TOP STORIES

Winning the hearts and minds of Catholics in a church divided

(RNS) — There's a fierce battle going on for 'the Catholic vote,' with abortion as a key issue in winning this crucial swing vote. But let's not confuse this political shorthand for Catholic voters themselves.

By Thomas Reese

Catholics should vote for Biden, says former bishops’ conference official

(RNS) — Carr also reports that divisions among the bishops in 2019 kept them from updating their voter guide to reflect current issues and the teachings of Pope Francis.

Winning the hearts and minds of Catholics in a church divided

By Mark Silk

With Ginsburg's seat open, abortion moves to the center of the 2020 election

(RNS) — For both candidates, it's an issue that they'd prefer to not to deal with.

September 19, 2020

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Faiths

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday, was shaped by her minority faith

(RNS) — A phrase from the Book of Deuteronomy hangs framed on the wall of her Supreme Court chamber: ‘Justice, justice you shall pursue.’

Winning the hearts and minds of Catholics in a church divided

By Claire Giangravé

Black Jesus version of Michelangelo's Pietà divides Catholics on race and politics

(RNS) — The conservative Catholic news website Church Militant used the image, which it said ‘profanes the Pieta’ to criticize the head of the agency that posted it, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia.

Winning the hearts and minds of Catholics in a church divided

By Claire Giangravé

Black Jesus version of Michelangelo's Pietà divides Catholics on race and politics

(RNS) — The conservative Catholic news website Church Militant used the image, which it said ‘profanes the Pieta’ to criticize the head of the agency that posted it, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia.

Study: Liberal congregations more politically active than conservative ones

(RNS) — The willingness of left-leaning religious congregations to engage in political activity has spiked in the Trump era, new research shows.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday, was shaped by her minority faith

(RNS) — A phrase from the Book of Deuteronomy hangs framed on the wall of her Supreme Court chamber: ‘Justice, justice you shall pursue.’

The ‘chai’ charm that keeps this secretary of health grounded in the value of life

RALEIGH, N.C. (RNS) — Mandy Cohen, North Carolina’s secretary of health and human services, has threaded the needle of this politically charged moment by balancing her devotion to scientific data and her faith.

Trump campaign launches new Jewish outreach coalition

(RNS) — Nevada casino mogul and conservative donor Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, will co-chair the initiative.

600 faith leaders sign letter urging California governor to stop transfer of incarcerated people to ICE

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity said Gov. Gavin Newsom can stop the transfers of detainees from state prisons to immigration detention facilities by issuing an executive order.

September 2, 2020

By Brooke Schedneck

Buddhist monks have reversed roles in Thailand – now they are the ones donating goods to others

(RNS) — As a result of the pandemic, Buddhist monks in Thailand are increasingly providing material goods, such as hot meals and nonperishable items, for laypeople – thereby reversing roles within this moral economy.

August 7, 2020

By Joshua Eaton

Buddhist teacher Lama Surya Das admits sleeping with adult students in past, says it was wrong

(RNS) — Lama Surya Das said it was inappropriate for him to have sexual relationships with participants in his retreats. Five women have accused Das, the famed Buddhist leader, with past misconduct.

July 30, 2020

What's behind the 'Cuties' outrage?

(RNS) — The movie has provoked backlash since it landed last week on Netflix, the popular TV and movie streaming service. But what is the movie about, and why has it struck such a dissonant chord?

Muslim woman sues Los Angeles Police Department for forcibly removing her hijab

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The Los Angeles Police Department, according to the lawsuit, violated Nusaiba Mubarak’s First Amendment rights by forcibly removing her headscarf without her permission in public.

Activists to hold protest rally after reports of ICE officials forcing Muslim detainees to eat pork

(RNS) — Immigrant rights activists and religious groups will head to a Miami detention center Saturday to demand immigration officials respond to reports of Muslim detainees being forced to choose between eating pork or rotten halal meat.

Yoga’s 'father in the West' still defining our spirituality and celebrity 100 years later

(RNS) — Pioneering a vision of wellness in which spirituality and self-help converge, Yogananda created a new model for pop spirituality.

By Joseph D'Souza

Is it time to add ‘caste’ as a category in US anti-discrimination laws?

