Religion

Father Gary Meier, St. Louis Catholic Priest, Announces He is Gay

In 2011, a slender book came out called Hidden Voices: Reflections of a Gay, Catholic Priest. The author was "Anonymous." "This book is for all of those who are being or have been driven away," reads the introduction. "And that's not just the gay population; it's all of those who have accepted a me ... More >>

Missouri Legislature Sends Bills to Governor Blocking Federal Gun Control, Sharia Law, U.N.

It's the final countdown of the legislative session and Missouri lawmakers were quite productive last night -- giving final approvals to three controversial GOP-backed bills that liberal critics say are an embarrassment to the state. According to Republican supporters, these bills honor civil liber ... More >>

Parents Sue St. Louis Archdiocese, Father Bryan Kuchar Over Son's Alleged Rape, Suicide

A local couple is suing the St. Louis Archdiocese and Father Bryan Kuchar in a lawsuit alleging that their son was raped by the priest when he was a young boy and, once the "abuse finally overtook him," killed himself. "It has been almost four years since his death, and we struggle with the part t ... More >>

St. Louis Priest Father William Vatterott Indicted on Child Pornography Charge

William Vatterott, a Roman Catholic priest from St. Louis, was indicted yesterday on a federal child pornography charge -- and could ultimately face ten years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. Vatterott, 36, will appear in federal court later this week or early next week to respond to the indi ... More >>

Pope Francis I: Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests Say He's Not One of "Dirty Dozen"

Yesterday afternoon, the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in Rome billowed white smoke, and the new pope emerged on the balcony in white robes: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. His papal name will be Francis I. David Clohessy, the executive director of Survivors Network of T ... More >>

The Book of Mormon: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll fumigate your nutsack

Mizzou: Petition Asks Fox News to Apologize To Pagans, Wiccans After Mocking Diversity Policy

As we reported on Tuesday, Fox News gave the University of Missouri some loving this week with a news report poking fun at Mizzou's religious diversity policy, specifically mocking its recognition of Pagan and Wiccan holidays. Mizzou, Fox said, is just allowing lazy students to take advantage of s ... More >>

Fox News Goes After Mizzou For Respecting Wiccan, Pagan Holidays, Religious Diversity

The University of Missouri's respect for a diverse range of religious holidays -- not just the main ones, like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Hanukah -- goes "beyond political correctness." It's "almost like an excuse to do nothing." So says radio host Tammy Bruce, in an eye-opening Fox News story tha ... More >>

Tomorrow Is A Latter Day

National Science Ed Center on Anti-Evolution Bill: "Last Thing Missouri Teachers Need"

The Missouri legislature is getting national attention again -- and not exactly the good kind. As we reported last week, Representative Rick Brattin, a Republican, is pushing a proposal to mandate that "intelligent design" be taught in all Missouri schools alongside evolution, telling us that he's a ... More >>

Which St. Louisan Should Be the Next Pope?

Yes, it may be a bit self-centered of us to think, as soon as we heard the news yesterday of Pope Benedict XVI's impending resignation, which St. Louisan should replace him? But really, isn't it high time there was a Pope from the Western Hemisphere? And why not from St. Louis, the most Catholic of ... More >>

Rick Brattin, Who Wants Anti-Evolution Lessons In Missouri Schools: "I'm A Science Enthusiast"

Missouri Representative Rick Brattin, a Republican, has introduced a bill that would mandate schools across the state give "equal treatment" to the theory of evolution and so-called "intelligent design," which is similar to creationism. Why? "I'm a science enthusiast," he tells Daily RFT. "I'm a ... More >>

As Romney Vid Goes Viral, Don't Forget Missouri is Mormon Jerusalem

Where will you be during the Second Coming of Christ? You might want to consider Jackson County, Mo. In the final days of the presidential campaign, a 2007 video of Mitt Romney angrily (and somewhat hastily) explaining the end-times theology of Mormonism has become an internet sensation. In the vi ... More >>

Where to Break the Yom Kippur Fast

Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, the Day of the Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish year. It's a time for confessing sins, begging the pardon of everyone you have offended over the past year and praying desperately for God to inscribe you in the Book of Life for the next one. In order to show how tru ... More >>

The Master's Scientology connections

Despite Blistering Vatican Censure, US Nuns Flying High After Conference in STL

These "radical feminunzies" have exposed a rift between American Catholics regarding the mission and structure of the Church. St Louis, with its diverse population of 650,000 Catholics, was the perfect staging ground.

