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When thin-skinned Zoroastrians sue Snoop Dogg, we all lose
By Brian Pellot — July 8, 2015
Members of India’s Parsi community are suing Snoop Dogg and others for featuring a Zoroastrian symbol in a new music video they’ve deemed “insensitive” to their faith. Whatever comes of this baseless lawsuit, free speech will suffer.
Will Thor join the Army? Believers still in limbo
By Kimberly Winston — July 7, 2015
(RNS) In January, a U.S. Army official told Heathen representatives that the old Norse religion of Asatru had been granted official recognition -- only to backtrack a few days later.
‘Judge not’: Jesus said it, but what did he mean?
By Jonathan Merritt — July 6, 2015
One of Jesus most famous teachings is, "Do not judge or you too will be judged." But in the very same chapter of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus also teaches that we should judge people by the "fruit" of their lives. Is judging others an absolute no-no or not?
After gay marriage, expect conservative amnesia
By Jonathan Merritt — July 2, 2015
Often the losers knit together a version of past events that disposes of the more damning details and casts their side in a more favorable light. But when it comes to history, forgetting the facts is a most dangerous delusion.
Gay marriage * Ramadan deaths * Abortion drone: June’s Religious Freedom Recap
By Brian Pellot — July 2, 2015
America remains buried under three feet of glitter. More than 1,000 people have died during a Ramadan heatwave in Karachi. And an “abortion drone” was spotted dropping pills over conservative Poland. Read on.
New Hawaii law legalizes traditional ‘clean burial’ practice
By Reuters — July 1, 2015
HONOLULU (Reuters) Under a new law in Hawaii, the dead can now be put to rest following an ancient Hawaiian custom called "clean burial" in which only a person's bones are buried.
Gay civil rights activist, MLK mentor Bayard Rustin to be honored
By Renée K. Gadoua — June 30, 2015
(RNS) Years before the gay rights movement gained momentum, the openly gay black activist, a Quaker, advised Martin Luther King Jr. on nonviolent protest tactics and organized the 1963 March on Washington.
Cannabis Church won’t have marijuana at first service Wednesday
By Mark Alesia — June 29, 2015
Bill Levin, who calls himself the church's minister of love, formed it partly to test Indiana's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which bars the government from infringing on religious practices.
Supreme Court strikes down bans on same-sex marriage
By Richard Wolf — June 26, 2015
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the United States Friday in a closely divided ruling that will stand as a milestone in its 226-year history.
Afraid of doubt? John Piper’s son says he fears for your faith
By Jonathan Merritt — June 24, 2015
"I refuse to answer questions about God or the Bible with neat constructs or nicely buttoned up answers," Barnabas Piper says. "My aim is to cause a certain amount of discomfort for Christians who've never questioned."
Poll: We like our red-white-and-blue patriotism — mostly
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — June 23, 2015
(RNS) Americans' patriotic fervor is tempered by race and religion, a new survey finds.
What does it take to forgive someone like Dylann Roof?
By Jonathan Merritt — June 22, 2015
Family members of Emmanuel AME Church shooting victims forgive the suspected killer. How does one serve a feast of forgiveness to a person who hasn’t even ordered a single serving?
3 things you need to know about Southern Baptists’ anti-gay marriage resolution
By Jonathan Merritt — June 18, 2015
The nation's largest Protestant denomination passed an official resolution this week calling on the Supreme Court to "uphold the right of the people to define marriage as exclusively the union of a man and a woman." Here's what you need to know.
Reality TV’s ‘The Briefcase’ looks at line between need, greed
By Adelle M. Banks — June 12, 2015
(RNS) Financially strapped families must decide whether to keep $100,000 all for themselves, or help another family.
Give Anne Lamott (and the rest of us) a little grace on transgender issues
By Jonathan Merritt — June 12, 2015
Bestselling author Anne Lamott incited public outrage by making offensive comments about Caitlyn Jenner. Jonathan Merritt asks, "Can we not offer each other a little grace in such a moment?"
