COVERING THE NEWS RELIGIOUSLY

A riot broke out at the local water park last night.

The were 3,500 people at Big Splash Water Park when large fights started breaking out. Police responded, the park was closed, and the fights moved out to the parking lot. As police dispersed the crowd, some rioters started looting the grocery store across the street.

Did I mention that this was a Christian gathering?

It was a "Waves of Worship" event, billed as a Christian youth night, with Christian bands playing, sponsored by the local Christian radio station. Local churches arranged for groups to attend.

But the park manager says the cheap $5 admission brought out "the wrong crowd."

***

God has gone online.

• Jews can pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem by tweeting @thekotel. Tweets will be printed out and stuck in a crevice of the wall.
• Christians can pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by tweeting @PrayForGod or at holylandprayer.com.
• The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has six prayer feeds on Twitter. Find them at prayerontwitter.com.
• Catholics can pray at Lourdes. Your prayers will be placed in the healing grotto if you send them to lourdes-france.org.
• Say the rosary with other pilgrims at Fatima; the address is fatima.org.
• Or light a 48 hour candle at gratefullness.org.
• Buddhists have some iPhone applications like Mani Wheel, OmWheel or iPrayerwheel. Or you can log on www.manikorlo.org to spin a prayer wheel in Budapest, Hungary.
• Musims can use Salaat Time 2.0 Prayer Times for Mobiles or iPray to tell where to pray, when to pray and how to pray, and get an electronic call to prayer.
• Hindus can access the Shiv Shakkti Peeth center in New York to worship Ganesha, Hanumana, Krishna, Shiva or Rama.

But I have a question. If God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, why does He need to go online?

***

Pope Benedict XVI has signed with Geffen records for his new album, titled "Alma Mater." It will be released November 30th, just in time for Christmas. The album includes:

• The Pope singing "Regina Coeli."
• The Philharmonic Academy of Rome Choir singing in Saint Peter's Basilica.
• The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

But don't expect any rock and roll. The Pope says it's "an expression of base passions."

***

The American Psychological Association says there is no treatment that can turn gays straight. The Association says even trying can do a lot of damage. The APA says that if a person's sexual orientation and their church's teachings conflict, they should change churches.

###