Peter Marina Tells of His Adventures In Pentecostalism and Tongue-Speaking

Like everything else, there are rules to tongue-speaking. Peter Marina, now a visiting assistant professor of sociology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis spent four years embedded in a small Pentecostal church in Brownsville, an impoverished neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, doing ethnograph ... More >>

Festival of Jewish Life

In the Galleries - Reflections of the Buddha CLOSES March 10 at the Pulitzer

Ask a Mexican: Special Mormon Edicion

Local Scientologists Close Ranks, Leaving Mother on the Outside

​Tony Ortega, editor-in-chief at our sister paper the Village Voice, has written extensively about Scientology for sixteen years. His latest look at the group's inner workings takes place here in St. Louis, and involves a long-time Scientologist leaving the fold, driving a wedge between her and he ... More >>

The Salem Witch Trial of 2012 (Right Here in Missour-ah!)

Are good witches banned from the Salem Public Library, too?​It's probably entirely coincidental that the Ozark town that keeps a strict filter on its Internet browsers to ensure that none of its patrons happen to stumble on any websites about Wicca is called Salem. Or that the library director ... More >>

Matisyahu Cuts His Beard, But Not All Ties to Judaism: What Will it Mean For His Fans?

Image via​Looking back at it, it now seems inevitable that Matthew Paul Miller, the reggae singer popularly known as Matisyahu, would distance himself from Orthodox Judaism. After all, he'd already cut ties with Chabad-Lubavitch, the outreach-minded Chassidic sect, a few years earlier. And he' ... More >>

Mormons: A Shallow Yet Helpful Guide to See If You Should Hate Them or Not

Featured Review: Reflections of the Buddha

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Tell us about that sexy jacket...​Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending September 4, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. This w ... More >>

Archdiocese Not Liable For Pedophile Priest Robert Johnston

courtesy of SNAP MidwestRobert Johnston: not the archdiocese's fault that they hired a perv.​Score one for the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. Because, as a legal ruling today makes clear, even if a Christian ethicist would hold the church accountable for allowing a predatory priest to run roug ... More >>

Readers root for Stephen Ellis and argue about Sharia law in Missouri

William S. Burroughs, Scientologist

image viaWilliam S. Burroughs: even weirder than we thought.​Picture it: Tangiers, 1959. William S. Burroughs, author of the newly published Naked Lunch (and, incidentally, scion of a wealthy St. Louis family), is visiting his friend Brion Gysin's restaurant when he meets John and Mary Cooke, ... More >>

U.S. Attorney: Feds Could Challenge Missouri Anti-Sharia Legislation

Muslim women take part in the Pledge of Allegiance during last night's event​U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Richard Callahan visited the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis last night to address the fears and frustrations of Muslim Americans who worry they are being rac ... More >>

UPDATE: Missouri Muslims Oppose Anti-Sharia Legislation

More than a hundred Missouri Muslims visited Jefferson City Wednesday to voice concern over anti-Islam legislation.​Jim Hacking of the St. Louis chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent Daily RFT the photo above. Would you look at all those frightening people! Thank God (t ... More >>

Get Answers to Your Questions About Muslims in America

​It's an uneasy time to be Muslim in Missouri. As Chad Garrison reported earlier today, there are no less than three pieces of legislation currently before the state legislature designed to prevent state courts from considering the Islamic religious law of Sharia when making decisions.(We tend to ... More >>

