FBI Police vehicles. Photo by André Gustavo Stumpf/Creative Commons
Need to know: Friday, September 6, 2019
US judge: Terrorist watchlist violates citizens’ constitutional rights
The lawsuit was brought forth by 23 U.S. Muslims, including a toddler who at just 7 months old was added to the secretive federal watchlist of “known or suspected terrorists.”
In Hawaii, ‘protectors’ fight telescope project with prayer
Demonstrators have flocked to this mountain to stop construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope for reasons that are partly environmental and partly religious.
Southern California Catholics to unite in Mass for immigrants
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles's eighth annual Mass in Recognition of all Immigrants has particular relevance in the wake of the El Paso shootings and this year's immigration battles.
An online community of ex-clergy nears a milestone
The Clergy Project, whose mission is to build an online community for 'post-belief religious leaders,' expects to draw its 1,000th participant sometime next month.
Ted Cruz takes Alyssa Milano to Bible study — with an NRA edition of the Bible
As the Texas senator and the actress-activist face off on Twitter over whether the right to own a gun is found in Scripture, Cruz's interpretation lacks one thing: Jesus, writes Shane Claiborne.
Elite failure has brought Americans to the edge of an existential crisis
The nuclear family, God, and national pride are a holy trinity of the American identity. What would happen if a generation gave up on all three?
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Pope Francis blesses Mozambique’s reconciliation efforts on Africa visit
(RNS) — Francis endorsed the Aug. 6 peace treaty signed by the government and rebel leaders, calling it a 'landmark' in a struggle for reconciliation the church has done much to boost.
Buttigieg says ‘reckoning’ coming over GOP and Christianity
(AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg says Republicans will face "a reckoning" over a policy agenda he says is out of sync with Christian values.
Pope on critics: It’s ‘an honor if the Americans attack me’
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis acknowledged his growing opposition within the conservative right-wing of the U.S. Catholic Church in off-hand remarks aboard the papal plane Wednesday.
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From ‘Hot Priest Summer’ to ‘Christian Girl Autumn’
(RNS) — Priests are hot, from TV's 'Fleabag' to the ubiquitous 'Hot Priest' calendars, but it's not just that they are forbidden. It's that they are coming out of their usual unapproachable roles.
Public radio’s ‘Preach’ podcast explores religion’s messy side
Religion is messy, says Lee Hale, host of a new podcast called 'Preach.' For many Americans, especially young people like the 30-year-old Hale, that messiness is something to celebrate, not sweep under the carpet, writes Jana Riess.
Pope Francis pushes a new theology of climate change
It is not the same as his predecessors', writes Mark Silk.
