http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:34:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23602/madain-saleh http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23602/madain-saleh#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:32:41 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23602 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Much of the world knows Petra, the ancient ruin in modern-day Jordan that is celebrated in poetry as "the rose-red city, 'half as old as time,'" and which provided the climactic backdrop for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

But far fewer know Madain Saleh, a similarly spectacular treasure built by the same civilization, the Nabateans.

That's because it's in Saudi Arabia, where conservatives are deeply hostile to pagan, Jewish and Christian sites that predate the founding of Islam in the 7th century.

But now, in a quiet but notable change of course, the kingdom has opened up an archaeology boom by allowing Saudi and foreign archaeologists to explore cities and trade routes long lost in the desert.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23602/madain-saleh/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23412/saudi-arabia-authorities-release-christian-blogger http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23412/saudi-arabia-authorities-release-christian-blogger#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:04:15 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23412 In a surprise move, a Saudi Christian arrested in January for describing his conversion from Islam and criticizing the kingdom’s judiciary on his blog site was released on March 28 with the stipulation that he not travel outside of Saudi Arabia or appear on media.

The country’s penalty for “apostasy,” or leaving Islam, is death, although in recent years there have been no known cases of kingdom citizens formally convicted and sentenced with capital punishment for the offense.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23412/saudi-arabia-authorities-release-christian-blogger/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21466/the-saudi-woman-who-wants-a-divorce-because-her-husband-tried-to-sneak-one-look-at-her-face-after-30-years-of-marriage http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21466/the-saudi-woman-who-wants-a-divorce-because-her-husband-tried-to-sneak-one-look-at-her-face-after-30-years-of-marriage#comments Tue, 20 May 2008 05:34:40 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=21466 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21466/the-saudi-woman-who-wants-a-divorce-because-her-husband-tried-to-sneak-one-look-at-her-face-after-30-years-of-marriage/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21429/islamic-religious-insanity-8 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21429/islamic-religious-insanity-8#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 15:34:18 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=21429 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21429/islamic-religious-insanity-8/feed 0