Religion Information

No Ishmaels Please


I want to say a word about faith. Recent events in my own life have driven home just how easy it is to loose sight of what we say we believe. Just like Abraham of old, we often try to bring about results through our own efforts. For those of you not familiar with narrative found in the book of Genesis, let me summarize. Abraham had been given the promise by God of having a son in his old age. God, in fact made a covenant with Abraham, sealing the promise in the blood of sacrificial animals. Typically this looks forward, for those of us who are New Testament believers, to the blood of Christ through which we are made partakers of God?s eternal covenant. But, back to Abraham. Certainly after such a dynamic demonstration (Genesis 15) of God?s covenant promise, we would think that Abraham would have not doubt that God would fulfill his part of the agreement. But, instead of waiting patiently on God as he should have done, he listened to his wife, Sarah, and tried to help God out, by having a son with his handmaiden (as was the custom of the day), since his Sarah was barren. He did have a son with his handmaiden, but that was a cause of much sorrow to him, and is the cause of much conflict even today. For, you see, this son, Ishmael, is the father of Arab nations. Oh, God was still with Ishmael and provided water to keep him alive after Sarah had thown out the handmaden and her son. But Ishmael was not God's first choice for Abraham. Thus, later, God did fulfill his promise and give Abraham a son through his wife, Sarah. That son, Isaac, is the father of the Jewish people. We are all aware of the Arab-Israeli conflict which continues till today. Yet, God was gracious, and Abraham is remembered today as the Father of the faithful, and in the hall of faith, Hebrews 11, his faith is mentioned but not his lack of it in that one moment of weakness. (Thus, I don't feel that I should share the particulars of my recent Ishmael experience with you, as I know God has put it in the sea of forgetfulness.) Often we may be tempted to do what Abraham did and take matters into our own hands, instead of trusting God explicitly. But, this can only result in the production of an Ishmael, which, although God may still bless, will mean trouble for us and cause us to deviate for a time from our primary God-given goals and purpose. However, when that happens, we may be assured of God?s grace in getting us back on track. May God ever keep us from producing Ishmaels. But if we do, may we run to Him for His mercy and grace and know that He is still in controll and we will not be remembered by him for our Ishmaels, but for our Isaacs--the fruit of our faith. If you feel you have no faith, perhaps you this will be a first step for you. If you feel you need more faith or need to use your faith more, perhaps this can also be a starting point for you in that direction.

The Greatest Love and Self-image


The Greek language had three words for ?Love? First there was ?eros,? from which we get ?erotic.. This was, of course a purely selfish love. Then there was ?Phileo? (Philadelphia), or ?brotherly love? This is the love of one family member for another. But the Bible added a new one--?agape? ?Agape is a giving love, entirely unselfish. By way of both illustration and practical application, let me quote the following note from Mary Ellen Grisham, publisher of "Eternal Link:"After counseling young couples for years, a minister I know suggested that "love is what you do." Young couples frequently have adjustments to make to the differences in romantic courtship and the realities of day-to-day living with the rigorous requirements of work, children, house and yard keeping, and all the many tasks required to maintain a good home and marriage.

What If? -- Musings on the Tsunami


Thumbing through Isaiah recently I was startled to find this: after a passage (in Isaiah 19) in which the prophet describes horrors that caused the hearts of the Egyptians to "melt within them," he predicts that "the people will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them." The next lines describe how three bitter enemies?Egypt, Assyria, and Israel?will "worship together" and how all three will become "a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.'" What a picture!

What about the 4400?


Murders are so frequent in our country that a single homicide seldom grabs national attention unless the perpetrator or the victim is already a celebrity. Even a double murder is not national news. It takes multiple murders to make the headlines, CNN, and the network evening news.

What Jesus Expects of You and Me


Sometimes it is hard to know where to start even if you know what your talents are. Jesus has something to say about what we can do and what he expects us to do. Until you can find the specific purpose God has for you there is still work we can do.

