Faith
Azerbaijan named among religious freedom violators by religious liberty watchdog
By Adelle M. Banks — May 1, 2024
(RNS) — The commissioners recommended the State Department also retain the dozen countries that are currently designated as ‘countries of particular concern.’
United Methodists condemning Christian nationalism should address their complicity
By Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood — May 1, 2024
How a beloved worship song became the theme song of Christian nationalism
By Bob Smietana — May 1, 2024
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United Methodists strike down ban on ordination of gay clergy
By Yonat Shimron — May 1, 2024
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (RNS) — With a simple vote call and without debate, delegates to the General Conference removed the ban on the ordination of ‘self-avowed practicing homosexuals’ — a prohibition that dates to 1984.
The biblical character who goes ‘down the rabbit hole’ into an alternate reality
By Ryan M. Armstrong — May 1, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Book of Job and ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ both make fun of preachy know-it-alls and resist conventions of their genres.
For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond
By James L. Fitzsimmons — May 1, 2024
(The Conversation) — Broken mirrors can be associated with bad luck, but for the ancient Maya, a cracked mirror was often desirable.
‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways
By Tim Sullivan — May 1, 2024
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Generations of Catholics who embraced the modernizing tide sparked in the 1960s by Vatican II are increasingly giving way to religious conservatives who believe the church has been twisted by change,
75 Christian leaders urge president, Congress, churches to act on racism, poverty
By Adelle M. Banks — May 1, 2024
(RNS) — ‘Issues related to racism are now being fiercely debated across the country, and many people of color are fearful that racism is getting worse,’ reads their statement.
What we have to learn from students leading the charge for justice
By Serene Jones — April 30, 2024
(RNS) — We need to be the kind of faith and public leaders we want our students to become.
South Asian groups work to break cultural, religious stigmas around domestic violence
By Richa Karmarkar — April 30, 2024
(RNS) — In Sexual Assault Awareness Month, advocates hope to reshape the conversation around intimate partner violence within the diaspora.
Understanding America’s overlooked religious middle
By Robert P. Jones — April 30, 2024
(RNS) — The overlooked religious middle is poised to play an outsized role in the 2024 presidential contest.
Arizona pro-Palestinian protesters sue, argue authorities violated their religious freedom
By Jack Jenkins — April 30, 2024
(RNS) — ‘We were doing nothing but standing on that piece of property, singing, chanting, praying in the road when we were dragged off,’ said the Rev. Seth Wispelwey.
Abducted retired Catholic bishop who mediated between cartels in Mexico is located, hospitalized
By Mark Stevenson — April 30, 2024
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The church leadership in Mexico said in a statement earlier that Msgr. Salvador Rangel, a bishop emeritus, disappeared on Saturday and called on his captors to release him.
A gunman kills 6 worshippers inside a Shiite mosque in western Afghanistan, the Taliban say
By Associated Press — April 30, 2024
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Local media reports and a former president of Afghanistan said the mosque was targeted because it was a place of worship for the country’s Shiite Muslim minority.
United Methodist conference begins to drop contentious rules restricting LGBTQ clergy
By Yonat Shimron — April 30, 2024
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (RNS) — Among the rules overturned were a ban on bishops ordaining LGBTQ candidates for ministry, a ban on funding for LGBTQ affinity groups as well as a series of mandatory penalties for clergy who officiate same-sex weddings.
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