Daily Links, Friday the 13th edition: Faith, science, and shady characters

You might be familiar with the website Catholic Online, but you might be less likely to visit the site after seeing this news report about the very un-Catholic business practices of its owner.

Speaking of questionable business practices, they are also the cause of the resignation of the executive director of the Nevada Catholic Conference.

Melinda Gates is still making headlines talking about contraception and her Catholic faith.

And in other news about Catholics disagreeing with their church, several catechists in Arlington, Virginia quit over a requirement that they sign a "profession of faith." Do you think these kinds of loyalty oaths are really needed?

At RNS, Mark Silk compares Penn State's handling of sex abuse to that of the Catholic Church.

The debate about religious freedom is far from over. At Huffington Post, Fordham law school grad Bridgette Dunlap finds some flaws in the bishops' argument.

And here's a good story on religious freedom: A cleric in Indonesia was given two years in jail for suggesting that Muslims should pray three times a day, not five.

Finally, a little science to end the week: BBC helps you calculate your body mass index and see how you compare to the rest of the world in terms of obesity, and Bill Nye the Science Guy shares some insight on climate change.

About the author

Scott Alessi

Scott Alessi is a former managing editor of U.S. Catholic.