Why More Priests Need To Train As Fighters (And Why We Dont See Many Boxers In Church)


St Paul was a fighter. I don?t think he ever competed in the ring, but that wasn?t because he lacked the discipline or was afraid of the pain. I always say that to be a fighter you need to have two things going for you. Firstly you need to have a lot of energy inside that needs release. Secondly, you need to be not too concerned about your own health. This fits the profile of most of our young men perfectly - on the edge of the drug culture, full of testosterone, and with no thought for the future. It also fits perfectly the profile of another group - single fathers, struggling to gain access to their children. That was how I got into the fight game. I hadn?t taken it up as a teenager, and I certainly hadn?t been born into it. My dad was a priest for God?s sake, and an academic. Fighting had not been my birthright. I came in through the back door of pain and loneliness and bitter struggle. Separated, and struggling for the right to see my daughter, I had made one half-hearted attempt at suicide already by that stage. And I had met with my bishop the following day and he had told me not to ?trade off? my situation (in other words, not to get too comfortable). I appeared to be losing my family, my vocation, and most of my friends at the same time. Full of emotional energy, obsessed with thoughts of self-destruction, and drinking way too much, I managed to find my way to the Mundine gym. It was my decision not to go under, but to fight back. Mundine?s is situated in the middle of Everleigh Street, Redfern - the roughest street in one of the roughest neighborhoods in our city. Redfern is a largely Aboriginal suburb on the outskirts of central Sydney. In recent years the government has come through and ?cleaned it up? somewhat, which meant pushing a lot of the local residents further out west. Even so, it is still a rough area. I had grown up in the vicinity of Everleigh Street. My dad had been a lecturer at the Anglican seminary located only a few blocks from this dark heart of Aboriginal Sydney. It was always an odd location for the seminary. The ecclesiastical community never had anything to do with the adjoining aboriginal enclave. On the contrary, most persons associated with the religious community dealt with their black neighbours by practising the same sort of avoidance strategy that I?d learnt as a kid ? scurrying quickly past the end of Everleigh Street and its environs whenever circumstances put us unavoidably within its reach. Ironically this strategy had to be invoked every time you got off a train from Redfern station. The platforms seemed to be designed to feed directly into Everleigh Street! Of course I never made the mistake of straying down that way myself, and as a youngster, I had heard many a nasty story about the price paid by some of the less wary. None of this is to suggest that the reputation of Everleigh was based on hearsay. I had seen plenty with my own eyes. Countless times I had seen young toddlers and their slightly older siblings wandering the streets at night while their parents got drunk at the local. One night I watched as a stupid woman stopped her car after these kids had thrown rocks at it. She got out and tried to confront the kids about what they had done. The result of course was that they found some bigger rocks and a couple of bricks. They made quite a mess of that car. My brother told me that he had witnessed a roll take place from the top of the street in broad daylight. Some boys had pulled a knife on a university student who had handed them his wallet. The student had then located a nearby policeman and had pointed out the boys to him, but the copper did nothing about it. He said he didn?t want to start a riot! I had seen the bonfires that would be lit when the new phone books or Yellow Pages directories were delivered. I had seen the shells of burnt out cars in the street. I had seen plenty, and had plenty of good reasons to never deliberately venture down that street, which is why my first walk to the Mundine gym was like wading through water ? every step being a slow and deliberate effort. But I was determined to become a fighter, and I?d just as soon lose my life in Everleigh Street than give up on my dream to have my day in the ring. The exterior of Mundine?s Gym is not designed to draw attention to itself. You?d walk right past it if you didn?t know it was there. It?s missing entirely that glittering windowed street frontage with the sleek bodies of well-groomed athletes on display for passers-by ? the type that we associate with the sorts of gyms where you pay a costly membership fee. Mundine?s has no membership fee. I don?t remember there even being a sign out the front. Mundine?s looks like just another housing-commission block, with its inglorious entrance at the bottom of a stairwell. But you pick up that it?s a gym long before you reach the top of those stairs. The smell of liniment hits you half way up ? that manly smell that mingles so harmoniously with the melodic whir of the skipping rope tap, tap, tapping its way through another round. This is what makes a real gym ? the smell of liniment, the sound of the rope, the less rhythmical thwacking of glove to bag, and of course the fighting. When you step inside Mundine?s, you know you?re in a real gym. No pretty boys. No glamour workouts. No white-collar boxercise sessions for indulgent professionals. Just bodies, sweat, testosterone and blood. They play hard at Mundine?s. That?s governed by the sort of guys that show up there of course, but it?s also embedded in the architecture of the gym to some extent. The ring stands in the centre of the building and it?s a small ring, made for brawlers. There is a small assortment of bags strung around the sides, but no fancy speedballs or floor-to-ceiling bags, such that you could justify turning up just to have a workout on the bags. There are a few pieces of weights equipment too, but again not enough to allow them to become a serious point of focus. No. The whole structure is designed to channel you into the ring. Everything else is just padding. That?s the way it should be in a real gym. I wore my clerical shirt and collar the first time I went there. Even now I don?t think it was an entirely stupid thing to have done. I wanted to