tional Religious Freedom recom- mended that 16 countries be cited for severe violations of religious freedom. The State Department’s “Countries of Particular Concern” list has remained static since 2006 with eight countries: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. The commission criti- cized the government’s unchanged list and the sanctions imposed on the countries, claiming such mea- sures have “provided little incentive for CPC-designated governments to reduce or halt egregious violations of religious freedom.” The commis- sion recommended that the list also include Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Viet- nam, Egypt and Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and Tajikistan.
Scrambled Scripture The Bible encourages the repression of women, and it’s silent on war or slav- ery. As least, that’s what about 1 in 5 U.S. adults believe. They’re wrong, of course. The American Bible Society’s annual “State of the Bible” survey reveals that “the people of the book are not people of this book,” said Geof Morin, the society’s chief communi- cations officer. “We know 88 percent of people say they have a Bible. They think: ‘I have a Bible. I have had one for a long time. I must know what’s in it.’ But people overestimate their knowledge.” Many showed fuzzy knowledge when it came to assessing what the Bible says on several critical social issues.
Cracking the book Half (48 percent) of Americans read the Bible on their own, reports “The Bible in American Life,” a study from the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University-Purdue University, India- napolis. More than half of those who read the Bible on their own do so at
New meets old Antiquity and tablets collided when fi fth-graders from St. Paul Lutheran Church, Waverly, Iowa, learned about and viewed “The Heritage Edition of The St. John’s Bible,” which was on exhibit at Wartburg College in Waverly earlier this year. The students are part of a Wednesday after-school program called Saints Alive. Led by Rachael Nelson, the program helps form the faith of the young people, who cap- tured the ancient Bible with their mod- ern tablets.
least weekly and 80 percent at least once a month. Thirty-one percent read the Bible on the Internet and 22 percent use electronic devices. The top three reasons respondents said they read Scripture outside of worship are personal prayer and devotion, fol- lowed by learning more about their religion, and guidance in decision- making and relationships.
Ban challenged
The United Church of Christ filed on April 28 a lawsuit against North Carolina over the state’s 2012 constitu- tional ban on same-sex marriage, say- ing it violates the religious freedom of
clergy. Religious groups used a similar argument challenging the contracep- tion mandate in the Affordable Care Act. The statewide ban has made it a misdemeanor for a minister to marry a couple without a civil marriage license. The law also allows anyone to sue a minister for performing a mar- riage ceremony without a license.
Correction A quote in the March cover story (page 19) should have attributed the story of Jesus’ footsteps in the sand to a nonbiblical poem. It is likely inspired by any number of Bible pas- sages, such as Hebrews 13:5.
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