wants to sweep aside and dismiss, hence the ridicule. Why so defensive? It doesn't take a "Bush-hater" to know Angela Merkel was offended and annoyed, but it might take a woman. When O'Reilly says "get an issue that matters" he sweeps away all the little office harassments that women across the country can identify with.

• Female Base for Hillary in '08 Is No Sure Thing. [Chicago Defender] A number of women's rights groups who might be considered the natural foundation of a historic White House bid by a strong female candidate are holding back support for New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, considered the early front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2008.

• The Power of Hillary. [WashingtonPost.com] We don't know if Hillary is going to run for president, but as advisers who have worked on the only two successful Democratic presidential campaigns in the past couple of decades, we know that if she does run, she can win that race, too. Why? First, because strength matters. The latest Post-ABC News poll shows that 68 percent of Americans describe Hillary Clinton as a strong leader.

• Gender Bias Robs Us of Able Leaders. [Trenton Times] Geena Davis, first female president of the United States of America? Not only was this make-believe, but after just a few months, the show was canceled. Looks as if dozens of world governments, including Ireland, Germany and Chile are ready for female presidents. In the U.S., it appears we are not even ready for a pretend one.

• Democratic Women Enjoying Convention. [Benton County Daily Record] This afternoon’s keynote speech by U. S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N. Y., will, of course, be the highlight of the 2006 Arkansas Federation of Democratic Women State Convention. But other convention business and related activities also promise to be memorable.

• Cox Aiming to Become Georgia's First Female Governor. [Macon Telegraph] If Cathy Cox succeeds in her bid to become Georgia's first female governor, she'll have her father to thank. Although the late Walter Cox might not have approved. "My father didn't like the idea of his daughters getting into politics," Cox said, with a smile. "He was in politics and knew what it was like."

• Minnesota is Ready to Elect More Women. [Minneapolis Star Tribune] In the 20th century, Minnesota elected only one woman to Congress -- and, infamously, sent her home again when her husband, at the behest of her political opponents, publicly pleaded, "Coya, come home." This year, chances are excellent that a second woman will join the state's delegation in Washington. Both parties have endorsed a woman to fill the open seat in the north suburban Sixth District.

• Women Have Had a Lock on Lieutenant Governor's Office. [San Jose Mercury News] While Minnesota voters have never elected a woman to the U.S. Senate or the governor's office, the state is a national leader when it comes to female lieutenant governors. Women have held the No. 2 spot in Minnesota state government since 1983, a streak that is unmatched according to the Council of State Governments.

• Women on the Ticket: It's About More Than Gender. [Pioneer Press] Minnesota has not elected a man as lieutenant governor since 1978. Five different women have held the No. 2 spot in Minnesota state government since 1983, and there's a strong chance that voters this fall will extend that 23-year streak - the longest in the nation, according to the Council of State Governments. All three major-party male candidates for governor have selected women as running mates.

• City Has First Female Mayor. [Suffolk News-Herald] Linda T. Johnson went down in the annals of local history Wednesday when she became the city's first female mayor. Johnson, in the middle of her second term representing the Sleepy Hole Borough on the Suffolk City Council, was unanimously elected by her fellow council members to lead the city for next two years.

• Crunch Time for Women on the Tories' A-List. [Telegraph.co.uk, UK] The push by David Cameron for more women MPs faces a crunch weekend amid signs that his A-list is failing to hit targets for female parliamentary candidates. The list of about 100 candidates comprises roughly 55% women and 10% ethnic minorities. But the first 10 seats to select show that local parties are still favoring me, with 8 opting for male candidates and only 2 for women.

• Parties Like This Will Not Woo Women to the Party. [The Sunday Times, UK] I have been trying to decide whether the Conservative Party’s summer ball on Monday night was merely tacky or actually offensive. Young waitresses in hotpants and bikini tops handed out champagne; Eastern European models paraded during dinner in skimpy swimming costumes under the pretence of performing a fashion show, to the delight of aging Tory luminaries.

• Female PM in the Wings, Says Gough. [The Age, Australia] Australia could have its first female prime minister within six years, and Julia Gillard was a worthy candidate, former Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam said yesterday. The Liberal Education Minister, Julie Bishop, was also a potential contender for the top job, he said.

• Women's Progress Still Slow. [Pacific Magazine, HI] Women are rising to positions of influence throughout the Pacific – but that doesn’t mean gender equality has been achieved, says the new Women’s Advocacy and Communication Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Excluding Australia and New Zealand, women number just 10.9% of Pacific Parliamentarians.

• 5th Female Governor Has 1st Day on the Job. [The Daily Yomiuri, Japan] Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada, the nation's fifth female governor, went to her office Thursday for the first time since winning the gubernatorial election against an incumbent supported by the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Japan and New Komeito.

• Bahrain: Regional Conference On Women in Politics Opens. [AKI, Italy] A conference on women's role in politics in the Gulf region opened in Bahrain. Representatives from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will take part in the conference, which is promoted by the committee on women's and children's policies of Bahrain's parliament.

• GCC Female MPS Gathering Quicks Off in Manama. [Bahrain News Agency] Dr. Musawi affirmed that the political changes emerging in the GCC states these days could only be faced in partnership between men and women. Head of Women's Program at the IPU, Catherine Jabr gave a speech in which she lauded the objectives of the gathering that will focus on empowering women at the time when women's empowerment is the main concern of the majority of world countries.

• Female Candidates Undeterred by Defeat. [Gulf Times] Rola Dashti and her fellow Kuwaiti female candidates remained undeterred yesterday despite failing to win a single seat in parliamentary elections.

• Female Candidates Lose; Reformists Gain. [Chicago Tribune] Kuwaitis did not elect a single female candidate in the country's first parliamentary vote open to women, but reformists scored a victory that could dramatically increase friction between the parliament and the Cabinet appointed by the ruling family.

• Capacity Building for Women Candidates in Coming Elections. [Yemen Observer, Yemen] The Executive Office of the Yemeni Women’s Union launched the third phase of a Capacity Building Program for Women Candidates for the coming local elections. This program is part of a larger training program for women to build their political, social, and economic capacities.

• Indian Female Lawmaker Survived Sixth Attempt On Her Life. [All Headline News] Sakina Itoo, a female lawmaker in India's Jammu and Kashmir region, survived a sixth attempt on her life on Saturday when separatist guerrillas threw a grenade, but five other citizens were killed and nearly 30 other injured.