Twitter Site Offers Visitors Direct Line to God

"An Israeli university student has opened a Twitter site where visitors can tweet private prayers to be placed in the crevices of Jerusalem's Western Wall, a Jewish holy site that faithful believe provides a direct line to the Almighty."

Twitter Site Offers Visitors Direct Line to God

"An Israeli university student has opened a Twitter site where visitors can tweet private prayers to be placed in the crevices of Jerusalem's Western Wall, a Jewish holy site that faithful believe provides a direct line to the Almighty."

More People Forgo Clergy-Led Funerals

"John Reed Sr., president of the National Funeral Directors Association, says 50% of Americans today say they don't belong to a church and don't see value in a religious funeral. But 'they still want ceremony and celebration at the end of life.' More than one in four U.S. adults (27%) say that when they die, they don't expect to have a religious service, according to a national survey of 6,000 people. It was part of the 2008 American Religious Identification conducted by researchers at Trinity College's Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture in Hartford, Conn."

The Little Woman With the Big Legacy

"In her life as a missionary in China, Lottie Moon stood barely more than four feet tall. In death, she weighed about 50 pounds. Her impact on the history of missions, however, has been enormous."

Global Study: Young People and Spiritual Development

"A major new international study offers the first in-depth look at young people's spiritual development across multiple countries and traditions."

Khmer Rouge Chief Asks for 'Harshest Punishment'

Kaing Guek Eav was the "former head of the Khmer Rouge's main torture center" but later became an evangelical Christian. Now he is repentant and asks that he receive a very harsh sentence for his crimes.

"'I accept the regret, the sorrow, and the suffering of the million Cambodian people who lost their husbands and wives,' the defendant said. 'I would like the Cambodian people to condemn me to the harshest punishment.' Up to 16,000 were tortured under Duch's command. Later he became an evangelical Christian and worked for international aid organizations, but he says his crimes were 'like the death of an elephant which no one can hide with only two tamarind tree leaves.'"

Study: More Diverse Recruits Joining Catholic Orders

"The newest and next generation of priests, brothers, sisters and nuns who belong to Roman Catholic religious orders in the U.S. are more ethnically diverse and tradition-bound than their predecessors, according to a new portrait of Catholic religious life released Tuesday. The underlying numbers remain dire. Most religious orders in the U.S. suffer from aging membership, diminishing numbers and few if any new candidates, according to the study conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate for the National Religious Vocation Conference."

U.S. Religious Left Wades Into Healthcare Fight

"Liberal religious groups announced on Monday they are teaming up with President Barack Obama in a national campaign to counter the surprisingly vehement conservative opposition to his plan for overhaul of the U.S. healthcare industry this year. Organized by liberal-leaning evangelicals, some mainline Protestant clergy, and some Catholic groups, it will include Obama participating in a call-in program with religious leaders streamed on the Internet on August 19, prayer meetings and nationwide television ads."

Churches Put Faith in Housing Business

"Churches that have long called for an increase in affordable housing have started taking matters into their own hands, the Washington Post reports: A growing number of them have launched their own housing projects, partnering with developers to build whole communities. Their weekly flow of donations allows them to qualify for financing, and the resulting real estate revenue diversifies church income and helps underwrite community programs like food banks."

Archaeologists Unearth 'Birthplace of Roman Emperor' in Italy

"Archaeologists said Thursday they had unearthed the ruins of a villa believed to be the birthplace of a Roman Emperor who reigned almost 2,000 years ago. Professor Filippo Coarelli, who is leading the dig, said "numerous clues" pointed to the site as the house of Emperor Vespasian, who ruled the Roman Empire from 69 AD to 79 AD."

Report: Faith Groups More Likely to Attract Volunteers

"Faith-based organizations attract more volunteers than any other type of organization, according to a survey by the Corporation for National and Community Service. More than one-third of the country's almost 62 million volunteers served through religious organizations last year."