VidAngel CEO talks filtering content for faith-based streaming and creating ‘The Chosen’

Neal Harmon is the CEO of a streaming service called VidAngel that initially started as a "content filtering" service, for families to stream TV and movies without sex, language or violence. Now it has begun to produce original content — such as "The Chosen," a drama series about the life of Jesus. Harmon talks to contributor Joseph Holmes about the service, some of their current projects and what's next.

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Are Democrats Influenced by Religion as Much as Republicans?

Is religion a force in American life that pushes people to be more politically conservative or liberal? Do certain types of political partisans place a great emphasis on their spiritual life? Or do other competing identities seem to shape people more? The Democracy Fund made public a huge dataset of over 300,000 respondents and they asked them how important a number of identities were to them. When those are broken down by party affiliation, the results are fascinating.

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'Individualism does not make us more free': Dissecting Pope Francis's Encyclical

In his newly released encyclical, Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis addresses the whole world as his audience, attempting to answer how modern society can correct course towards a kinder and more loving world. The pope’s third encyclical has ruffled some Catholics for its condemnation of profit-driven economic models, the death penalty, immigration policy and more.

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Journalists’ Neglect Religious Coverage Related to Black Lives Matter

(OPINION) As Black Lives Matter persists as one of the hot topics in the media, mainstream news associations often neglect the religious angle — isolating entire groups of stakeholders within the community. This leaves us asking the question, how are people within religious communities responding to Black Lives Matter?

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Trump's daughter-in-law joins pastors in 'call to prayer' for president's recovery

On Sunday, President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump and his closest faith advisors hosted a prayer service on Facebook Live, praying for Trump, the First Lady and several White House, campaign officials and Senators who’ve recently tested positive with COVID-19. One pastor who attended last weekend’s Supreme Court nomination event that spread the virus says he was one of the few wearing a mask.

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Muslim college grads split over Jews. What makes the difference?

(OPINION) A recent four-year national study by Ohio State University, North Carolina State University and Interfaith Youth Core traced how Muslim college students saw Jews from the beginning to end of their college experiences. The results are both encouraging and unsettling.

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How South Dakota Got Its First Rabbi In Nearly 30 Years

South Dakota used to be the only state in the U.S. without a Chabad center, despite its history of Jews in the region since the 1800s when German and Russian Jews settled in the Black Hills following a gold rush. Then a visiting rabbi from Brooklyn decided to change that.

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Do Christians care what Trump says about them behind closed doors?

This week’s Weekend Plug-in explores whether religious supporters of President Donald Trump care what he says about them behind closed doors. Plus, our roundup of the top religion headlines and best reads of the last week.

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Senate Should Question Amy Coney Barrett About Her Ties To People Of Praise

(OPINION) SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett has faced questions and criticism about her Catholic faith since 2017. But she has rarely been asked about her ties to People of Praise, a unique Catholic group. Questions like these are necessary to make an accurate choice in appointing Barrett to the Supreme Court.

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‘Zoombombing’ Lesson: Racist Attack On Black Church Highlights Security Concerns

This past Sunday, online trolls interrupted a North Carolina Black congregation’s online service with racial slurs and hate speech. They’re far from the first church to experience an internet hijiacking. Security experts say sharing Zoom meeting IDs publicly in hopes of attracting newcomers to church can allow such breaches.

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India is restoring religious sites in Kashmir, including Hindu temple fled during conflict

Kashmiris are welcoming the Indian government’s move to restore religious sites, including a Hindu temple, now in a Muslim neighborhood, vacated when Kashmiri Hindus fled the region’s armed rebellion in the 1990’s.

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'Catholic questions' ahead of the Biden-Trump presidential debate

(OPINION) The election season goes into hyperdrive with the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden that will take place Tuesday in Cleveland.

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How student sports ministries are adapting this fall

During Yom Kippur, on Sept. 27 this year, Rabbi Ellie Bachman and students part of his campus ministry prepared meals with holy food for students in self-quarantine who couldn’t leave their rooms. He’s one of many campus ministry leaders forced to adapt and think of ways to safely encourage students off of Zoom as student athletes wait to see how and when they can resume their games.

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India's long road to justice from police brutality

Indian police have long been known to abuse their power, but this summer, a particularly brutal case made headlines shortly after the American outcry for George Floyd’s death. In a court order allowing charges to be filed, a majority-Hindu court made a surprising reference to the Bible.

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