Protestant Pro-Abortion Rights Groups Absent From Supreme Court Abortion Case

(OPINION) Pro-abortion rights activists — including the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the Unitarian Universalist Association and major non-Orthodox Jewish organizations — have filed their briefs for the Supreme Court hearing on Mississippi’s abortion law. But Protestant denominations are notably missing.

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Ciao, Alitalia: How Will The Pope Fly After His Favorite Airline Goes Bust?

(ANALYSIS) Italy’s national airline — known for its near-impeccable safety record and sometimes-appalling customer service — will officially shut down on Oct. 15. The announcement, made this past summer, marks the end of an era for an airline founded in 1946 that became the pontiff’s official airline.

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From New York To Pakistan, Brothers Fight Blasphemy Accusation

In Pakistan, religious minorities, including Christians and Ahmadi Muslims, live under constant threat of blasphemy allegations. The laws prohibit making derogatory remarks against Islam, desecrating the Quran and insulting the Prophet Muhammad, which can be subjectively interpreted in courtrooms and impose fines, jail time and even death.

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Most Popular Christian Facebook Pages Were Fake, Designed To Deceive

All but one of the top 20 Christian Facebook pages operating in Oct. 2019 were fakes, according to an internal Facebook report entitled “How Communities Are Exploited on Our Platforms” that was publicly released by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in September.

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Philip Yancey’s New Memoir Critiques Fundamentalist Upbringing

In an interview with Religion Unplugged, bestselling Christian author Philip Yancey discusses his new memoir, “Where the Light Fell,” about a painful upbringing in poverty and fundamentalism with his brother and single mother that birthed a passionate curiosity and a writing career of many celebrated Christian books over the last 40 years.

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The Future Of American Religion: Birth Rates Show Who's Having More Kids

(ANALYSIS) The data is in: Christianity is aging, younger generations are having fewer children, and without a great influx of new members, thousands of churches will close over the next few decades. But smaller religious groups in the U.S. — like Hindus and Muslims — have younger members who are having more kids.

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Priest Hopes To Rebuild Crusader-era Church Of John The Baptist In Palestine

(ANALYSIS) After completing the decades-long construction of the Jacob’s Well Greek Orthodox Church in the Palestinian city Nablus in 2018, Archimandrite Ioustinos, 81, has an equally lofty ambition to fulfill before he retires.

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Social Media Helps Kashmiri Youth Share And Fund Music To Fight Depression, Isolation

Young Kashmiris are creating and performing new music as therapy to counter the sense of hopelessness, isolation and depression that has gripped their majority-Muslim Himalayan region of North India, which has endured years of conflict, military presence, frequent lockdowns and unpredictable internet bans under a Hindu-first government.

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Children In California Can Now Make Life-altering Decisions Without Parents’ Knowledge

(OPINION) A new bill Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced in California would allow children access, without parental consent or knowledge, to sex-change operations, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and abortions through their family’s insurance plan.

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SBC Executive Committee's Handling Of Sex Abuse Probe Draws Criticism, Outrage

This week’s Weekend Plug-in summary highlights the controversy over the Southern Baptist Convention executive committee’s handling of a sexual abuse investigation. Plus, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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TrustBridge Helps Americans Donate Directly To Ministries Around The World

TrustBridge — an organization founded by atheist-turned-Christian Robert Collins — tries to make it easier for Americans to give directly to foreign ministries. Its approach cuts out the usual intermediary charities, which sometimes take a significant portion off the top for their expenses, while still allowing donors to get a tax deduction.

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How Christianity Fueled Manny Pacquiao's Rise From Poverty To Presidential Candidate

Pacquiao, 42, announced his retirement from boxing on Sept. 28, weeks after announcing he will run for president in the Philippines election scheduled for May 2022. He has often spoken of his born-again evangelical faith in a country that’s nearly 90% Catholic.

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A Photo Exhibit By New York Catholics Honors Heroes Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

(ANALYSIS) The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture’s new series called “Portraits of Grace: Honoring Heroes of the COVID-19 Pandemic” offers a space for New Yorkers and Christians to reflect on the pandemic with an eye toward the hopeful.

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Ultra-Orthodox Jews Proclaim ‘Trump 2024’ In The Midst Of A Religious Celebration

(OPINION) Celebrating the culmination of Sukkot, thousands of ultra-Orthodox, Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn held hands and danced in the streets this week with yellow flags proclaiming “the Rebbe” as the Messiah and blue flags proclaiming “Trump 2024.”

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International Criminal Court To Investigate The Taliban And ISIS Branch In Afghanistan

(ANALYSIS) As the Taliban and the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate are taking over the country, the International Criminal Court says it will investigate crimes as they happen for better monitoring and evidence collection. The move may also trigger quicker action and response from international actors after atrocities happen.

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Patron Saint Of The Internet? Millennial’s Relic Touring New York Is One Miracle Short

The relic belongs to the first millennial considered for sainthood and was requested by the Diocese of Brooklyn to help reach the younger generation. The Catholic Church placed Carlo Acutis, a computer genius, on the path to sainthood after he coded a website that cataloged miracles and sightings of the Virgin Mary.

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Brian Laundrie’s Social Media Shows Interest In Death, Violence And Demons

The social media accounts of Brian Laundrie, the subject of a federal arrest warrant after the remains of his fiance Gabby Petito were found in Wyoming Sept. 19, reveal an interest in dark themes related to violence, demons and death. One image, for example, shows grim reapers surrounding sheep being led to slaughter.

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