St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church is celebrating its 200-year anniversary as the first Black church in Alabama, a state that both played a big part in the Civil Rights movement and also continues to stir controversy around claims of voter suppression. The St. Barley’s congregation is weighing in on the presidential election by volunteering to drive members in need to the polls and encouraging them to vote.
Read More(OPINION) The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) is a new regional government that has become known as a defender of religious freedom and equality. The area is under particular threat, particularly neighboring Turkey.
Read MoreJB isn’t alone. Americans from the ideological left, right and middle – and every stop in between – are increasingly trying and buying guns. Their fear is multi-fold: a Coronavirus pandemic, an uptick in unemployment and violent crimes in major cities, public unrest related to racial injustice, ideology-driven street battles between ideological foes and a presidential election that already has tones of conspiracy theories, recounts and allegations of fraud. What’s the evidence that this trend is true, beyond JB’s interest?
Read More(OPINION) The Chilean government has told citizens not to visit cemeteries on All Saints Day, when Christians visit deceased friends and family. They have not advocated for similar measures for voting and other recent political celebrations.
Read MoreSeveral leaders of Muslim countries have condemned France and President Emmanuel Macron for their response following the murder of a school teacher who showed caricatures of Prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of speech. Muslims in Southeast Asia have called Macron’s statements Islamophobic.
Read MoreRecent days have seen a wide range of religious liberty issues brought to the forefront of American discussions. From college campuses to metropolitan archdioceses to one of the biggest social media platforms on earth, the role and appropriateness of religion and religious practice is being challenged daily.
Read MoreSeven months after deadly anti-Muslim riots in New Delhi, calm has been restored, and local Muslims have returned for prayers in the restored mosques. But those complicit in the 53 deaths, of which two-thirds were Muslims, remain at large.
Read More(OPINION) Middle Eastern Islamic scholars are behind mass atrocities committed by Muslims against other Muslims in Northern Nigeria, according to a Nigerian former university imam analyzing the conflict in a forthcoming report.
Read More(OPINION) As a child in an exclusive Catholic Convent run by Irish missionaries, Jennifer was always told that the bedrock of the Catholic faith had to be compassion towards others. It's what guided her through some spontaneous decisions as a broadcast journalist in India.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights seven questions that smart religion journalists will be asking on Election Night. Also, catch up on the week’s top reads and headlines in the world of religion news.
Read MoreA new study conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion reveals several key trends within megachurches: primarily that they’re becoming more racially and ethnically diverse.
Read More(OPINION) We have resources in American political thought to help us through this tumultuous period. Anyone troubled by the prospect of violence this Election Day should reflect on the strategy behind the great victories of the Civil Rights Movement.
Read MoreJust days before Election Day, a new poll finds that four in 10 Americans factor in personal religious beliefs into their voting decisions.
Read More(OPINION) The pope — as head of the church — had in three sentences changed Catholicism forever. Not so fast, said numerous on-the-record voices in the world of Catholicism.
Read More(OPINION) The Oct. 16, 2020 terrorist beheading of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty has galvanized France and led to increased international tensions. French President Macron has portrayed the conflict not as a lone terrorist attack but as a war between Islamists and France that is a conflict of ideologies.
Read MoreFather Joseph Pereira, a Catholic priest in Mumbai, is healing substance abuse addicts through yoga and meditation, which can be a controversial practice for Christians in India.
Read MoreHalloween came to America in the early 19th Century, but gained popularity when the Irish immigrated to America during the Potato Famine. They brought along their Halloween traditions of dressing up and trick-or-treating. Today, the holiday has evolved quite a bit.
Read More(OPINION) Many Christians are rightfully concerned that religious groups committed to a traditional, biblical ethic of marriage will be increasingly marginalized and restricted. In response to these anxieties, many conservative religious people turn to a perceived strongman who will keep their institutions safe. Here’s why they shouldn’t.
Read MoreWhile the media tends to write Kanye West off for his oftentimes unconventional thoughts, Joe Rogan in his usual style let him expand on and explain his thoughts in a three-hour interview. West’s new zeal for God was on full display.
Read MoreCrimes against Dalits, a community marginalized for centuries in the complex Hindu social hierarchy, have increased by more than 7% in the last year, according to new government data. Experts and activists blame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “politics of hatred” and say a law from the ‘80’s meant to deter the crimes has pervasively failed.
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