Posts in News
The dancing Salvation Army bell ringer of Broadway

A few blocks from the long lines forming to see Manhattan’s priciest shows, a Salvation Army officer’s panache delights his transient audience every Christmas season.

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What the U.S. presidential candidates are doing to court religious voters

President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponents are courting voters with less than a year before the 2020 election — and many of them are chasing support from a variety of religious voters.

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Loyola University Law Professor Sam Brunson On Transparency in the Mormon Church

“The weird thing here, as you point out, is that it's a nonprofit, a supporting organization or an integrated auxiliary that is the investment fund. The problem with that, and the weird thing about that is that, generally speaking, to be tax exempt, you have to primarily pursue some particular tax-exempt purpose.”

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Protests Erupt in India Against Citizenship Law Excluding Muslims

Mass protests in India show a public resistance to Prime Minister Modi and his party’s vision for a Hindu nation over a long-held secularism that treats all religions equally.

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Whistleblower Alleges $100 Billion Secret Stockpile By Mormon Church

The 74-page document filed with the IRS and obtained by Religion Unplugged shows that Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. saw owned assets under management grow to more than $100 billion from $10 billion in the past 22 years, fueled by a mix of investment strategy and tithe money from church members. The complaint may be the most important look at LDS finances in decades, a window into one of the wealthiest religious organizations in the United States and world.

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Delhi police attack students protesting citizenship law that excludes Muslims

At least 100 university students were injured by police during a protest against the newly passed Citizenship Amendment Bill, which allows Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians but not Muslims who’ve migrated to India to apply for citizenship.

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Manger Relic's return to Bethlehem is cause for a historic Advent

A piece of wood believed to be from Jesus’ manger arrived in Bethlehem on Saturday. Palestinian Christians are celebrating its presence, and local businesses are hoping it will bring more tourists.

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New poll looks at Catholic voting trends ahead of the 2020 presidential election

With less than a year before the 2020 presidential election, a new poll puts the spotlight on American Catholics and what candidates and issues matter to them most.

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India's energized Hindu right is set on claiming more mosques

After a Supreme Court ruling that allows Hindus to rebuild a temple over an illegally demolished mosque, Hindu nationalists are looking to claim another Mughal-era mosque in one of Hinduism’s holiest cities.

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Shinto festival carries on centuries-old tradition in Japan

The Chichibu Night Festival, famous for its elaborate floats, has roots stretching more than 1,000 years, with roots in an older tradition of villagers giving thanks to the nearby mountain god for helping them during the planting and harvesting season.

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Ethiopian Jews celebrate their return to Jerusalem, yearn for more acceptance

Ethiopian Jews claim ancestry back to the Israelite tribe of Dan and escaped religious persecution with aid from Israel. Today, they continue celebrating the festival Sigd, about returning to Jerusalem, to remember God’s promise and bring more awareness is Israeli society about the racism and discrimination they still face.

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'A Very British Muslim Activist' tells story of Islamist-turned-peacemaker

(REVIEW) Ghayasuddin Siddiqui founded a handful of Islamist organizations in the U.K. and feels responsible for attitudes that may have inspired London’s Islamic terrorist attacks. By the nineties, he recanted his Islamist views and today leads social justice and assimilation efforts in the British Muslim community.

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Thousands of Jewish worshippers pack Hebron to celebrate the life of Sarah

Some 30,000 Israeli, American, British and French Jews thronged Hebron and the adjoining town of Kiryat Arba on Nov. 22 and 23 to celebrate the Torah reading of Chayei Sarah, which details how Abraham the Patriarch purchased a double cave in which to bury his wife Sarah.

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U.K. Foreign Office goes red for world’s Christian martyrs

(ANALYSIS) Rehman Chishti, a British Muslim and conservative born in Pakistan, will address the event on behalf of beleaguered Christians, who number 80% of all those in the world who are attacked for their faith, according to the FCO. At least 120 public buildings and 30 cathedrals across the UK will also light red.

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Ugandan government closes nearly 12,000 churches and faith-based NGOs

The Ugandan government closed nearly 12,000 churches and NGOs this month under a registration policy some are calling illegal. It’s the latest move by the government threatening religious freedom under the guise of fighting corruption, pastors say.

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The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Witch

Since the 1990’s, interest in witchcraft has grown exponentially but not necessarily in Wicca or organized occult practice. Modern witches like this Brooklynite are more individualistic.

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