Britain’s most rampant rapist ignites homosexuality debate in Indonesia

(NEWS ANALYSIS) The conviction in the UK of a gay serial rapist from Indonesia is fueling debates in the Muslim-majority country of whether rape is a symptom of homosexuality. While homosexuality is not a crime in Indonesia, the largest Muslim organizations have been advocating to criminalize gay sexual activities.

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Kashmir’s Internet blocked for six months and counting

An Internet ban in Kashmir is causing job losses and hardships for students, journalists and everyday people living isolated from the rest of the country and the world. Government-provided computer terminals can only be accessed after traveling and hours of waiting in line, and all activities online are monitored.

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A journalist's faith: New memoir tells how justice prevailed in civil rights era murders

(OPINION) “Race Against Time,” which hits bookstores Tuesday, reflects the deep Christian faith of veteran Mississippi journalist Jerry Mitchell, whose stories have helped put four Klansmen and a serial killer behind bars. (“Weekend Plug-In” is a column by veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr. Look every Friday for analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith.)

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YouTube star Christina Randall talks jailhouse religion

A prison ministry’s visit catalyzed a young woman’s personal transformation that took her from inmate to social media influencer. Her connection with her audience grew out of her connection to God and faith.

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The Bronx high school students marching for 'the born and the unborn'

A group of high school students from the Bronx represented a version of pro-life philosophy that takes the term beyond abortion and leftward on the political spectrum.

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Two Cheers for Trumpism: R.R. Reno's 'Return of the Strong Gods'

(REVIEW) R.R. Reno is one of America’s most prominent Roman Catholic public intellectuals. In his new book, he writes an  eloquent but unAmerican defense of American populism. 

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Africa’s Young Christians Face Danger from Islamic Extremism

(OPINION) An ongoing Islamic extremist project to exterminate Christians in sub-Saharan Africa is even more brutal and more consequential for the Church than it is in the Middle East. Is anyone paying attention?

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Pilgrims visit site of Jesus’s Baptism, now cleared of landmines

One of Christianity and Judaism’s holiest sites was seeded with more than 6,500 landmines and booby traps inside churches by the Israeli military beginning in 1968.

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The fight over gay rights is playing out in a Supreme Court case

(OPINION) Traditional religious institutions are defending their policies on sexuality in two notable cases. One is the lawsuit that is the first of its kind, and the other will see the Supreme Court rule on whether federal prohibitions against sex discrimination can be applied to sexual orientation and gender identity.

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The church as a creative minority

(OPINION) There’s an ongoing debate between historians. Can civilizations be restored? Or do they invariably die? Oswald Spengler, a German historian, said all civilizations are born, grow, and then age, decline and die. No exceptions. Arnold Toynbee disagreed. Civilizations have a spiritual dimension. They can be restored. But only a creative minority can do it.

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Ignoring Kobe Bryant's Catholic faith results in incomplete look at his life

(OPINION) All but forgotten — as well as underreported by the news media since Sunday’s tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., that killed Bryant, his daughter and seven others — was his Catholic faith and how getting closer to it made him a better person.

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Collective Action Against Anti-Semitism Still Needed 75 Years After Auschwitz

(OPINION) This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day aims to reflect the “continued importance of collective action against antisemitism and other forms of bias to ensure respect for the dignity and human rights of all people everywhere.”

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'Holy Silence' tries to get into the mind of Pope Pius XII during World War II

(REVIEW) Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the film Holy Silence focuses on the pontificate of Pius XII and whether the pope did enough to help Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II.

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Secular-Only School Choice Is No Real Choice For Parents

(OPINION) A recent Supreme Court case highlights an unconstitutional ban on Montana state funding, rooted in anti-Catholic bias in the 1800’s, to religious schools that otherwise meet requirements for scholarships.

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Frank Schaeffer is angry about abortion and evangelicals, and he's getting louder

The pro-life movement’s “traitorous prince’” is frustrated by his progressive comrades and fed up with his former cohorts on the religious right.

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How the SBC sex abuse scandal turned a city hall reporter into a full-time religion writer

(OPINION) Come April, Downen’s work on the “Abuse of Faith” project could earn him and his colleagues a Pulitzer Prize. For now, it has resulted in a new gig for the former City Hall reporter. (“Weekend Plug-In” is a column by veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr. Look every Friday for analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith.)

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