be up-front about who I was and where I was coming from. Even so, I hadn?t really thought through the effect that this was going to have on the other boys at the gym, most of whom were, initially, very reluctant to hit me. They got over it though, particularly after they realised that I had no qualms about hitting them. Within a couple of weeks I was coming home each night bruised and bleeding from head to toe, and I knew I was one of the lads. Is it just me, or does every man need to go through something like this at some time in his life ? to know the joy of falling into your bed aching with the wounds that your sparring partner has inflicted on you that evening, and sleeping soundly in the knowledge that your ring brother is likewise doing his best to sleep off the impression that you made on him? I had many a glorious sparring session during those first weeks and months at Mundine?s. They weren?t pretty to watch I suppose, but they were epic struggles of the human spirit so far as I was concerned. There are few things in life more deeply satisfying than a good fight. A hard night in the ring is an enormous catharsis for a man who is struggling with life, but it?s more than that too. When you step into a ring you?re making a decision to take control of your own destiny. The forces that oppose you are no longer vague powers that threaten to overwhelm you from a distance - the law, the courts, the system. No. Your opposition takes on a clear material form in the shape of the other man advancing on you from the other corner. To get into that ring and to stay in that ring is to make a decision to give it a go ? to put your body on the line and to stand up to the punishment like a man. Fighting is more than a sport. It?s a way of life. It is the defiant decision to confront your pain directly and not to be overcome by it. Mundine?s gym taught me that, or at least it played a significant role. There was another vital lesson I learnt at Mundine?s - perhaps even more important than what I learned about fighting. I learnt to respect the fight community. The fight community is a culture all of its own, and was certainly spawned on an entirely different planet to the church community. I?m sure that some Anglican church-goers must have wondered why there are so many doctors and accountants in their congregations and so few fighters. The truth is that most church people just don?t speak the same language as fighters. The converse is also true. The fight community, as far as I can see, has very little idea of what the church is on about. I don?t mean that fighters aren?t spiritual guys. On the contrary, some of the most godly and inspirational men I have met have been fighters. And yet they have no point of contact with the established church. The two groups just don?t understand each other at all. Never was this made clearer to me than on my fourth visit to Mundine?s gym. I had turned up quietly in my tracksuit and was wandering over to the bench at the side of the ring where we tended to leave our gear while we were training. A group of guys were huddled there talking, and there was nothing particularly private about the volume of their conversation. I think they were discussing relationship problems, though I didn?t overhear everything. What I couldn?t help hearing was one guy say very clearly ?So I grabbed her, and I punched her in the fuckin? head?. He said it loudly and enacted a downwards punching motion as he said it. Then he noticed me standing nearby and suddenly felt very self-conscious. ?Oh, sorry Father? he said. And then he corrected himself. ?I punched her ... (and he said it very slowly and deliberately) ... in the head?. If I?d had my wits about me that night I would have said something clever like ?I don?t think the Lord really gives a fuck about your language brother, but I think He does care about your wife.? As it was, I didn?t say anything. I think I responded with a feeble smile. At the time, I just couldn?t work out how this guy had ever got it into his head that, as a priest, I would be more concerned about the fact that he swore than I would be about the fact that he beat his wife? Nowadays I take that sort of perception for granted. I think it?s the church that has to bear the responsibility for the communication breakdown. So much of the church nowadays reeks of a sort of insipid middle-class moralism that really does care more about smoking and swearing than it does about domestic violence or world hunger. I don?t think the Lord Jesus or St Paul ever intended to spawn any of these Christianized golf clubs that call themselves churches. Personally, I suspect that Jesus and the apostles would feel more at home in the average boxing gym today than they would in the average church. Of course they wouldn?t like the threats and the violence, but they would love the honesty. Fighters are very honest people. One guy, again from the Mundine gym, summed it up for me. ?Around here nobody stabs anybody in the back?, he said to me. Then he pointed to his heart and added emphatically: ?You stab here!? That?s why I have so much respect for the fight culture. I know I can trust fighters. I know they won?t stuff me round ? smiling to my face but stabbing me in the back when I turn around. I wish the same could be said for all church people. St Paul was a fighter. ?I do not fight like a man beating the air? he says. They had the ancient Pankration fighting in his day ? a vicious form of no rules combat that was concluding event in the original Olympics. Those guys certainly didn?t ?beat the air?. When Ulysses came home from the Trojan War, legend has it that his own mother didn?t recognise him. According to my friend and former trainer Kon, legend has it that when the Pankration champion came home from the Olympic Games, his own dog couldn?t recognise him! Those guys knew what real fighting is about. St Paul would have made one tough bugger as a fighter. What I wouldn't give to be able to jump into the old Pankration ring with him to go a couple of rounds! You?d never knock him down though. I suspect most of the apostles would have been like that ? warm big-hearted men, but as hard as nails in the ring. I have a secret hope that when I get to heaven I?ll be able to take on some of those boys and try my luck. I guess it?s not everyone?s idea of heaven, but it is mine.

