Amid what many consider an increasingly hostile climate for Jewish students on campus, Hillel has updated its college guide, including a new feature that indicates whether students at a particular school have held a vote to boycott Israel.
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Since a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake last year killed more than 53,000 people and displaced some 3 million residents according to Turkey’s Interior Ministry, recovery has been slow. More than a year later, the city is quiet, often only disrupted by the sound of construction equipment.
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It was the must-read article of the week, especially for anyone interested in how cultural, moral, political and, yes, religious issues are covered in one of America’s most influential newsrooms.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights five takeaways when attempting to define and measure Christian nationalism. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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Christians are divided on how to address this growing issue. One camp sees this as a problem — something that needs to be solved by helping people get married. The other sees the problem as the privileging of marriage — and that it’s the church that needs to adapt to reflect such societal changes. Here’s what some books are saying about the issue.
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(ANALYSIS) True Charity is a network of nearly two hundred organizations that seek to improve charity, influence relevant policy, and inform the public about the importance of effective compassion. The group held its annual conference last week in Springfield, Missouri.
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Even as countless books, newspaper articles and cable TV segments devote intense attention to Christian nationalism, the term has become so pervasive that it risks losing any real meaning, according to a growing group of scholars both on the left and right. Nonetheless, expect its use to grow as another presidential election nears.
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Despite opposition from Catholic bishops across the continent, the European Union voted on Thursday to enshrine access to abortion as a “fundamental right” in its charter. The proposal — approved 336 votes for to 163 against — was passed in Brussels with support coming primarily from left-wing and centrist members.
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(OPINION) As for those who are not familiar with the term “replacement theology,” or, more technically, “supersessionism,” this refers to the idea that the Church has replaced (or superseded) Israel in God’s plan of salvation, as a result of which, the promises God once gave to national Israel now apply to the church.
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The revival of an 1864 Arizona law criminalizing abortions for providers, expectant mothers and advertisers will likely face a November state ballot measure asking voters to enshrine abortion rights in Arizona’s constitution.
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(ANALYSIS) In the late 1970s, researchers began asking why journalists often struggle when covering religion stories or avoid religious news altogether. I wrote my 1982 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate project on this topic, and some of that work was published by Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. This week marks the start of my 36th year writing this “On Religion” column.
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You’ve seen the train ads and massive billboards for years featuring colorful performers posing with pastel-colored ribbons. You might have even considered buying a ticket to see this dance troupe as they move from one to city to the next. So what exactly is Shen Yun, how do they define their religious ties and why do some even call the group a cult?
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(EXPLAINER) Cherry blossoms hold a profound significance in various cultures around the world, often intertwined with religious and spiritual symbolism. Both their beauty and delicate nature have inspired poets, artists and thinkers. Here’s a look at how different cultures — from Japan to India to the United States — feel about at these dazzling flowers that bloom each April.
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(ANALYSIS) “Judaism Is About Love” is a new book that thoroughly and poetically shatters the misconception that the God of the Hebrew Bible is about law, while the God of the New Testament is about love. As a result, it creates healthy parameters for disagreement between Jewish and Christian believers.
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India’s increased use of Facial Recognition Technology has led to the arrest of those the government deemed “troublemakers” for their involvement in recent protests. It was not the first time video technology had been used to identify people taking part in such activity against the government. As a result, there’s the potential on the part of police to increasingly target religious minorities.
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Four months after supporting blessings for same-sex couples, the Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy as violations of human dignity — making them equal to abortion and euthanasia as practices that reject God’s plan. The Holy See’s office that handles doctrine issued “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page document that had been in the works for five years.
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From ancient civilizations to the world’s major religions, humans have sought to understand celestial phenomena in ways that reflect their spiritual beliefs and cultural traditions. Whether viewed as omens, manifestations of divine power or just a natural occurrence, eclipses continue to inspire wonder, reminding us of the interconnectedness of the cosmos and our place within it.
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Hoosier Jews for Choice and four others can proceed in a class action challenge to Indiana’s abortion ban, claiming it violates their individual rights under the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), an appeals court has ruled.
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Try to imagine an America in which families that have, for generations, urged their children to serve in the armed services stopped doing precisely that. Here is a question about the religion data in that equation: Can Episcopal and liberal mainline Protestant churches in the Northeast produce as many future soldiers as Baptists, Pentecostals and nondenominational evangelicals in the Bible Belt?
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(REVIEW) There’s enough of the classic action formula and faith-based reverence in “Monkey Man” that fans of those things will find a lot to enjoy on their visit to the unique world that Dev Patel, making his directorial debut, has created. But the weaknesses are frustrating enough (and pervasive) that it’s likely they will also be glad when the visit is finally over.
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