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Need to know: Friday, May 19, 2017
Trump trip to Middle East, Vatican offers religious opportunities and pitfalls
Whether the president’s time abroad will appease faith groups upset by his proposed Muslim travel ban and his waffling over the possibility of moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem — among other thorny issues — remains to be seen.
Why evangelicals love Donald Trump
It is a mistake to seek purely secular explanations for Mr. Trump’s bond with religious conservatives.
Is the Old Testament dying?
A scholar argues that many contemporary Christians have lost biblical fluency and can no longer speak the language of more than half their sacred Scripture.
Since ban, persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses is ‘worse than ever’
Russia has labeled the pacifist Jehovah’s Witnesses “extremist,” the same designation as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
A creationist sues the Grand Canyon for religious discrimination
Andrew Snelling believes that the Grand Canyon formed after Noah’s flood and that the U.S. government is blocking his research in the canyon because of his religious views.
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Latest news from RNS
Australia police weigh abuse charges after investigating top Catholic
SYDNEY (Reuters) Cardinal George Pell, who before his Vatican appointment was archbishop of Sydney, has rejected any involvement in alleged child abuse in Australia.
Dancing for fertility in the northern Philippines
OBANDO, Philippines (Reuters) There was dancing in the streets of Obando town in the northern Philippines on Wednesday (May 17) as people feted patron saints they believe bring spouses, fertility and good harvests.
Evangelicals hail Trump’s request for release of US pastor in Turkey
“Not only were we able to make the President and Vice President aware that this was a priority of ours, we were pleased that they shared our concern and acted upon it,” said Johnnie Moore, an advocate for persecuted Christians.
More views from RNS
‘Faithkeepers’ film is a not-so-subtle attack on Islam
(RNS) The film mixes real stories of Christians and others who have suffered at the hands of ISIS with the insidious insinuation that such persecution is at the heart of the Muslim faith, writes James Zogby.
What witch-finders can teach us about today’s world
(The Conversation) A focus on fear and evil forces could actually contribute to a leader’s charisma. He or she becomes the one person who knows the extent of a threat and also how to address it.
When a synagogue burns
More than a synagogue burned on the Lower East Side this week. A legacy of compassion and hope went up in smoke as well.
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Bonus tracks
- SATIRE: Donald Trump’s speech on Islam — LEAKED!
- What Bill Nye and the science movement can learn from religion
- A conservative Christian college protest of Mike Pence
- Trump’s biggest conservative opponents all love the same theologian
- Val Kilmer on battling cancer: ‘Many people have been healed by prayer’
- Cyber Attacks and the Just War Theory
