NEWS STORY
RNS-Falwell-Farm: Falwell invites Liberty students to ‘;real’ graduation at his farm despite lawsuit
(RNS) — Former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., who left the school last year in the wake of multiple scandals, made an appearance at a gathering that included students over the weekend where he invited attendees to the “real Liberty graduation” at his own house next month. By Emily McFarlan Miller and Jack Jenkins. 929 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Temporary-Shelters: Faith leaders concerned about Southern California temporary shelters for migrant children
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Faith leaders say they are concerned about new temporary shelters that have been set up at Southern California event centers to house unaccompanied migrant children. By Alejandra Molina. 650 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Meron-Stampede: Stampede in Israel claims dozens of lives, injures hundreds of Jewish pilgrims
JERUSALEM (RNS) — At least 45 Jewish pilgrims were crushed to death and hundreds more were injured late Thursday (April 29) during an annual celebration of a Jewish holiday in the Galilee. The tragedy occurred at Mount Meron, where more than 100,000 Orthodox men, women and children gathered to celebrate Lag b’Omer, a holiday that recalls the end of an ancient plague. By Michele Chabin. 742 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Nigeria-Atheist: Global pressure mounts for Nigerian atheist’s release after year in detention
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Calls for the release of Mubarak Bala, a Nigerian atheist and humanist leader jailed for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad on Facebook, have mounted as the anniversary of his arrest passed on Wednesday (April 28). Humanist groups say his detention is a violation of Bala’s right to freedom of belief and expression. By Fredrick Nzwili. 660 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Duggar-Arrest: Former reality star, Josh Duggar, arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, pleads not guilty
(RNS) — Joshua Duggar, the eldest child in a conservative Christian mega-family made famous by TLC’s former reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” has been charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty. Thursday’s arrest is the latest in a number of sexual scandals for Duggar. By Roxanne Stone. 596 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Humanitarian-Day: Humanitarian Day reborn, Umar Hakim celebrates Ramadan his way
(RNS) — An integral part of the holy month of Ramadan worldwide is zakat, or charity, most often interpreted as feeding the needy. For the African American Muslim community, which makes up 20% of the U.S. Muslim population, lifting up their own economically disadvantaged is deeply rooted in their own history. Many Black Muslims’ connection to the faith, even those who practice mainstream Islam today, is rooted in the Nation of Islam. The movement, founded in the 1930s, held out to Black Americans the promise of fixing their own communities though economic independence. By Rhonda Roumani. 1,378 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Cardinal-Trials: Pope Francis decrees cardinals and bishops can be tried by lay judges
(RNS) – Cardinals and bishops can now undergo trial in the Vatican tribunal and be judged by lay magistrates after Pope Francis issued a new decree on Friday promoting “the equality of all members of the Church and their equal dignity and position.” By Claire Giangravè. 500 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Meditation-Schools: Mindfulness meditation is now a staple in public schools, and thanks to Zoom, widely accessible
(RNS) — Mindfulness meditation for teachers and their students has become a hot trend in American education. Some outfits, such as the Rio Grande Mindfulness Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, have retooled their offerings for a wider online world. The institute, an offshoot of Sante Fe’s Mountain Cloud Zen Center, has been offering Zoom-based mindfulness instruction for the state’s public school teachers. Recently it started an online lunch-hour guided meditations for public school teachers, social service providers, lawyers, caregivers and others. By Yonat Shimron. 1,100 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Salkin-Oped: A day of national tragedy in Israel
(RNS) — The tragic stampede in northern Israel took place at the grave of a mythical master whose story explains in some part Haredi Jewish community’s attitude toward the world and the social problems that it faces in modern Israel and beyond. By Jeffrey Salkin. 1,000 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: Finally! Single Mormons have new opportunities, greater respect
(RNS) — More than half the adults in the Church of the Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ are not married. That’s been true for the global church for almost 30 years and became true in the United States and Canada as of 2019. Now, the church is rolling out policy changes and new opportunities for single members, especially men. By Jana Riess. 930 words. (category: k)