About The Spiritual World of Madonna


Pop singer Madonna came this week to Tel Aviv to take part in a congress of Kabbala studies. According to press releases, she is going to stay in Israel until Sunday night and will have on the last day of her visit, the opportunity to visit the graves of Jewish Tzaddikim (righteous holy people) near Safed, a small town in northern Israel.

Popping the Balloon of Belief


I?m really excited. I just got a bigger soapbox, and I wanted to invite the rest of you to get up here on it with me.

Here?s Help for the ?I Can?t Say ?No? Blues?


I hear it all the time. Cries from Christian women who want desperately to serve the Lord, but who feel overwhelmed. ?I almost dread going to PTO meetings or church services anymore because I just know somebody else is going to ask me to help with something,? they say. ?Don?t get me wrong. I want to help, but there are only so many hours in my day. I feel like I?m just going to explode if I don?t get some relief.?

Your Mission Field At Work


One point many Christian Working Moms who have been interviewed have made is that they are a shining light in their work place. Whether or not you can speak openly about your faith at work, your co-workers are watching. Are they seeing Jesus in you? Do they see you handle ethical issues in a different manner than other co-workers? Do they see a peace in you amidst all of the stress of the job? Do they see your priorities are in order? Although, we are to be workers worthy of our hire we are first and foremost followers of Christ. Do your co-workers see you participating in the office gossip or do they see you leaving when those discussions come up? Do your co-workers see you building up or tearing down? Do they see compassion in you that is often woefully missing in this get ahead world we live in?

Meaning and Marketing - The Will


You are now inside one of the top theological schools in the world and you are sitting in Dr. John Hobbs' Class on Theology with first year Freshman students. The seminary is reformed, protestant, Christian and is located in the south of the USA.

Harry Potter To Christians: Its Not Good To Hear Voices


That is the popular and, thank God (if you'll pardon the use of the G name) the politically correct feeling among most Christians today. You will recall that in the second book of the Potter series, The Chamber Of Secrets, Harry Potter alone heard the voice of the basilisk. When he confided in his two friends about it, one told him that even in the wizarding world, hearing voices is not a good thing. Like art imitating reality, can't we say that even in our non-wizarding world, it's not a good thing to be hearing voices. Whether those voices be God's or someone else's voice.

We Must Be Ready. But How?


Revelation 19:7 states, ?Let us rejoice and give honor unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.?

