Plus: Churches provide Halloween alternatives for varying reasons, aid groups protest national security approach to foreign aid, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Unexpected, however, was how much Classic Media ended up paying for the rights to Bob, Larry, and the rest of the animated cornucopia. Classic Media and Big Idea initially agreed on a $7.5 million deal, but bids by six other parties pushed the final price to $19.3 million, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Charles Schulman, Big Idea's bankruptcy attorney, said the final price means that, once the deal is completed in December, creditors will see payments "that no one in their wildest dreams thought would be possible." That's good news for the creditors: Big Idea has listed only $8 million in assets against more than $43 million in liabilities.
Big Idea COO Terry Pefanis says Classic Media "will continue the brand and continue to support the mission of the company." The specifics, including whether the creative team will stay on board, are still unclear.
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Christianity and Halloween:
Good vs. evil? | Local opinions vary on Halloween's place in schools, society (The Morning Sun, Pittsburg, Kan.)
From scared to sacred | While devilish costumes and creepy themes still rule on Halloween, a growing movement seeks to zap the demons out of the holiday, and much of it appears to be church-based (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
Attitudes on Halloween often ambivalent | Many churches discourage participation, while others view it as a day for children to simply have a bit of fun (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.)
Christians just saying 'no' to Halloween | Saying that scares and ghouls flirt with Satanism, more and more churches offer friendly alternatives (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla.)
Going from holy to hellish | Many Christian denominations treat Halloween as a fun, harmless holiday, but some say its pagan roots make it unfit for celebration (Chicago Tribune)
Church presents a hell of a Halloween | The Potter's House Christian Center's haunted house, called "Walk Through Hell" this year, has the requisite Halloween season scares. But Dave Bartelson, acting assistant pastor, says it also packs a message many don't want to hear: There is a hell and it doesn't take much to get there. (The Salt Lake Tribune, Ut.)
Candy corn, popcorn balls, and Jesus | The practice of handing out religious pamphlets, known as tracts, is common among evangelical Christians, some of whom see Halloween as the perfect opportunity to spread the gospel (The Daily Herald, Chicago suburbs)
Fighting Halloween with cake | France's Catholics are trying everything to fend off a Halloween celebration they say is an ungodly U.S. import (Reuters)
Christians search for alternatives on Halloween | Halloween has become a controversial holiday among Christians and many churches and schools across the nation are attempting to offer Christians an alternative to the popular way to spend October 31 (North Adams Transcript, Mass.)
Religious leaders offer alternative to Halloween | Many churches say safety and not fears of pagan influences are the reason they offer alternative celebrations at their churches and places of worship (The Fayetteville Observer, N.C.)
Haunted house | It took a Catholic priest to restore quiet, at last (Mark Gauvreau Judge, The Wall Street Journal)
Terri Schiavo:
Recovering from a 'persistent vegetative state' | Disability rights activist Rus Cooper-Dowda, who had once been diagnosed as being in a "persistent vegetative state," shares her perspective on the Terri Schiavo case (Day to Day, National Public Radio)
Terri Schiavo's parents seek stake in lawsuit | A group founded by Pat Robertson has joined with Bob and Mary Schindler to help keep their daughter alive (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
Life, death, and silence | Why the media elites won't tell the full story on Terri's prognosis and Michael Schiavo (Wesley J. Smith, The Weekly Standard)
Politics and law:
U.S. NGOs attacks Bush foreign assistance policy | InterAction, which represents 160 groups doing overseas relief work, was scathing in its criticism, particularly of the U.S. government's tendency to view foreign assistance "through a national security lens" (Reuters)
Prayer groups proliferate on Capitol Hill | Before they debate issues that affect millions of Americans' lives, many legislators meet for informal prayer sessions and Bible studies (Religion News Service)
Senate Democrats filibuster on Pickering | Mississippi judge Charles Pickering on Thursday became the fourth of President Bush's judicial nominees to be filibustered by Democrats, continuing a two-year struggle tainted with religious, racial and electoral politics over the directions of the federal appellate court (Associated Press)
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Homophobic attacks to be 'hate crimes' | Judges and magistrates can hand down longer sentences if an offence is motivated by racial or religious hatred (The Independent, London)
Seniors sue after city stifles sermons at community center | 'And here I've got old and useless, they say, and I ain't got no freedom no more,' says WWII veteran Barney Clark, one of 16 plaintiffs suing Texas city (Associated Press)
Education:
Baptist school to appeal rejection from voucher program | Denver officials denied private school's application because school would expel homosexuals; principal says decision is unfair, contradicts purpose of voucher plan (Associated Press)
School ignores Christ's spirit with expulsion | Jupiter Christian School seems to be crushing a human spirit in mistaken obedience to the Holy Spirit. If so, that makes a mockery of everything Jesus taught and is about as terrifying as a Christian community can get (Steve Gushee, Palm Beach Post)
