Kimberly Winston
Kimberly Winston is a freelance religion reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
All Stories by Kimberly Winston
The ‘Splainer: Yom Kippur, Eid, St. Francis and the poor goats
By Kimberly Winston — October 2, 2014
(RNS) You've heard of the scapegoat, right? Here's how it fits into the overlap of Yom Kippur, Eid al-Adha and St. Francis of Assisi.
The ‘Splainer: What the fatwa?
By Kimberly Winston — September 26, 2014
(RNS) If fatwas can be issued on anything and everything by pretty much any Muslim scholar, why do people pay attention?
Atheist coalition wants you to know they are ‘Openly Secular’
By Kimberly Winston — September 24, 2014
DECATUR, Ga. (RNS) A coalition of nearly 30 atheists, humanists and other nonreligious groups is taking a page from the gay rights movement to encourage people to admit they are “openly secular.”
The ‘Splainer: The Jewish High Holy Days
By Kimberly Winston — September 24, 2014
(RNS) Everything you need to know for the Jewish High Holy Days, from shofar to tashlich to Kol Nidre.
Mormons embrace social media to push back against official church teachings
By Kimberly Winston — September 15, 2014
BERKELEY, Calif. (RNS) “We are starting to see a significant disconnect between what the church is telling people to believe about same-sex marriage and homosexuality and what people actually believe and accept,” said LGBT activist John Gustav-Wrathall. “I think the Internet has a lot to do with that."
Ayaan Hirsi Ali draws criticism from fellow atheists at Yale
By Kimberly Winston — September 15, 2014
(RNS) A campus appearance by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the outspoken Muslim-turned-atheist activist, is being challenged again, this time at Yale University. But this time her fellow ex-Muslims and atheists are among her critics.
Sam Harris wants atheists – and everyone else – to get spirituality
By Kimberly Winston — September 10, 2014
(RNS) In his new book, "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion," super-atheist Sam Harris describes how spirituality can and must be divorced from religion if the human mind is to reach its full potential.
Atheists want you to sit down for the Pledge of Allegiance
By Kimberly Winston — September 9, 2014
(RNS) A new campaign from the American Humanist Association wants people to sit down and shut up when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited.
Christian group sanctioned at two dozen college campuses
By Kimberly Winston — September 8, 2014
(RNS) InterVarsity has been challenged on more than 40 college campuses, but California State University, with 23 campuses, is the biggest -- so far.
Airman denied re-entry to Air Force for refusing to say ‘so help me God’
By Kimberly Winston — September 5, 2014
(RNS) He's willing to sign a secular version of the Air Force oath but there's no such legal option.
Victor Stenger, atheism’s ‘fifth horseman,’ is dead
By Kimberly Winston — September 3, 2014
(RNS) Victor Stenger, the scientist and atheist who famously said "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings," has died.
Greece, N.Y., policy may prohibit atheists from public invocations
By Kimberly Winston — August 22, 2014
(RNS) Greece, N.Y., the city at the heart of last May's Supreme Court ruling on sectarian prayer at public meetings, issued new rules for giving invocations that may exclude atheists.
God at Nuremberg: How an American pastor came to comfort Nazis
By Kimberly Winston — August 22, 2014
(RNS) How did a quiet American pastor come to be the spiritual care-giver of Nazi war criminals? A new book, "Mission at Nuremberg," dusts off an overlooked corner of World War II history.
Atheists may not pray, Brevard (Fla.) county commissioners say
By Kimberly Winston — August 21, 2014
(RNS) Brevard County commissioners voted to ban atheists from opening public meetings, a direct challenge to a Supreme Court ruling.
Holy Hookups * Bucket Backlash * Foley’s prayers: Wednesday’s Roundup
By Kimberly Winston — August 20, 2014
From the troubled streets of Ferguson to atrocities in Iraq, it's hard to find something to smile about -- but we do, thanks to The Simpsons.