The Christmas Victory


As the Chritmas season approaches, I figured it's a good time to submit the following article:

Finding God in the Clouds


It was a cool August night during the Summer before my Junior year in high school. I was just getting off work on what seemed to be the worst day of my life. I was having a mental break-down, nothing was going right, and every negative thing in my life seemed to hit me at once.

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How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World - Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project
How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World  Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project

Over the decade from 2007 to 2017, government restrictions on religion - laws, policies and actions by state officials that restrict religious beliefs and practices ...


More Americans identify with no religion that ever before but three states see evangelical growth: study - Fox News
More Americans identify with no religion that ever before but three states see evangelical growth: study  Fox News

More Americans identify with no religion than ever before, according to a new study on religious affiliation.


A closer look at changing restrictions on religion - Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project
A closer look at changing restrictions on religion  Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project

Pew Research Center has analyzed restrictions on religion around the world for 10 years, finding that global restrictions have risen. What is happening in some ...


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Religion, meet technology | ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact  Arizona State University

This summer, Arizona State University religious studies PhD candidate Jamie Edmonds decided to incorporate technology into the final projects of his religion ...


Why many of us still have faith in religion in this scientific age - The Guardian
Why many of us still have faith in religion in this scientific age  The Guardian

Letters: Zaki Cooper of the Council of Christians and Jews says faith should not seek political power, but to influence society for the better; Martha ...


UK secularism on rise as more than half say they have no religion - The Guardian
UK secularism on rise as more than half say they have no religion  The Guardian

The growth of secularism in the UK is unabated with *fresh* data showing stark generational differences and a new confidence among the non-religious to declare ...


Brownback wants 'like-mindeds' at religious freedom summit; violators need not RSVP - Religion News Service
Brownback wants 'like-mindeds' at religious freedom summit; violators need not RSVP  Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) — China, Iran and other countries that the U.S. considers the most egregious religious liberty violators aren't invited to the State ...


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Oil and American religion set stage for current political divides, historian finds  ND Newswire

In his newest research, Darren Dochuk, associate professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, chronicles North America's age of oil — in particular, ...


5 facts about religion in Canada - Pew Research Center
5 facts about religion in Canada  Pew Research Center

A declining share of Canadians identify as Christians. Most Canadians say religion's influence in public life is waning in their country.


Stop Calling Politics Our New Religion - The New York Times
Stop Calling Politics Our New Religion  The New York Times

Looking for a new villain to account for the polarization and sheer meanness of our current politics? Instead of blaming deep divisions over race, misogyny, ...


Shopping is America’s religion. But this isn’t the first country to confuse the two. - The Washington Post
Shopping is America’s religion. But this isn’t the first country to confuse the two.  The Washington Post

We like to tell ourselves that in some past era, humans celebrated events that had real meaning: harvest festivals and national holidays, Christmas and Yom ...


‘Science does not try to undermine religion – religion is simply irrelevant to science’ - The Irish Times
‘Science does not try to undermine religion – religion is simply irrelevant to science’  The Irish Times

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Ashlyn Harris says Jaelene Hinkle was left off USWNT over her ‘intolerance,’ not religion - The Washington Post
Ashlyn Harris says Jaelene Hinkle was left off USWNT over her ‘intolerance,’ not religion  The Washington Post

U.S. women's national team member Ashlyn Harris took to social media Monday to address Jaelene Hinkle, who declined a chance to play for the U.S. team in ...


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How millennials replaced religion with astrology and crystals  Los Angeles Times

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Twitter updates hate speech rules to include dehumanizing speech around religion - TechCrunch
Twitter updates hate speech rules to include dehumanizing speech around religion  TechCrunch

Against a backdrop of rising violence against religious minorities around the world, Twitter today said that it would update its hateful conduct rules to include ...


Religion in school can be complicated. So teachers went to class. - Washington Post
Religion in school can be complicated. So teachers went to class.  Washington Post

School was out — and now it was time for the teachers to be quizzed. More than two dozen Montgomery County public educators furrowed their brows as the ...


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US Confidence in Organized Religion Remains Low  Gallup

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' confidence in the church or organized religion continues to erode, with 36% now saying they have "a great deal" or "quite a ...