White House wants churches to settle immigrants | The Bush administration plans to deepen its collaboration with religious groups by recruiting the Roman Catholic Church and other organizations to help set up a mentoring program for new immigrants, a U.S. official said on Wednesday (Associated Press)
Religious displays:
A tribute to the law stirs legal dispute | A sprawling mural called "The Law," which has a likeness of the Ten Commandments flanked by angels as its centerpiece, has been in Cleveland's old federal courthouse for 92 years (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
Alabama court orders Moore trial open to public | But suspended chief justice's lawyers claim he can't get fair, public trial after judiciary panel rejects his request to move ethics proceedings to larger venue (Associated Press)
Town to move Ten Commandments monument | City leaders voted to move a Ten Commandments monument out of a public park after an anti-gay preacher proposed his own monument saying slain college student Matthew Shepard is in hell (Associated Press)
On display in Italy: Classroom crosses, and a raw nerve | Cross has prompted an intense discussion ? about the proper place of Christianity in Italy's identity; about the right way to adjust to immigrants of different faiths ? that reflects unresolved tensions throughout Western Europe (The New York Times)
Inspecting the general | More critical than whether Gen. Boykin's actions comported with every jot and tittle of military regulations, however, is whether his actions were consistent with "the good, sound judgment" required of those entrusted with such authority (Editorial, The Washington Post)
The Islam among us | Evangelical Christian comments of Lt. Gen. William Boykin disparage six million American Muslims (Geov Parrish, WorkingForChange.com)
General rightly uses religious terms | Islamist fanatics who pervert the religion and threaten our survival. This war is about religion. (Paul Crespo, The Miami Herald)
Shall we silence the Christians? | The message here is plain enough: The enlightened elites must stamp out the Christian faith, lest it anger the hijackers of Islam (Wesley Pruden, The Washington Times)
Islam:
German minister calls for reference to Islam in the Constitution | According to Austrian media reports, interior minister Otto Schily yesterday said that the influence of the Islamic tradition on European civilisation could be put in the Constitution (EU Observer)
Bush and Muslims | Islam may have a lot of things, but contrary to what the president said, it does not have "a commitment to religious freedom." (Diana West, The Washington Times)
Other religions:
Return to Waco | In 1993, 80 members of the Branch Davidian sect died when US agents stormed their compound in Waco. Ten years on, the Davidians have regrouped, rebuilt their church and are still in the thrall of their dead leader (The Guardian, London)
The Guardian profile: Gene Robinson | He was born paralyzed and not expected to live. Now Canon Robinson believes the love of God that touched him then is with him as he rides the storm that threatens to tear the Anglican communion apart (The Guardian, London)
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Installment of gay bishop to draw supporters, foes | The warring camps of the Episcopal Church USA face off in Durham, N.H., on Sunday, over the installation of the church's first openly gay bishop ? a move some say will fracture the church in America and jeopardize the worldwide Anglican Communion (USA Today)
Gay bishop ceremony to include dissenters | A national Episcopal spokesman said the presiding bishop will deal with objections in a dignified way (Associated Press)
Openly gay bishop to be consecrated Sunday | The first openly gay Episcopal bishop will be consecrated before some 4,000 people, mostly supporters, a few opponents, his family ? and a former inmate he befriended while she was in prison (Associated Press)
Indian legislator 'proud' of Australian missionary killer | Bidhu Bhusan Praharaj told the Orissa state Legislative Assembly this week that convicted murderer, "Dara Singh is not a killer, but an idealist. I am proud of him." (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Sudan:
An opportunity for peace in Sudan | Today we stand on the brink of an agreement to end Sudan's cruel civil war and bring one of the greatest and longest-running humanitarian tragedies in the world to an end (Colin L. Powell, Los Angeles Times)
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U.S. pledges Sudan more aid on condition of peace | The United States pledged on Thursday to increase aid to Sudan to help rebuild the divided country but warned that help hinged on the implementation of a peace deal ending 20 years of civil war (Reuters)
Crime:
Ivory Coast uncovers assassins' plot | Plotters want to kill Cardinal Bernard Agre and other unidentified political and religious leaders to portray the administration of President Laurent Gbagbo as ineffectual and unable to protect the public (Associated Press)
Two arrested in Mexico pastor's killing | State Attorney General Mariano Herran Salvatti declined to say if religion was a factor in the slaying of the pastor (Associated Press)
'It brought me closer to God' | The youngest victim in last October's sniper attacks yesterday testified in front of the man accused of orchestrating the shooting, describing the near-fatal incident and how it affected him (The Washington Times)
Suit links 6 accused priests to parish | A lawyer for the L.A. Archdiocese denies that Santa Clara Church in Oxnard was a 'dumping ground' for pedophile clergymen (Los Angeles Times)
Anglican priest recalls childhood of sex abuse | An Anglican priest has spoken for the first time about how she became ordained after escaping from an early life of abuse as a "prostituted child" (The Guardian, London)
Kiddie porn priest guilty | The Rev. Elwood R. Figurelle, 70, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Williamsport to one count of receiving child pornography in interstate commerce via the Internet (Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.)
