Dr Paul Allen

Image via Wikipedia The mayor of New York City has disallowed clergy from praying at an event commemorating the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks , sparking indignation from leaders who have pointed to the pivotal role religious groups played in the heroic response to the tragedy. A spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that, as in previous years, this weekend’s commemoration would include readings “spiritual and personal in nature,” according to an Associated Press report. Bloomberg’s office characterized the affair as focused on relatives of victims. Two steel girders, left standing in the form of a cross at Ground Zero, were hailed a sign of hope in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Christian leaders, however, are calling the ban an insult to the memory of how the faith provided solace and the faithful worked to save lives in the city’s darkest hour. “Nobody was turning religious leaders away from the scene 10 years ago. Why are they being banned

Cover of Marriage Savers Today nearly a billion people around the world are focused on a wedding taking place in London’s Westminster Abbey : The marriage between Prince William , second in line to the British throne , and his bride, Kate Middleton . For months people have focused on wedding details: Who will design the wedding dress? What jewels will she wear? What food will be served at the wedding breakfast? But maybe we’re focusing on the wrong things. As my colleague Anne Morse noted this week in National Review Online , divorces among the royals have become so common that, shortly after the engagement was announced, British bookies began taking bets about when William and Kate’s divorce would take place. “Can this marriage be saved?” Morse asked. For the answer, she asked several marriage experts about William and Kate’s chances, based on such factors as their family background, age, faith commitment, life choices, and royal expectations. For instance, when William’s mother,