New Year’s vigil for peace

A candlelight vigil for a peaceful New Year will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday (New Year’s Day), sponsored by the Nebraska Coalition for Peace.

Participants will meet on the O Street sidewalk along the north side of Woods Park (west of 33rd Street).

“Our New Year’s resolution is to see an end to the war in Iraq,” said David Orr, a member of the coalition. He’s also pastor of Lincoln’s First Mennonite Church.

Last year the same group held a New Year’s vigil to mark the deaths of 3,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, he said.  “None of us thought that just one year later we would be mourning 900 more American deaths along with more than 18,000 Iraqis. We want an end to this costly tragedy in 2008.”

Speakers will include parents of troops serving in Iraq and peace activists, including: the Rev. Rebecca Brown, pastor of East Lincoln Christian Church; Paul Olson of Nebraskans for Peace; and Megan Jackson of the Coalition for Peace.

For more information visit www.fmclincoln.org/Coalition_for_Peace.htm.

Book shares inspiration from “American Idol”(BOOK COVER)

The newest book in the popular “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series has inspirational stories from the popular television show “American Idol.”

“Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul” (Health Communications, $14.95), features stories from top idols from every season, as well as from directors, producers and behind-the-scenes crew of the show.

You also can go to www.chickensoup.com and enter a contest to win two free tickets to the “American Idol” finale next May.

Religion and politics are top news stories

A poll of the nation’s leading religion writers selected the presidential election and the fight for evangelical votes among GOP candidates as the top religion story of 2007.

Close behind as the No. 2 story were efforts by Democrats to win over voters by showcasing their faith, according to the Dec. 7-13 survey of members of the Religion Newswriters Association.

For the top religion newsmaker of the year, the journalists chose the Buddhist monks in Myanmar.  Hundreds of monks protested last September in support of democracy, but were quelched by the military-backed government.

For complete results visit www.rna.org.

Group calls for end to Christmas Culture wars

The outrage by some people  over department stores using the phrase “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” is a distraction from real moral and social issues, according to a group of concerned Catholics and evangelical Christians.

The group has called for a “cease-fire in the Christmas culture wars,” and challenged conservative talk-show host Bill O’Reilly and others who have lashed out against a so-called secular “War on Christmas.”

In an “Open Letter to Christmas Culture Warriors” published as an advertisement in the New York Post, Washington Times and the National Catholic Reporter, the group says the debate about words used  in greetings detracts from the Christmas message of love and good will.  

“Christmas marks a season of hope, peace and the light of justice illuminating the dark corners of our world," said Alexia Kelley, Executive Director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. "At a time of a real war in Iraq, and 37 million of our American neighbors living in poverty, we should be focusing on promoting peace and human dignity in our world."

For more information visit www.catholicsinalliance.org. 

Compiled by Bob Reeves from staff and wire reports.