BLESSING THE HUNT Church blesses hunters before deer season

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A small church in Goss, Miss., is expecting up to 1,000 people at its annual "Blessing of the Hunt" on this last Thursday before deer season.

Pastor Mark McArthur says Goss Baptist Church attracts hunters from miles around with door prizes ranging from free oil changes and haircuts to a shotgun and an all-terrain vehicle. Church members also will cook several big pots of jambalaya, and a speaker will present the gospel.

McArthur says 800 people attended last year, and 34 indicated they'd made decisions for Christ.

The church will have a "turkey shoot" Friday and Saturday night, in which the person who shoots the best at a target wins a turkey. Sunday is "camo day," so hunters won't have to change clothes.

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00:58 "" Steve Coleman Religion Roundup: A Mississippi church holds its "Blessing of the Hunt" this evening, A kidnapped Irish priest is freed in the Philippines. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports.

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00:13 "people will come" The Reverend Mark McArthur The Reverend Mark McArthur says the annual "Blessing of the Hunt" attracts hunters from miles around.

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00:12 "on the gospel" The Reverend Mark McArthur The Reverend Mark McArthur says there will be free food and door prizes including a shotgun and an all-terrain vehicle.

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00:15 "for about 1,000" The Reverend Mark McArthur The Reverend Mark McArthur says the "Blessing of the Hunt" attracts more people every year.

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00:12 "be the vessel" The Reverend Mark McArthur The Reverend Mark McArthur says the church is preparing for up to 1,000 visitors Thursday evening.

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00:12 "to the kingdom" The Reverend Mark McArthur The Reverend Mark McArthur says the annual event builds unity as his congregation works together to make it happen.

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00:14 "out to them" The Reverend Mark McArthur The Reverend Mark McArthur hunters are being invited to wear camouflage clothing to church this coming Sunday.

IRELAND-PHILIPPINES-KIDNAPPED PRIEST Irish priest freed in Philippines after a month

DUBLIN (AP) A 79-year-old Irish Catholic priest who was abducted in the Philippines a month ago has been freed, and officials insist that the kidnappers' $2 million ransom demand was not paid.

Irish President Mary McAleese called the Rev. Michael Sinnott's freedom the answer to the shared prayers of millions in both countries.

Six armed men abducted Sinnott on Oct. 11 from his missionary home in the southern Philippines, then escaped by speedboat and took him into the jungle. The priest said he was not harmed, but had to endure arduous journeys as his captors took him by sea and through jungles to evade government troops.

Sinnott said he was not angry with the kidnappers, whom the Philippine government suspects are linked to a Muslim rebel group.

SEPT 11 MEMORIAL Dispute over 'Muslim terrorists' halts town's 9/11 memorial

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) A Connecticut town's memorial to honor a Sept. 11 victim has been halted because the victim's father insists that it say his son was murdered by "Muslim terrorists." Town officials in Kent are balking, saying it would be inappropriate to single out a religious group in a project on town property and paid for with taxpayers' money.

Peter Gadiel, whose 23-year-old son was working in the World Trade Center when he was killed, says he's frustrated about what he calls a growing trend across the country to soften the reality of the Sept. 11 attacks by not mentioning a word about terrorism on victims' memorials.

Town leaders acknowledge that Muslim terrorists were responsible for the attacks, but they insist that saying it on a public memorial plaque would be wrong.

ISRAEL-RARE COINS Israel displays coins from ancient Jewish revolt

JERUSALEM (AP) Israel is displaying for the first time a collection of rare coins charred and burned from the Roman destruction of the Jewish Temple nearly 2,000 years ago.

About 70 coins were found in an excavation at the foot of a key Jerusalem holy site.

Donald Ariel of the Israeli Antiquity Authority says the coins give a rare glimpse into the period of the Jewish revolt that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in 70 A.D.

The coins sit inside a glass case, some melted down to unrecognizable chunks of pockmarked and carbonized bronze from the flames that destroyed the Temple.

The coins were excavated from an ancient street below the Temple Mount. To find the coins, archaeologists had to sift through debris and remove boulders thrown down by the Romans.

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00:58 "" Steve Coleman A Closer Look: Israel is displaying coins that were buried beneath the ruins of the Jewish Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports.

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00:06 "very badly burnt" Donald Ariel Donald Ariel says archaelogists have unearthed coins from beneath the ruins of the Jewish Temple.

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00:05 "destruction of Jerusalem" Donald Ariel Donald Ariel says some of the coins melted as the Jewish Temple was burned by the Romans.

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00:11 "the Temple Mount" Donald Ariel Donald Ariel says the coins were found beneath rubble from the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.

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00:14 "what happened there" Donald Ariel Donald Ariel says the coins had been on an ancient street below the Temple Mount.

POPE-EUROPE Pope urges Europe to defend its Christian heritage

VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Benedict says everyone who cares about Europe's future should "rediscover, appreciate and defend the rich cultural and religious heritage" of past centuries.

The pontiff spoke to pilgims Wednesday during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

Reviving Christianity in an increasingly secular Europe is a central theme of Benedict's papacy.

He's been urging Europeans to return to their Christian roots, saying that Christian values are fundamental for the survival of societies.

Last week, the Vatican denounced the European court of human rights for ruling that the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and educational freedoms. The Vatican said the court was ignoring the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity.

HOMELESS SHELTER OBJECTION Parents don't want homeless shelter in church next to school

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) Some parents in Fond du Lac, Wis., are objecting to a Catholic church's plans to open a shelter for the homeless next to an elementary school.

Holy Family Catholic Community wants to set up the shelter at St. Joseph Church because the building is barely used during the week. Shelter organizers want to have it open by next month.

But Sarah Brinkley, who has two small children at St. Mary's Primary School, says the young students are naive and trusting, so the shelter location isn't the best.

Sister Judith Schmidt is president of St. Mary's Springs Academy, attended by about 200 students from preschool to second grade. She says the community should take a closer look at the proposal.

GAY RIGHTS-MORMONS Salt Lake OKs gay rights laws with Mormon backing

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Mormon church for the first time has supported gay rights legislation, an endorsement that helped gain unanimous approval for Salt Lake City laws banning discrimination against gays in housing and employment.

Church spokesman Michael Otterson said, "The church supports these ordinances because they are fair and reasonable and do not do violence to the institution of marriage." Tuesday's passage made Salt Lake City the first Utah community to prohibit bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Exceptions in the legislation allow churches to maintain, without penalty, religious principles and religion-based codes of conduct or rules. Gays are welcome in the Mormon church, but must remain celibate to retain church callings and full membership.

MEDICS-RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION Orthodox Jewish medics call beard ban discrimination

PIKESVILLE, Md. (AP) Three Orthodox Jewish medics in Maryland say a volunteer fire department's ban on beards is religious discrimination.

Baltimore County bans facial hair if it interferes with the use of respirator masks.

The medics say they don't enter burning buildings and that other respirators are available which can be worn by those with beards.

The three medics say in a complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that they have not responded to a call since January when they were told their beards posed a safety concern.

The three claim the fire department is retaliating for their membership in a largely Orthodox emergency response organization.

But officials say they want all medics to have masks in case they must enter a building with hazardous fumes.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-12-09 0237CST | save this article / add to your favorites list