News
Hindu American Foundation files defamation suit against Hindu rights nonprofit
By Mythili Sampathkumar — May 20, 2021
(RNS) — By taking legal action, HAF has essentially taken issue with being associated with Hindutva, a term used to describe Hindu nationalists and those who conflate being Indian with being Hindu.
Los Angeles police investigating brawl as antisemitic hate crime
By Alejandra Molina — May 20, 2021
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — After Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a hate crime investigation of an attack against Jewish diners, another video surfaced of a separate incident involving an Orthodox Jewish man being chased by two cars with people waving a Palestinian flag.
Kenyan Rastafarians seek to legalize marijuana over doubts of other faith leaders
By Fredrick Nzwili — May 20, 2021
(RNS) — ‘We want the world to no longer see it as a narcotic, but a medical plant that can help the creation,’ said a Rastafarian leader.
A new digital exhibit maps the Jewish histories of Los Angeles’ Eastside
By Alejandra Molina — May 20, 2021
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The virtual exhibit, 'Jewish Histories in Multiethnic Boyle Heights,' launched by the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, explores the Jewish institutions that made up the historical landscape of this Eastside community.
Vatican employees criticize pay cuts by Pope Francis as ‘anti-meritocratic and disincentivizing’
By Claire Giangravé — May 20, 2021
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Vatican employees complained to Pope Francis about the pay cuts he enacted at the Vatican, which is struggling financially due to mismanagement and the pandemic. Employees say it should not be up to them to foot the bill.
‘Religion entered into me’: A talk with Jane Goodall, winner of the 2021 Templeton Prize
By Yonat Shimron — May 20, 2021
(RNS) — The celebrated primatologist is only the fourth woman to win the prize, established to honor those who use science to explore humankind’s place and purpose in the universe.
100 years later, Black church leaders seek reparations for Tulsa massacre
By Adelle M. Banks — May 19, 2021
(RNS) — An African Methodist Episcopal pastor and other Black people of faith say the time has come to repay as well as to remember.
Meet the Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist encouraging her fellow Christians to get vaccinated
By Emily McFarlan Miller — May 19, 2021
(RNS) — Written in epidemiologist Emily Smith’s friendly, informational voice, the Facebook page has grown to more than 96,000 followers.
Russell Moore, Baptist ethicist and Trump critic, to leave ERLC for Christianity Today
By Bob Smietana — May 18, 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Moore’s work as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm was overshadowed by the Trump presidency.
Calls to deny Communion to Biden for abortion views prompt Catholic soul-searching
By Alejandra Molina — May 18, 2021
(RNS) — As the bishops debate, ordinary Catholics consider what the sacrament does for them.
Mustafa Akyol argues for Islamic reform from within
By Joseph Hammond — May 18, 2021
(RNS) — His new book calls for a revival of rational thought in Islamic theology.
Brazil’s evangelicals, bound to Bolsonaro, fight to follow his lead on pandemic
By Raphael Tsavkko Garcia — May 18, 2021
(RNS) — As the pandemic grew more dire through the spring, pastors have had a powerful influence on health policy.
Why grievance studies hoaxer and atheist James Lindsay wants to save Southern Baptists
By Bob Smietana — May 18, 2021
(RNS) — Over the past two years, James Lindsay has been on a crusade against what he sees as a ‘woke’ invasion of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
Supreme Court throws abortion fight into center of midterms
By David Crary and Jill Colvin — May 18, 2021
(AP) — For many evangelicals, the case could serve as a validation of more than four decades of persistent work and a sometimes awkward relationship with former President Donald Trump.
Hong Kong’s new bishop wants differing views respected
By Associated Press — May 18, 2021
HONG KONG (AP) — Chow said the Beijing-approved Chinese church is not an enemy, since both churches believe in the same faith, and should try to seek understanding together.
