NEWS BRIEFS: Hell-fire flier not his, Idaho candidate says

— Republican state Senate candidate Gresham Bouma denied sending mailers in Latah County that urge voters to become true believers or be “struck down.” Bouma’s campaign is offering a $1,000 reward for information on the fliers, which were made to look as if they carried his endorsement and told voters: “You are not a true Christian and you are on the path to hell.” The Latah County prosecutor’s office is also investigating the mailer, which said a vote for Bouma was not enough and urged voters to join Freeze Community Church, which the Bouma family attends.

Pastor Lloyd Knerr says his church has never prayed to “strike down” anyone.

Shut Boston parishes make appeal to pope

BOSTON - A group of Roman Catholics asked Pope Benedict XVI to reverse the decision by the Archdiocese of Boston to close their parishes, which sparked a six-year fight and several round-the-clock parishioner vigils.

Peter Borre, of the Council of Parishes, said he walked through the bronze gate at Vatican City on Tuesday and delivered the long-shot appeal to a Vatican guard on behalf of nine closed parishes.

Borre all but dismissed chances for “a miraculous Hollywood ending,” but said the appeal was important as a final recourse within the church.

In 2004, the archdiocese began a reconfiguration that reduced the number of parishes from 357 to 291 as it struggled with shrinking membership, declining numbers of priests and financial problems.

Jewish museum adapts to Sabbath

PHILADELPHIA - The National Museum of American Jewish History has adopted a unique compromise on an issue that pits religious law against economics: whether to open on the Sabbath.

The five-story museum next to Independence Mall, scheduled to open Nov. 26, is dedicated to chronicling 350 years of Jewish life in America.

But officials had to decide whether to open on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath.

This month, the museum board decided it will be open Saturdays, but tickets will not be sold on the premises that day. The gift shop will also be open Saturdays but will handle no cash; any credit card transactions will be processed after sundown.

The museum will also be closed on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and the first two days of Passover.

School drops class on Bible to halt suit

NEW PARIS, Ind. - Officials at a northern Indiana school district voted to end an elementary school Bible class after their lawyer told them they were bound to lose a lawsuit over its constitutionality.

“The law is quite clear: Religious instruction for elementary school students on school grounds during the school day is not constitutionally permitted,” said Fairfield Community Schools attorney Tim Shelly.

Religion, Pages 29 on 10/21/2010

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