Posts in Politics
Filipino Catholics Oppose Lowering the Age of Criminal Liability to 12

The country is grappling with a deadly drug war, where criminal gangs recruit children to work for them.

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Modi's bill to grant citizenship to undocumented Hindus causes stir in India

India’s ruling party is pushing for a controversial immigration bill to pass ahead of the general election that excludes Muslim migrants.

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'Tropical Trump' Bolsonaro beholden to Catholic-Evangelical alliance

(NEWS ANALYSIS) Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro — dubbed by some political commentators as the “Trump of the Tropics” — has been dogged by controversy and scandal. The result? That Christian coalition of supporters, a U.S.-style religious right, could very well abandon Bolsonaro if he ultimately fails to deliver.

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Will the Catholic Church excommunicate Andrew Cuomo over abortion law?

Politics and religion have come to loggerheads after Catholic conservatives called for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be excommunicated, splitting the church’s hierarchy on how to deal with politicians who further an agenda contrary to the traditional teachings of the church. The call came after Cuomo signed into state law a measure that expanded abortion rights across the state.

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At March for Life, embracing ancient doctrines reveals modern tensions

(COMMENTARY) While the United Methodist Church homepage notes a tension between upholding the sanctity of unborn human life and also the life and well-being of the mother, Bishop Timothy Whitaker spoke out against abortion referencing the Didache, a doctrinal statement on “gross sins” like murder.

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Conservative columnist David French defends religious liberty while opposing Trump

It may be the one issue in America capable of uniting Mormons, Native Americans, Roman Catholics and Evangelical Christians. The issue of religious liberty has, in recent years, increasingly galvanized people of many faith traditions in the United States to unite against secular forces. One of its most-vocal backers and eloquent advocates is opinion journalist David French.

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The African ‘Women’s Wave’ is powered by pro-choice Christian feminists

These African women’s activists say greater access to safe abortions will save women’s lives—and they believe that’s the most Christian response.

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In the Congo, Catholics dispute presidential election results and fight for a fair ballot box

(COMMENTARY) Catholics in the Democratic Republic of Congo are pushing the non-democratic regime toward greater election transparency.

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Unfinished 2019 business in America's ongoing First Amendment wars over religious liberty

(COMMENTARY) There’s a federal lawsuit against the University of Iowa for removing a Christian business group’s on-campus recognition on grounds of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

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Is Trump's use of the term 'witch hunt' offensive?

President Trump has repeatedly referred to the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller a “witch hunt” – angering people who actually practice witchcraft. The investigation into whether Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election is ongoing. Witches say what’s not under debate is the use of the term “witch hunt.”

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The Faustian deal of trying to be a good Christian and a Trump voter

(COMMENTARY) Due to God’s charge to Christians, they should not support President Donald Trump. By claiming one can be a “good Christian” despite who you vote for, Christians such as Jerry Falwell Jr. imply that one’s political activities are completely divorced from their faith. Such a claim, in essence, reduces Christianity to a mere set of propositions and intellectual or moral claims. However, the Bible presents Christianity as something far more whole-person than many Trump supporters realize.

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India’s Hindu Nationalists want to build a temple over a mosque

(COMMENTARY) Twenty-six years ago, Hindu nationalists destroyed a 16th century mosque. Today, the right wing’s campaign issue is how to build a temple on that site.

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The Saudi puzzle: Here are four religion threads woven into this sordid political drama

(OPINION) There are several more religion stories to be told surrounding the murder of the former Washington Post op-ed writer Jamal Khashoggi.

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A Christian’s acquittal in Pakistan is fueling advocacy against "blasphemy"

After the unprecedented acquittal of a Christian from blasphemy charges, Pakistan is bowing to pressure from hardline Islamist groups to ban her exit from the Muslim-majority country.

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Ties that bind: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Russia and Fatima

(COMMENTARY) Pope John Paul II believed his and former US President Reagan’s survivals of shootings were part of a divine plan countering evil in Russia.

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Jamal Khashoggi and the Middle East’s Game of Thrones

Jamal Khashoggi may have signed his own death warrant with his opinion column in The Washington Post when he criticized the White House’s democratic efforts in the Arab world, including both the Obama and Trump administration.

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Keeping up: Transgender challenges ahead for news media and 'mainline' Protestants

(COMMENTARY) The New York Times reported this week that the Donald Trump Administration is considering, for federal purposes, a definition that a person is male or female “based on immutable biological traits identified by or before birth,” supplemented if necessary by genetic testing. That would overturn a policy under President Barack Obama to recognize transgender identities.

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Complex realities behind that '81 percent of evangelicals love Trump' media myth

(COMMENTARY) In the current news theory of everything, few numbers in American political life have received more attention than this one – 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016. Politicos have paid less attention to signs that many evangelicals cast those votes with reluctance, and some with a sense of dread.

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