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Ex-priest again is target in 2 lawsuits | Michael Harris, the former cleric who headed Mater Dei and Santa Margarita high schools, is accused of sexual abuse (Los Angeles Times)
Church life:
Divert funds, Presbyterian group urges churches | A conservative Presbyterian group is calling on churches to steer some of their funding away from offices of the Louisville-based Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), citing "a deep and irreconcilable disunion" over theological and sexual issues (The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.)
The aisles runneth over in America's holy Wal-Marts | Over the past few decades, America's suburbs have seen the rise of the megachurch, a complex with worshippers numbering in the thousands - and sometimes tens of thousands (Financial Times, U.K.)
History overtaken by commerce | After 161 years, a once-rural Montco church makes the hard decision to uproot (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Protestants get back to the basics | Fremont Filipino church recreates era of historic split from Roman Catholics (The Argus, Fremont, Calif.)
Pastor Jason Barr's calling is spiritual renewal | His shining reclamation: Macedonia Church, a dying inner-city behemoth that he transformed into a thriving religious powerhouse after he took over in 1988 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
A passion for preaching | Joyce Meyer's down-to-earth style, theology of prosperity draw 5,000 to Arena appearance (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Pastor chastises behavior of local politicians | After a competitive primary election in St. John the Baptist Parish, where 53 political candidates faced off for 18 positions, the church has stepped in, not only to clarify its political neutrality, but to bring a "Christian" end to what the church's pastor describes as disturbing behavior (The Times-Picayune, New Orleans)
Protestant pastors tell why they walk away | It's not only the holy steamrollers in the pews who are driving Protestant clergy out of the pulpit (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
Faithful raise rafters at new home | Religion is the new rock 'n' roll in one Nottingham church - which has its own stage, band, and a licensed bar (Evening Post, Nottingham, England)
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The shul of hard knocks | The Presbyterians are taking a step backwards by starting a Jewish congregation (James Rudin, Jewsweek)
Light on a divided church | Prodded by a black congregant and a white reverend, a 50-year stain of racism in the Seattle Presbytery is acknowledged at last (Los Angeles Times)
Fighting against segregated Sundays | For a brief period last summer, Bishop Fred Caldwell was perhaps the most-discussed clergyman in the land (Jabari Asim, The Washington Post)
Missions, ministry, and giving:
Americans give less to largest charities | For the first time in a decade, the Salvation Army ? with nearly $1.4 billion in contributions ? slipped from the top spot (Associated Press)
Doing good for charities and your taxes | Like almost everything else in today's economy, giving to charity is becoming (a) a lot more complex and (b) tax-driven (The Washington Post)
In One Accord no more | Clergy group ends 55 years of lending hand to community (Battle Creek Enquirer, Mich.)
Church helps those used to assisting others | The parish in an affluent San Diego neighborhood is inundated with items donated for people who have lost their homes (Los Angeles Times)
Convoy of Hope helps more than 8,000 people | 8,687 people who attended the event at Hillside Park in southeast Fort Worth, an area that's plagued by gang activities, illegal drugs and prostitution (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Tex.)
Earlier: Convoy of Hope rolls into town to aid the needy | From childhood tragedy has sprung the Convoy of Hope, a national program to help the needy, which is making a stop today in Fort Worth for the first time (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Tex.)
