The online editorial staff comprises Betsy Shirley, Jenna Barnett, Josiah R. Daniels, Mitchell Atencio, Heather Brady, Kierra Bennning, and Zachary Lee.
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Voice of the Day: Ann Druyan
“And what greater might do we possess as human beings than our capacity to question and to learn?” - Ann Druyan
QUIRK: Westboro Baptist Haters vs. Zombie Counter-Protesters (Guess Who Won?)
A Westboro Baptist Church protest was overshadowed last Friday when demonstrators dressed as zombies gathered at a DuPont, Wash. military base to counter the radical group's efforts.
After members of the controversial Kansas-based church announced plans to picket Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a military base south of Seattle, 27-year-old Melissa Neace decided to organize a counter-protest, launching a Facebook group titled "Zombie'ing Westboro Baptist Church AWAY from Fort Lewis!"
"We wanted to turn something negative around, into something people could laugh at and poke fun at," Neace told the News Tribune. "It was the easiest way to divert attention from something so hateful."
About 300 counter-protesters showed up in varying degrees of zombie garb, far outnumbering the picketers from Westboro. According to KIRO in Seattle, just eight protesters from the controversial group showed up.
"I think that their message is very hateful, and Jesus was not a hateful person. He loved everybody," one of the counter-protesters told KIRO.
Watch video of Zombies vs Haters inside the blog ...
Prayer of the Day: Praise for Life
Lord we praise you for the gift of life! We thank you for a new day and a new month. We praise you for these things in the little, everyday reminders: a sunrise, a congregation of chirping birds, or a drop of dew on a spider's web. Lord, thank you for these things, and many more. Amen.
Verse of the Day: 'Happy Are Those Whose Help is the God of Jacob'
Voice of the Day: Derrick Jensen
"We cannot hope to create a sustainable culture with any but sustainable souls." - Derrick Jensen, from Endgame Vol.1: The Problem of Civilization
Meet the Saint: Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Today marks the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Jesuits. View the video below to learn more about St. Ignatius from Fr. James Martin, SJ.
Who Cares About the Saints?...Ignatius from Loyola Productions on Vimeo.
Voice of the Day: Mother Jones
"Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living." - Mother Jones
Prayer of the Day: Indian Energy Crisis
God, we pray for all those without power and electricity, especially 600 million of our brothers and sisters in India. Protect and sustain those who need this power source to survive, and help officials and technicians resolve this problem quickly. Amen.
Verse of the Day: Children of God
"But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith." - Galatians 3:25-26
MedalCount.com Customizes the Way You Follow the 2012 Olympics
If you're following the 2012 Summer Olympics, you probably know that China currently holds the overall team-lead with 14 medals in total.
But if you're looking to see how many medals Djibouti or Bangladesh have won so far, you may find yourself out of luck... that is unless you visit Medal Count.
Dedicated to covering every country at the London games, the site allows you to stay the most up-to-date with whatever country or medal you wish to follow. It even allows you to choose which events or areas you want to follow.
Voice of the Day: Woody Guthrie
“Every year we waste enough To feed the ones who starve. We build our civilization up And we shoot it down with wars.. O it's Jesus Christ our president God above our king. With a job and a pension for young and old We will make hallelujah ring” - Woody Guthrie, from "Christ for President"
Verse of the Day: God Gives the Desolate a Home
"God gives the desolate a home to live in; [God] leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land." - Psalm 68:6
Prayer of the Day: London Olympics
Eternal God, giver of joy and source of all strength, we pray for those who prepare for and compete in the London Olympic and Paralympic games. In a world where many are rejected and abused, we pray for a spirit of gracious magnimity, humility, and respect and for the health and safety of all people. May we at the last be led toward the love of Christ who is more than gold, today and forever. Amen.
Adapted from a prayer by Rev Christopher Woods, Church of England
Verse of the Day: No Partiality
"Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality...'" - Acts 10:34
Voice of the Day: Unknown
"Through this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee." - Unknown, from the gospel hymn, "Just a Closer Walk With Thee"
Prayer of the Day: St Teresa of Avila
Give me death, give me life. Give me sickness, give me health. Give me honour, give me shame. Give me weakness, give me strength. I will have whatever you give. Amen.
Prayer by St Teresa of Avila
Faith Groups Condemn Bachmann's Muslim Brotherhood Allegations
Michele Bachmann speaking in January. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
On Wednesday, 42 interfaith religious and advocacy organizations signed on to a letter condemning Rep. Michele Bachmann and others in Congress for their accusations that the Muslim Brotherhood had infiltrated the U.S. government.
The claims — one aimed at Sec. Hillary's Clinton aideHuma Abedin — have also been condemned by members on both sides of the aisle. One of the most impassioned defenses of Abedin came from Sen. John McCain (R - Ariz.), saying, "When anyone, not least a member of Congress, launches specious and degrading attacks against fellow Americans on the basis of nothing more than fear of who they are and ignorance of what they stand for, it defames the spirit of our nation, and we all grow poorer because of it.”
The HIV Minister (VIDEO)
The Rev. Andrena Ingram
The Rev. Andrena Ingram is currently the only known Lutheran ordained pastor living openly with HIV. Her husband's death from an AIDS-related illness, and the shame that he felt, inspired the pastor to be open about her own diagnosis with HIV. She is known as "The HIV Minister" – a title that has helped others with HIV reach out to her for help.
Listen to Ingram tell her story inside the blog...
Prayer of the Day: Depression
God, we pray for all those around us, in our communities and in the world, who suffer from depression. Lord, we don't know how they've come to be in this broken state -- whether it be from social, biological, or other factors -- but you know each and every one of them. You know where they've been and where they are going. So God, please give them hope for today. Amen.
Voice of the Day: Etty Hillesum
"There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug out again." - Etty Hillesum