Posts in Religion
As European blasphemy laws endure, journalists should consider how words can get them in trouble

(COMMENTARY) This is an issue journalists — whether they’re writing opinion/analysis pieces or constructing hard news stories — should stay tuned into to avoid crossing the wrong side of a shifting line.

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2018 Jewish Top 10 news story list spotlights anti-Semitism, as well as the genre's limitations

(COMMENTARY) Often religion reporters miss some of the most important stories when they happen, but recognize their magnitude later.

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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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In India, a battle for gender equality, religious freedom and votes

There’s a massive face-off in India over a Supreme Court order that allows women to enter a popular Hindu temple despite devotees’ belief that their eternally celibate god will be compromised.

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The revival of redemption: The future of religion in a secular world

(COMMENTARY) When one rejects the disciplines and principles of religion, one loses the premises necessary to understand the world without falling into skepticism and nihilism. Though the ideas of secular culture will continue to dominate the younger generations, I believe that the revival of religion will restore life to pockets of the population, unlocking the gate to new heights of flourishing in the coming years.

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Attention all newsroom managers: There will also be non-political religion news in 2019

(COMMENTARY) Mark your calendars for these religion events from the Vatican and United Methodist Church.

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A Hindu story of garlic and onions, and what it means for our "tribal" religious divisions in 2019

(COMMENTARY) Without making an effort to understand how all these small differences expressed in eating habits add up to create the chasms that divide us, we have no hope of overcoming them.

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A path-breaking treatment of Luke’s Gospel could provide your Christmas feature

(COMMENTARY) A new commentary on the Biblical book of Luke is the first major commentary authored by both a Jew and a Christian.

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Indian fishermen granted bail after ferrying American missionary to restricted island

Police are also investigating two more Americans who may have helped John Allen Chau illegally visit the remote Sentinelese tribe.

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What explains the durable popularity of Handel’s 'Messiah' (especially at Christmas)?

(COMMENTARY) Handel’s “Messiah” — the Easter cantata that is so frequently heard at Christmastime — is probably the most-performed and most-beloved piece of great music ever written.

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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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Surprise – The crucial religion story of 2018 is the specter of 'designer babies'

(COMMENTARY) He Jiankui, a U.S.-trained biological researcher in China, claims he has successfully altered the genes of newly born twins, with a third such birth expected soon.

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PBS story on Iran's Jews doesn't fully explain what captive minorities must do to survive

(COMMENTARY) In late November, PBS NewsHour broadcast a piece that, like other attempts to explain the Iranian Jewish community, came up frustratingly short.

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