The Passion: Jews and Christians are watching different films | I cannot say that I am happy this film was made. Nevertheless, if the vast majority of Christians and Jews of goodwill try hard to understand what film the other is watching, some good can yet result (Dennis Prager)
Swapping glamour for the gospels | Anglican minister Shannon Ledbetter is known for wearing a £250,000 PVC dress in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. (BBC)
Also: 'Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci'| Exploring controversial theories about religious figures and the Holy Grail (ABCNews.com)
'Tuned-in' toddlers need a TV timeout | More than half of preschoolers use computers and more than 70 percent of children 2 and younger watch TV (The Washington Times)
Losing God's religion | Joan of Arcadia ducks some divisive issues of faith, but its miracle is finding the drama in ordinary life (Time)
'Hero' worship | In !Hero, The Rock Opera, the Jesus of the Gospels is transformed into a dreadlock-wearing street preacher for the hip-hop generation (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
On a wing and a prayer | In south-west France, rugby is religion?so much so that one priest has dedicated his chapel to the sport (The Guardian, London)
Books:
Chasing eternal truths | Connecting the physical and the spiritual realms is a theme for Philip Yancey (The Washington Times)
LaHaye makes the lists | The first week of sales, including a surge at Wal-Mart, will lift Tim LaHaye's "Babylon Rising" on to The New York Times best-seller list at No. 7 (New York Daily News, last item)
Another war | David Limbaugh inside the a battle for Christianity (National Review Online)
Earlier: Love?and then some | With a handful of spin-off genres, inspirational romance just got a whole lot trickier to shelve (Publishers Weekly)
Holy Land Christians
In Christian Jerusalem | Beyond a small group of well-intentioned activists, most Israelis know nothing about the Christian minorities living among them, bemoans interfaith activist Daniel Rossing (The Jerusalem Post)
Plenty more fish in the Dead Sea? | A group of unnamed devout Christians from England is reportedly trying to persuade the head of the Civil Administration, Brig. Ilan Paz, to grant them a permit to fish in the Dead Sea (The Jerusalem Post)
Spirituality:
Australians less religious, more living alone | The biggest change in people's religious affiliation was the emergence of those who class themselves as having no religion at all: 25.3 per cent of the population. (The Australian)
A second Reformation? | Has anyone noticed that Christianity is declining in the West while it's growing in the Southern Hemisphere? (Jay Ambrose, Scripps Howard News Service)
Potential to be saintly lies within | All of us can easily and readily relate to what it means to be a sinner, but a saint is yet another matter (Patrick Bergquist, Fairbanks News- Miner, Alaska)
Deaths:
Messy Mike: A tribute to a great man | Mike Yaconelli's passion was for spreading the gospel, and equipping youth workers to reach children and teach them of God's endless grace and love (Will Johnson, Thunderstruck)
Scott Bauer, pastor of Church on the Way, dies at 49 | Died Friday in Northridge Hospital from the hemorrhage of an aneurysm that caused him to collapse last Wednesday as he completed his church's midweek prayer meeting (Los Angeles Times)
"Property of Rome"? | Does the Vatican have exclusive rights to the word "Catholic"? (Michael McGough, Slate)
Bishops oppose same-sex marriage benefits | The state's Roman Catholic bishops reaffirmed their opposition to gay marriage and benefits for same-sex couples Thursday, saying the media misinterpreted comments Worcester Bishop Daniel P. Reilly made at a legislative hearing on a gay marriage bill (Associated Press)
Pope's Jubilee Cross found in dump | The two ton cross formed the centrepiece of the celebrations when Pope John Paul II celebrated mass before an estimated two million young people at Tor Vergata, outside Rome, which became known as the "Catholic Woodstock" (AFP)
The Vatican's Modernist moment | Richard Meier's newly consecrated church brings soaring sails of white concrete to a working-class neighborhood in Rome (The New York Times)
Also: Dirty Little Secret | Men aren't the only ones lured by Internet porn. A revealing look at the shameful addictions of a rising number of Christian women (Today's Christian Woman, September/October 2003)
Let there be a sign | Reuters decides to accept religious billboard ads after all. (Brendan Miniter, The Wall Street Journal)
Religion news in brief | Baptist school voucher dispute, Catholic-Orthodox talks reach partial agreement on filioque, and other stories from online sources around the world (Associated Press)