China: Religious Freedom, Secularism and Patriotism?
Epigraph: Jesus said “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) With wider crackdowns on religion, Xi’s China seeks to […]
Meet the Worshipers Who Believe They’re Aliens in Human Form
Source: National Geographic BY YE CHARLOTTE MING PHOTOGRAPHS BY GUI CHRIST An hour outside Brazil’s futuristic capital, Brasilia, lies one of the country’s spiritual capitals: Vale do Amanhecer, which translates to Sunrise Valley or […]
Belgian minister calls for religious TV ban after reading on female submission
Source: The Guardian The future of Songs of Praise-style religious programmes on Belgian television has been thrown into doubt after a Catholic lay reader gave an on-screen Bible reading calling for women […]
The movie bogeyman of the year? Fundamentalist religion
Source: The Guardian BY Tom Beasley Towards the end of Desiree Akhavan’s incendiary sophomore feature, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Chloë Grace Moretz’s central character attacks the anti-LGBT Christians running the conversion […]
Catholic Church: Poster Child for What is Wrong with Organized Religion
Catholicism has experienced a greater net loss due to religious switching than has any other religious tradition in the U.S. https://t.co/c8HI8JVJ7C pic.twitter.com/mzQmJUb5TC — Pew Research Religion (@PewReligion) September 5, 2018 Suggested Reading for the best understanding of personal religion in the 21st century 7 facts about American Catholics Deciding to […]
Indonesian president invokes ‘Pancasila’ to counter rising Islamism
Source: Religion News Service BY Nithin Coca (RNS) — Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, a moderate Muslim who enjoys widespread support from the country’s minority religious communities, is resurrecting the […]
Indian ‘cow protectors’ jailed for life over murder of Muslim man
Source: The Guardian By Michael Safi in Delhi Eleven cow protection vigilantes in the Indian state of Jharkhand have been sentenced to life in prison for killing a Muslim man who was […]
Atheists in Nigeria trying to become more vocal
Africa, home to growing number of Christians and Muslims, contends with atheists, too Source: Religion News Service NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — When the doors swing open every Sunday morning, churches […]
Stricter rules for China’s Communist party members
China targets rumors, religion in updated party rules Source: Reuters BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s ruling Communist Party has issued a revised set of regulations governing members’ behavior, threatening punishment for […]
Moscow, Kiev in tug-of-war over religious future of Ukraine
Source: Associated Press By RAPHAEL SATTER LONDON (AP) — As Kiev and Moscow clash on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, a new front has opened up in the religious sphere. […]
Pakistani court orders list of people who left Islam
Source: Rabwah.Net BY Ehsun Rehan On Monday a Pakistani court ordered the country’s national citizen database to handover list of individuals who left Islam and requested a change of religion […]
Do religious scriptures bring harmony or evoke conflict?
State Department and the initiative of your favorite Organization The Center for Pluralism is pleased to present a symposium as a side event in conjunction with the Department of States’ […]
Two New Lawsuits Seek to Stop Discrimination Against Religion
Source: Wall Street Journal By Tim Keller and Michael Bindas Aug. 20, 2018 6:22 p.m. ET Dave and Amy Carson live with their 15-year-old daughter, Olivia, in Glenburn, Maine. Like many […]
Argentines want to renounce their ties to the Catholic Church
Movement encourages Argentines to quit Catholic church Source: Associated Press By PAUL BYRNE and LEO LA VALLE BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered in Buenos Aires on […]
Dutch Council denies right to wear a colander on official documents photo
Spaghetti injunction: Pastafarianism is not a religion, Dutch court rules Source: The Guardian By Jon Henley The Dutch council of state has ruled that Pastafarianism is not a religion, denying […]
A 10-month-old died after her parents refused to get help for religious reasons, police say
Source: The Washington Post By Lindsey Bever In video sermons, the man railed against vaccines, “bad medicine” and doctors whom he deemed to be “priesthoods of the medical cult.” And he […]
Whitewashing India’s Religious Freedom
Mike Ghouse, is president of the Center for Pluralism and is committed to fostering cohesive societies where no human has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. His […]
Many Americans are religiously unaffiliated because they question a lot of religious teachings
Why America’s ‘nones’ don’t identify with a religion Source: Pew Research Center By Becka A. Alper, who is a research associate focusing on religion at Pew Research Center. A growing […]
Religious Americans less likely to support gene editing
Science may one day guarantee smarter kids. Here’s why many Americans think that’s a problem Source: Deseret News By Kelsey Dallas SALT LAKE CITY — Strong religious commitments lead to less […]
China promoting flying of state flags at religious events
Source: Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Officially recognized faith groups in China are promoting the flying of national flags at religious events amid a push by the ruling Communist Party […]