This Week in God

By Steve Benen

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Sat Mar 3, 2012 10:36 AM EST

About six years ago, inspired by "The Daily Show," I started a weekly feature called "This Week in God," covering news related to religion, politics, and government. Today, it returns to its traditional time slot: Saturday mornings.
The God Machine has plenty to offer this week. First up is a high-profile reversal from the Rev. Franklin Graham, the controversial son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, who recently appeared on MSNBC and questioned the sincerity of President Obama's Christianity. In fact, when asked if he would declare that the president is not a Muslim, Graham replied, "I can't say categorically, because Islam has gotten a free pass under Obama."
This week, he expressed regret for his on-air comments.

Evangelist Franklin Graham apologized Tuesday for comments he made about President Barack Obama's faith.
"I regret any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama," Graham said in a statement. "The president has said he is a Christian and I accept that (and have said so publicly on many occasions).
"I apologize to him and to any I have offended for not better articulating my reason for not supporting him in this election -- for his faith has nothing to do with my consideration of him as a candidate."

Graham, who announced his public support for Donald Trump during his birther endeavor last year, did not explain why he made his recent comments, or why it took him more than a week to issue an apology.
Also from the God Machine this week:
* As the race for the Republican presidential nomination continues, the emphasis on evangelical voters is intensifying.
* The latest anti-sharia nonsense is moving forward in Florida's state legislature.
* According to a new court filing, Roman Catholic Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua ordered aides to "shred a 1994 memo that identified 35 Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests suspected of sexually abusing children."
* And in Iowa, Walker Nickless, the Bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, is so outraged by the Obama administration's policy on contraception access, he's arguing that his allies "have to stand up and violently oppose this," in order to prevent being overtaken by "darkness."