(RNS) — Kamala Harris’ rise in American politlcs makes this an opportune time to address growing caste discrimination in the United States.

More than 350 faith leaders to back Biden for president, including many first-time endorsers

(RNS) — ‘I think progressive Christianity is a sleeping giant,’ said the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber.

August 27, 2020

During West Coast wildfires, religious groups prepare meals, offer spiritual guidance

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — As numerous wildfires rage across the West Coast, religious groups and their volunteers are receiving donations, delivering meals and offering sanctuary to families who have either lost their homes or who have been forced to evacuate their neighborhoods.

More than 350 faith leaders to back Biden for president, including many first-time endorsers

(RNS) — ‘I think progressive Christianity is a sleeping giant,’ said the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber.

August 27, 2020

By Simran Jeet Singh

Writing the inspirational Sikh story my children — and everyone — need to see

(RNS) — If kids can learn to see the humanity of those who look different from them, they can learn to see the humanity in everyone they encounter — including their own.

August 25, 2020

By Aysha Khan

Rep. Rashida Tlaib joins Congressional Freethought Caucus

(RNS) — Rep. Rashida Tlaib, one of the first Muslim women in Congress, has joined the Congressional Freethought Caucus.

August 20, 2020

The K-pop election

(RNS) — On the eve of the 2020 elections, Gen Z-ers are on the verge of using their digital tools to counteract the political establishment.

June 30, 2020

How Americans’ ‘tell it like it is’ attitude renders us vulnerable to conspiracy theories

(RNS) — Americans, distrustful of institutions that would prescribe knowledge for us, have been especially prone to believe what they see online.

May 19, 2020

By Steven Waldman

Will Tammy Duckworth be the first deist veep since Thomas Jefferson?

(RNS) — If the Illinois senator becomes a national candidate it’s likely the Founding Father’s faith tradition will come to be as controversial as it was in the 19th century.

August 5, 2020

In emerging role, chaplains are providing spiritual care for activists in movements across the nation

(RNS) — Movement chaplains are providing spiritual and emotional care to activists before, during and after a protest or demonstration.

July 23, 2020

Don't be fooled by QAnon’s post-apocalyptic fury. It’s really spiritual hunger.

(RNS) — Followers of the online Q and white supremacism yearn for a world in which everything makes sense and where they at last have a role to play.

July 21, 2020

Study: Liberal congregations more politically active than conservative ones

(RNS) — The willingness of left-leaning religious congregations to engage in political activity has spiked in the Trump era, new research shows.

Damaged Kenosha church: 'We would rather lose 100 buildings than one more life to police violence'

(RNS) — That’s a commitment the pastor said comes from the congregation’s Unitarian Universalist beliefs.

August 28, 2020

More than 350 faith leaders to back Biden for president, including many first-time endorsers

(RNS) — ‘I think progressive Christianity is a sleeping giant,’ said the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber.

August 27, 2020

Columnists

TARA ISABELLA BURTON
RELIGION REMIXED

CHARLES C. CAMOSY
PURPLE CATHOLICISM

THOMAS REESE
SIGNS OF THE TIMES

JANA RIESS
FLUNKING SAINTHOOD

JEFFREY SALKIN
MARTINI JUDAISM

MARK SILK
SPIRITUAL POLITICS

SIMRAN JEET SINGH
Articles of Faith

World

By Michele Chabin

Second coronavirus lockdown in Israel frustrates many religious Jews’ plans for High Holidays

JERUSALEM (RNS) — The three-week shutdown is timed not only to take advantage of the slow pace of the High Holiday period, but is also an acknowledgment that crowded religious institutions were a coronavirus breeding ground this past winter.

By Claire Giangravé

Global missionary efforts have taken a hit in the time of coronavirus

VATICAN CTY (RNS) — The COVID-19 pandemic saw a ‘large reduction’ in the realm of missionary work, aggravating an ongoing decline in the number of vocations and priests seeking to become missionaries.

September 9, 2020

U.S.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday, was shaped by her minority faith

(RNS) — A phrase from the Book of Deuteronomy hangs framed on the wall of her Supreme Court chamber: ‘Justice, justice you shall pursue.’

Study: Liberal congregations more politically active than conservative ones

(RNS) — The willingness of left-leaning religious congregations to engage in political activity has spiked in the Trump era, new research shows.