Church of Scientology Announces L. Ron Hubbard Centennial Three Days Late

image viaHappy 100th birthday, L. Ron!​OK, it's true, the dateline on the press release the Church of Scientology sent us about the centennial of its founder L. Ron Hubbard was March 13. But it didn't land in Unreal's e-mail in-box until March 16. (Yes, we know, it's March 18 now, but we're st ... More >>

Catholic Blogger Tutors RFT on Headline Writing, Moral Law

​The blog St. Louis Catholic has responded to a story Daily RFT posted last week concerning the archdiocese's lawsuit against St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. As we revealed, attorneys for the St. Louis archdiocese sought and received the recusal of a gay judge who was to hear an appeal involving its ... More >>

Attorneys for Archdiocese Demanded Recusal of Gay Judge, Records Show

courts.mo.govLawrence Mooney: Has sat on other appeals that ruled in favor of the archdiocese.​The note from Missouri Court of Appeals Judge Lawrence Mooney to former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke was just three sentences long. Written on Court of Appeals stationary and dated October 2, 2007, ... More >>

Pope Acknowledges Condoms Prevent HIV

AFP/GettyMaybe he said maybe.​Pope Benedict has broken with decades of established Vatican tradition by stating in an interview that there are situations in which condom use is acceptable for preventing the spread of disease.In a book-length interview called Light of the World released today, Bene ... More >>

Happy Diwali!

​Today marks the beginning of the five-day festival of Diwali, one of the most important festivals in the Hindu, Jain and Sikh faiths. It's often known as the Festival of Lights because lanterns figure prominently in celebrations.

Will Somebody Please Fund Andy Abrams' Movie, Tattoo Jew?

Justin Dawson​Tattoo Jew. Now there's an oxymoron. By law, Jews aren't supposed to have tattoos. It's right there in the book of Leviticus, alongside the prohibitions against cheeseburgers (technically, a calf cooked in its mother's milk) and butt-sex. But for the past five years, Andy Abrams ... More >>

St. Louis Female Priest Responds to Vatican Equating Women Reverends with Pedophiles

Photo: Jennifer SilverbergThe Revs. Elsie McGrath and Rose Marie Hudson​By now you've probably heard how the Vatican unveiled sweeping changes last week regarding its policies on sexual abuse and sexuality within the Catholic church. On one hand, the Church increased efforts to out priests accused ... More >>

Featured Review: Vatican Splendors: A Journey Through Faith and Art

Opa! Go Greek at Two Festivals This Weekend

What better way to kick off summer than with some warm weather-friendly Hellenic cuisine? With two Greek Orthodox churches hosting festivals this weekend, there's no excuse to not have some moussaka. Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town & Country hosts its festival Friday through Monday, from 1 ... More >>

'Holy Goalie' Becomes New Springfield Bishop

Saving goals souls one at a time.​The Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, will soon welcome a new bishop to their flock. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Thomas J. Paprocki to the position yesterday.Paprocki is interesting for several reasons. Fist of all, he is an avid hockey fan and sometimes ... More >>

Past Lives

8 p.m. Wednesday, March 24. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street.

Third Local Woman to be Ordained a Roman Catholic Womanpriest

thereseofdivinepeace.orgMarybeth McBryan will become the third local Roman Catholic Womanpriest on Sunday -- critics be damned.​Marybeth McBryan, a former member of the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education and current deacon at Therese of Divine Peace, will be ordained as a Roman Catholic W ... More >>

Attorney General Wants Racist Executed for Murders; Fashion Police Want Him for Hitler Haircut

Joseph Franklin rockin the Hitler haircut.Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster today called for the Missouri Supreme Court to set an execution date for Joseph Franklin. Franklin was convicted in 1997 of murdering Gerald Gordon -- twenty years after he shot and killed him in the parking lot of a St ... More >>

Holy Crap: But not entirely un-fun: Angels & Demons has a need for speed

Terror, Terror Everywhere: Yet again, Unreal learns that truth is stranger than fiction

Hail Mary: A pregnant Catholic priest causes readers to pour out their souls

St. Louis Claims First Pregnant Catholic Priest

Evangelicals

8 p.m. Tuesday, September 16. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Avenue.