(OPINION) The “common-good capitalism” model is based on Catholic social teaching, a pre-Enlightenment work ethic that President Joe Biden subscribes to. Why don’t we use that?
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(REVIEW) One sure sign that the pandemic is fading may be the steady stream of books about it that have started to trickle out. It’s true that COVID-19 affected the planet like nothing else in our lifetimes. In fact, the fallout from what has transpired over the last 15 months could be felt for years, if not decades, to come.
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(OPINION) With the Supreme Court’s agreement to review the new, strict abortion law developed in Mississippi, it is crucial for religion reporters to understand which religious groups are advocating for and against it. The media will and should press American religious bodies to restate what they believe.
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Millions of cicadas, of a type called ‘Brood X’, are emerging from underground this summer from New Jersey to Indiana and Pennsylvania to Virginia. They’re known for casting off their shells and the humming music they create by rubbing their wings. But they also have a long history as symbols of death and rebirth in faith traditions from indigenous practices to Christianity that feels especially relevant as American life emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Both TV series about ultra-Orthodox Jewish life show the very human side of life in ultra-Orthodox communities and the Middle East apart from the incredibly tense political times experienced there. They unite audiences and make a closed-off society relatable. The reason: the common humanity and terrific allure of the personalities brought to life on the film stage.
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(OPINION) A Texas court ruling is sparking debates about an obscure First Amendment doctrine that exempts religious institutions from certain civil lawsuits to protect them from government interference in their internal matters. The ruling’s interpretation raises concerns about how lay people can hold these institutions accountable when abuses happen.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in summary explores why the Southern Baptist Convention is preparing for its biggest annual meeting in a quarter-century. Plus, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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Those who can afford cremation scatter their loved one’s ashes into the water, while the poor often wrap bodies in muslin and release them floating on planks. But during the months-long surge of deaths, cremation expenses soared along with unemployment, and many more of India’s poor are burying bodies in the sand despite the Hindu custom to cremate.
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(OPINION) Pope Francis — paying a visit on May 24 to the Dicastery of Communications — used the occasion to call the Vatican’s in-house media to stay relevant during a challenging media landscape.
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(OPINION) A viral video of His Holiness Abuna Mathias, a Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), describing barbaric killings of civilians in Tigray has prompted heightened concern in the international community about human rights abuses, while many Ethiopians remain cautious and skeptical about whether disinformation campaigns driven by anti-government activists, geopolitical forces, “Ethiopia analysts” and media outlets are influencing Western communities and governments.
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The popular Indian yoga guru and Hindu nationalist Baba Ramdev spread misinformation about vaccines and modern medicine. After India’s national medical association condemned him, Ramdev’s billion-dollar brand Patanjali claimed the doctors are behind a Christian plot to malign yoga and Hindus.
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(OPINION) The media has neglected to portray the cultural and demographic challenges facing Judaism, the nation's second-largest religion behind Christianity. Jewish news coverage in the mainstream press tends to focus on Democratic Party politics, trends in anti-Semitism and attitudes toward Israel and the unending Mideast mess. A new Pew Research Study demonstrates much more.
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(REVIEW) America’s White underclass suffers from many of the same social problems as its Black urban counterparts. National Review journalist Kevin Williamson documents what he calls the Big White Ghetto, where he grew up, to illustrate how both Republicans and Democrats are promoting a narrative of White victimization rather than an ethic of personal responsibility.
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(OPINION) n April 28, 2021, the European Parliament adopted a joint motion for a resolution on the blasphemy laws in Pakistan calling for more comprehensive approaches to address the abuses of blasphemy laws in Pakistan in response to a Christian Pakistani couple convicted of blasphemy in 2013. Blasphemy laws have always been problematic since they rely on the notion of causing offense, which is subjective and vague and usually directed towards religious minorities.
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CDC guidelines and relaxed regulations have allowed many houses of worship in the U.S. to return to in-person worship. But these churches will maintain a virtual presence even after the pandemic is over, from a hybrid church to a developer creating virtual reality church buildings.
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Rebuked for linking COVID-19 measures to Jewish suffering at the Nazis’ hands, the controversial Georgia congresswoman was on the offensive the night of May 27. Other Republicans in the House, like minority leader Kevin McCarthy, publicly debunked her comparisons between mask mandates and proof of vaccination to the Holocaust.
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On May 31-June 1, 1921, White mob violence destroyed Tulsa’s Greenwood District — an affluent African American community known as “Black Wall Street” — and claimed as many as 300 lives. For five years, the Broken Arrow Church of Christ, about 15 miles southeast of Tulsa, and the North Sheridan Church of Christ in Tulsa, have engaged their congregations in racial reconciliation work.
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Samia Omar Bwana, 36, had always dreamed of traveling the world, but as a Muslim woman she was looking for extra accommodations on holiday: halal food, hotels with women-only swimming pools and spas, and prayer facilities nearby. Traveling solo and with her female Muslims friends was difficult, so she started her own company, Halal Safaris Africa, to help religious women find travel arrangements that will uphold their ideals of modesty and sobriety.
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Monday marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the role of religion at the centennial. Plus, catch up on all the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
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(ANALYSIS) Recent polls comparing the news habits of Americans with their faith revealed interesting results, including that White evangelicals regularly watch Fox News, and Muslims and Hindus prefer CNN.
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