Beliefs is a news podcast covering religion, faith, and ethics; developed in partnership with Religion News Service (RNS) and Fordham University.

podcasts

BELIEFS

RE-Sight Islam

Re-Sight Islam aims to illuminate and introduce to a largely Western audience the Islamic faith and its traditions from the Islamic perspective.

POLITICS

Study: Liberal congregations more politically active than conservative ones

(RNS) — The willingness of left-leaning religious congregations to engage in political activity has spiked in the Trump era, new research shows.

By Jana Riess

Donald Trump’s twisted interpretation of ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ is killing Americans

Norman Vincent Peale's classic hasn’t aged particularly well, but it deserves to be remembered more fondly than Trump’s denial of reality ensures it will be.

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

The ‘chai’ charm that keeps this secretary of health grounded in the value of life

By Samuel L. Perry

Why porn’s negative personal consequences are often really about religion

(RNS) — Evangelicals' feeling about porn may well be influencing public policy as mostly red states have increasingly sought to declare pornography a ‘public health crisis.'

September 4, 2020

POLITICS

Study: Liberal congregations more politically active than conservative ones

(RNS) — The willingness of left-leaning religious congregations to engage in political activity has spiked in the Trump era, new research shows.

By Jana Riess

Donald Trump’s twisted interpretation of ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ is killing Americans

Norman Vincent Peale's classic hasn’t aged particularly well, but it deserves to be remembered more fondly than Trump’s denial of reality ensures it will be.

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

The ‘chai’ charm that keeps this secretary of health grounded in the value of life

By Samuel L. Perry

Why porn’s negative personal consequences are often really about religion

(RNS) — Evangelicals' feeling about porn may well be influencing public policy as mostly red states have increasingly sought to declare pornography a ‘public health crisis.'

September 4, 2020

Science

By Adrian Bardon

Faith and politics mix to drive evangelical Christians' climate change denial

(The Conversation) — Does religion predispose people against climate science? Studies link a belief in miracles and an afterlife with lower estimates of the risks posed by climate change.

John MacArthur claimed there is 'no pandemic.' He was politicizing science, experts say

(RNS) — The church appears to be wading into a highly politicized campaign to minimize or outright deny the existence of the coronavirus.

September 1, 2020

Art

What's behind the 'Cuties' outrage?

(RNS) — The movie has provoked backlash since it landed last week on Netflix, the popular TV and movie streaming service. But what is the movie about, and why has it struck such a dissonant chord?

By Julia Duin

Christian musician Sean Feucht held defiant Seattle worship protest after concert was banned

SEATTLE (RNS) — After city officials shut down a Seattle park concert, Christian musician Sean Feucht held an outdoor ‘worship protest.’

September 8, 2020

Press Releases

Report for America helps newsrooms cover beats like religion

The collapse of local news has also led to a collapse of local reporting about religion. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, nearly 75% of Americans say ...

New survey reveals turnaround in church giving

‘State of the Plate’ research offers encouragement as National Association of Evangelicals launches second annual Bless Your Pastor Campaign WASHINGTON — A new survey of churches across America reveals a ...

SCIENCE

By Adrian Bardon

Faith and politics mix to drive evangelical Christians' climate change denial

(The Conversation) — Does religion predispose people against climate science? Studies link a belief in miracles and an afterlife with lower estimates of the risks posed by climate change.

John MacArthur claimed there is 'no pandemic.' He was politicizing science, experts say

(RNS) — The church appears to be wading into a highly politicized campaign to minimize or outright deny the existence of the coronavirus.

September 1, 2020

ARTS

What's behind the 'Cuties' outrage?

(RNS) — The movie has provoked backlash since it landed last week on Netflix, the popular TV and movie streaming service. But what is the movie about, and why has it struck such a dissonant chord?

By Julia Duin

Christian musician Sean Feucht held defiant Seattle worship protest after concert was banned

SEATTLE (RNS) — After city officials shut down a Seattle park concert, Christian musician Sean Feucht held an outdoor ‘worship protest.’

September 8, 2020

Press ReleaseS

Report for America helps newsrooms cover beats like religion

The collapse of local news has also led to a collapse of local reporting about religion. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, nearly 75% of Americans say ...

New survey reveals turnaround in church giving