(ANALYSIS) Do the Ten Commandments have a valid place in U.S. classrooms? Louisiana’s Legislature and governor insist the answer is “yes.” But on Nov. 12, 2024, a federal judge said “no.”
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(REVIEW) Christmas may not be a Jewish holiday and “Hot Frosty” is entirely devoid of even the slightest hint of Hanukkah happening in the background. What I’m saying is this: Jews are way better at holiday magic. And since Christians get so many holiday movies, we are the ones who deserve the hot snowman golem movie.
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Caodaist beliefs and practices are a similar blend — although these seem to be skewed more towards traditionally Asian spiritualities. Reincarnation, karma, ancestor worship and divination are all central elements, while the most apparent contribution of the Abrahamic religions is monotheism.
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(ANALYSIS) In 2023, 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes were documented in 35 European countries. This included 232 personal attacks, such as harassment, threats and physical violence. At least 2,000 Christian places of worship were damaged. Attacks took place throughout the continent, including Germany, the United Kingdom and especially France.
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After MinistryWatch published an article about the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the administrative commission (AC) of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies filed additional charges and an indictment against Pastor Nate Devlin and the Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church session (or board of elders). The trial could result in punishment ranging from admonition to excommunication.
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(ANALYSIS) Does anyone remember Oct. 7, 2023? Do you recall the heart-stopping morning news, declaring that Hamas terrorists had carried out the most horrifying, brutal massacre imaginable?
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In the days since Donald Trump’s reelection, Jews and others who value a strict separation between church and state in the nation’s public schools have been alarmed by some of the names floated to run the Department of Education — and by the president-elect’s talk of eliminating it.
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(ANALYSIS) I have been keeping an Artificial Intelligence folder for several weeks now, with a focus — naturally — on topics that should interest religious leaders.
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Church Connections is the IMB’s effort to connect, nurture and deepen relationships with the Southern Baptist Convention’s 47,000 churches. Congregations can hear and rejoice over what God is doing around the world. IMB leadership recognized not every church in the SBC has a relationship or contact with a missionary.
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(ANALYSIS) Turnout! Due to the stay-at-home factor, Democratic votes for president fell by some nine million from 2020, causing political scientist James Galbraith to say the party had committed “suicide.” Kamala Harris and the Democrats had a problem with men. Donald Trump’s Republicans had a big problem with women (though Harris did a bit worse with them than the male Joe Biden had).
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It turns out what happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay there. In fact, sin is everywhere — from beer-loving Milwaukee to decadent New Orleans — meaning that the U.S. is filled with people behaving badly, a new study finds. The report compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 37 key indicators and seven sinful behaviors, including greed, lust, vanity and laziness.
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What does a Roman centurion and an artist have in common with an ancient mosaic from the Holy Land more than 1,800 years ago? All are featured in the Megiddo Mosaic on display at the Museum of the Bible in an exhibit considered to be the oldest display of Christian faith in the world. The museum opened seven years ago this month.
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(ANALYSIS) Democracy depends upon using words wisely. With the right words, citizens can live and work together, even in disagreement – and resolve conflicts peacefully. A lesson from Buddhism seems particularly apt in this moment of enemyship: Treat the people you disagree with as mistaken rather than evil.
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The Bible protects against what the U.S. surgeon general has termed an “epidemic of loneliness” as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, the American Bible Society said in releasing its latest chapter of the 2024 State of the Bible.
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(ANALYSIS) Aging is often feared, resisted, and in the cruelest of cases, mocked and even punished. I’m aware of Hinduism’s teachings about the different stages of life — the four ashramas — knowledge that has been lost today. This model of human life could offer guidance on how to age more gracefully.
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(ANALYSIS) Now, thanks to a brave young Yazidi woman, Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad, the struggle to reestablish life after years of enslavement is brought to the surface, with a documentary from director Hasan Oswald and executive producer Emma Thompson.
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(ANALYSIS) I’ve been a party to a lot of conversations about being mainline over the last 20 years. And sometimes I get the distinct impression that evangelicals really, really don’t like mainline Protestants. But do prefer nonbelievers to mainline Christians?
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Soon after becoming president, Democrat Jimmy Carter signed the Hyde Amendment into law — barring the use of federal funds for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake. When the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration attempted to kill the Hyde Amendment, a small — but symbolic — group of Democrats appealed to the elderly Carter for help.
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Despite his success, boxer Mike Tyson was plagued by demons. Emotional pain and a violent temper led to a series of personal and professional breakdowns. In 1992, he was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison. It was during those years that Tyson encountered the Islamic faith. It would take years before he would eventually find redemption.
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(REVIEW) “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” is an eight-episode docudrama series following the lives and sacrifices of saints: Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene, Moses the Black, Sebastian and Maximillian Kolbe. Each episode features a dramatization of their lives, narration by Scorsese and a panel.
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