(COMMENTARY) An article in the Guardian about Catholic resistance to relaxing a Good Friday drinks ban has no Catholic voices. What this piece does have is assumptions. It assumes what the stance of the Catholic Church might be and that all right thinking people will agree with the author’s worldview. George Conger argues that readers are left an example of agitprop, which fails the basic tests of sound journalism.
Read MoreA Muslim religious group has 21 days to appeal a decision to have their illegal mosque near the UK’s Olympic village demolished, despite twenty years of non-compliance.
Read MoreA heated debate continues in Sweden after a church chose to use a gender neutral pronoun when describing Jesus in an advertisement for a Christmas worship service.
Read More(COMMENTARY) "Fake news" - and the overuse of the term itself – has become so pervasive that even Pope Francis felt strong enough about it to address the phenomenon plaguing our Facebook feeds and Google searches. The added layer of technology and the changing dynamic within journalism has made this an issue that could have severely negative consequences on our political and economic systems going forward.
Read MoreThe awesome spectre of another Ebola epidemic haunts Sierra Leone, as villagers revert to traditional burial rituals.
Read MoreIs Oprah the "pope" of the religiously unaffiliated? If that label fits anyone, it would be Winfrey. "She talks about God, but for Oprah that can almost be the God of the week, the spiritual flavor of the week. … How she talks about spirituality and about truth is constantly changing. That's her gift. That's who she is. For her, that stuff will preach."
Read MoreThe Trump administration cited religious freedom as reason to crimp funds to Pakistan this month, opening a new chapter of strained relationships between two nuclear power frenemies.
Read MoreAngry uprisings flared up in 80 cities across Iran since late December, until being violently shut down by the Revolutionary Guards. The protests have deeply shaken the religious elite who rule Iran. They’ve also exposed the state’s systemic dysfunction, as well as widespread rage and resentment among Iran’s populace — most notably among the poor and disadvantaged.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Why would an annual event featuring tens of thousands of people from across the country who peacefully assemble on Washington’s National Mall in protest of an issue they care very passionately about receive little to no media coverage? That very situation plays itself out every January when it comes to the mainstream media’s handling of the March for Life, an event that brings together a cross-section of Americans in support of the rights of the unborn.
Read MoreWe asked our 800+ members from around the world and our TMP Board to submit their nominations for the "Top 10 Religion Stories of 2017." We received hundreds of nominations and the following is a list of the ones that stood out the most.
Read MoreWhen he's not debating Christians and Muslims on social media, Atheists in Kenya President (AIK), Harrison Mumia can be found fighting his battles out in court. His fight is to prove that Kenya is a 'secular state' and that atheists should have the same rights as other religions to express their beliefs and viewpoints.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Several centuries after the birth of Jesus, Syrian scribes offered the names for the wise men who came to Bethlehem. Over the centuries, images of them have shaped countless Nativity scenes, church pageants and carols. Comparing the simple biblical account with many colorful "Three Kings" stories, is rather like comparing the humble, pious, 3rd century St. Nicholas of Myra with the Santa Claus found in Hollywood flicks.
Read MoreWhile the transgender community in the West has scored political victories and turned public opinion in favor of more rights, 4.8 million members of the transgender community in India still struggle to fight for their rights and against social stigma.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Canada serves as a warning to the United States of the tricky balance that the legalization of same-sex marriage brings with it. The Supreme Court must protect the religious freedom of all American citizens. Should justices rule otherwise, the U.S. could be headed down the same downward spiral that Canada finds itself in today.
Read MoreThe drama surrounding the Kenyan presidential elections seems far from over as Kenyans enter the new year with new levels of anxiety. Tensions were raised over the holidays when opposition leader, Raila Odinga, reiterated that he was going ahead with plans to be sworn in as ‘The People’s President’ in early 2018.
Read More(COMMENTARY) With the only exception being President Donald Trump, no world leader gets as much press coverage as Pope Francis. His every utterance is able to fill a reporters’ notepad but not all papal statements are created equal. What the pope writes in an encyclical has one degree of importance as does what he says to crowds in St. Peter’s Square. Both carry a lot more weight than the soundbite you saw on CNN, but none of them should be considered infallible.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Some would have you believe that religious exemptions are nothing more than the government sanctioning irrational hatred, but free exercise claims have been respected in our country’s history since the founding of America. This is not a necessary evil that we should put up with, but something that gives the United States its very vitality.
Read MoreWith its postmodern skyline and first world reputation, Singapore seems to be the perfect place for many migrants to pursue fortune. But, in his wildest dreams, one man from Bangladesh could never have imagined that his dream job opportunity would lead him to become a “modern day slave”.
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Most people never read whole articles, and a surprising number of readers don’t make it past the first paragraph of a news story. Plenty of people share articles without ever reading them. So, how do news agencies fare with their headlines for culture war cases that make it to the Supreme Court? Alex Grass finds out.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Jenny Taylor meets the Nigerian peace-maker on a mission to learn why Sierra Leone’s Muslim and Christian populations live together in harmony.
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