Social Issues
Lawyers for religious leaders challenging Missouri abortion ban say law imposes beliefs on everyone
By Jim Salter — November 16, 2023
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The lawsuit was filed in January on behalf of 13 Christian, Jewish and Unitarian Universalist leaders who support abortion rights.
As Ohio and other states decide on abortion, anti-abortion activists look to rebrand themselves as not religious
By Anne Whitesell — November 7, 2023
(The Conversation) — An analysis of anti-abortion rights groups in the US shows that while some specifically turn to Christianity to explain their positions, others are looking at broader, human rights arguments.
Abortion vote in Ohio pushes ‘pro-life pro-choice’ Black clergy to take a side
By Kathryn Post — November 6, 2023
(RNS) — For some clergy, the fall of Roe v. Wade has motivated them to speak out on abortion for the first time.
Talking back to Scripture: New book confronts sexual exploitation in the Bible
By Kathryn Post — October 26, 2023
(RNS) — In 'The Hero and the Whore,' Camille Hernandez throws out tired, cliché and white-centric takes on Scripture.
As caste bill meets defeat, Hindu Americans on both sides make their voices heard
By Richa Karmarkar — October 11, 2023
(RNS) — In the last two decades, Hindu Americans have mobilized through a number of new advocacy organizations to vote and run for office on issues of particular interest to the faith community.
Survey: US religious groups do not view climate change as a crisis
By Yonat Shimron — October 4, 2023
(RNS) — Among white evangelicals, the view that the Earth is in crisis actually dropped — from 13% in 2014 to 8% today.
Federal agency sues Chipotle after a Kansas manager allegedly ripped off an employee’s hijab
By Claire Rush — October 2, 2023
(AP) — The manager's “offensive and incessant requests” that she remove her hijab, and his attempt to physically take it off, were “unwelcome, intentional, severe, based on religion, and created a hostile working environment based on religion," the complaint alleged.
Seattle Pacific University targets LGBTQ displays with new policy, say critics
By Kathryn Post — September 29, 2023
(RNS) — The new display policy permits freedom of expression within faculty and staff offices.
French schools’ ban on abayas and headscarves is supposedly about secularism − but it sends a powerful message about who ‘belongs’ in French culture
By Carol Ferrara — September 29, 2023
(The Conversation) — Catholicism, ‘Frenchness’ and secularism are often conflated in French culture, a scholar writes, while non-Christian traditions are viewed with suspicion.
What is an abaya − and why does it cause such controversy in France? A scholar of European studies explains
By Armin Langer — September 27, 2023
(The Conversation) — In some conservative countries, the abaya is part of expected dress. But in countries where Muslims are in the minority, the abaya can be a way for women to connect with their religious identity.
Survey: Mainline clergy are more liberal than their congregants
By Yonat Shimron — September 14, 2023
(RNS) — Mainline clergy are more supportive than their congregants of LGBTQ rights, more likely to have opposed the overturn of Roe v. Wade and less likely to believe America is in danger of losing its culture and identity.
Three dozen NC churches have agreed to leave the UMC under approved plan
By Yonat Shimron — September 8, 2023
(RNS) — After a judge dismissed their lawsuit, the 36 churches in the Western North Carolina Conference agreed to leave under the denomination's exit plan. They will formally exit in November.
Sixty years later, King’s dream still calls
By Bridget Moix — August 31, 2023
(RNS) — Six decades after King proclaimed his dream that we would all be ‘free at last’ from racism and violence, Black lives are still threatened every day by race-based killings.
Young Hindu professionals get a crash course in keeping the faith
By Richa Karmarkar — August 30, 2023
(RNS) — In the heart of Flushing, Queens, a group of young Hindus came together on a recent weekend to discuss the modern implications of ancient sacred texts.
An online assembly attempts to correct March on Washington gender gap
By Yonat Shimron — August 24, 2023
(RNS) — None of the speeches at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom were delivered by women. The “She Speaks” online assembly is intended to lift up the voices of women fighting for racial justice.