Americans have little confidence in religion, Congress, news media - The Jerusalem Post
Americans have little confidence in religion, Congress, news media  The Jerusalem Post

Gallup first conducted their Confidence in Institutions poll in 1973, around the time of the Watergate scandal. The ratings have been updated annually since ...


Israelis more liberal on religion, views on equality more mixed - analysis - The Jerusalem Post
Israelis more liberal on religion, views on equality more mixed - analysis  The Jerusalem Post

According to polling by the Hiddush organization, a religious pluralism advocacy organization, support for gay marriage has been steadily rising, with 78% of the ...


A matter of faith: Democrats embrace religion in campaign - ABC News
A matter of faith: Democrats embrace religion in campaign  ABC News

When 10 Democratic presidential candidates were pressed on immigration policy during their recent debate, Pete Buttigieg took his answer in an unexpected ...


The 2021 Irish Census Is Still Screwing Up the Way It Asks About Religion - Patheos
The 2021 Irish Census Is Still Screwing Up the Way It Asks About Religion  Patheos

The Irish Census, which is taken every five years, will send out questions again in 2021. There's been a looming battle over how to ask the question about ...


Brownback wants religious freedom summit to spark 'global grassroots movement' - Religion News Service
Brownback wants religious freedom summit to spark 'global grassroots movement'  Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) — As he prepared for the State Department's second summit on global religious liberty next week, Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador ...


Freedom of religion | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Freedom of religion | News, Sports, Jobs  Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Paul Rinker recently wrote an outstanding letter on Freedom from Religion and the Montoursville baseball team. Some spectator at one of the games observed ...


Disagreement is not discrimination: ‘Do No Harm Act’ is a dishonest act to eject religion - USA TODAY
Disagreement is not discrimination: ‘Do No Harm Act’ is a dishonest act to eject religion  USA TODAY

To hear supporters of the 'Do No Harm Act' tell it, the federal law protecting religious freedom is a weapon harming minorities. But that's not true.


Oil and Religion - RTE.ie
Oil and Religion  RTE.ie

The oil industry has been in sharp focus lately as OPEC has warned that climate campaigners are the greatest threat to the industry.


Twitter bans hateful posts based on religion - BP News
Twitter bans hateful posts based on religion  BP News

SAN FRANCISCO (BP) -- Tweets that dehumanize a person because of that person's religion are no longer allowed on Twitter, the company announced ...


The Economics of Religion: How Faith Motivates Productivity. - City Journal
The Economics of Religion: How Faith Motivates Productivity.  City Journal

The Wealth of Religions: The Political Economy of Believing and Belonging, by Rachel M. McCleary and Robert J. Barro (Princeton University Press, 199 pp., ...


Does Andrew Scheer have a religion problem? - iPolitics.ca
Does Andrew Scheer have a religion problem?  iPolitics.ca

"There is still a vocal and powerful social conservative bloc within the Conservative party in Ottawa and even more so within the rural and suburban rank-and-file ...


'He whispered, 'terrorist'' South Bay restaurant owner harassed over religion, to raise money for other marginalized groups - KGO-TV
'He whispered, 'terrorist'' South Bay restaurant owner harassed over religion, to raise money for other marginalized groups  KGO-TV

A restaurant owner in the South Bay who says she was harassed because of her religion is taking the bad experience, and doing something good with it.


Religious liberals want to change what it means to be a Christian voter - PBS NewsHour
Religious liberals want to change what it means to be a Christian voter  PBS NewsHour

DES MOINES, Iowa — The meeting began with a prayer. Heads bowed and eyes closed. Then the members of “We Are Church Confessing,” a group of liberal ...


Religion and vaccine refusal are linked. We have to talk about it. - Vox.com
Religion and vaccine refusal are linked. We have to talk about it.  Vox.com

As measles cases have surged across the US and Europe this year, there's been a lot of talk about what's causing the outbreaks. Among the most discussed ...


Religious discrimination bill will safeguard people of faith, says attorney general - The Guardian
Religious discrimination bill will safeguard people of faith, says attorney general  The Guardian

Christian Porter says those who face 'indirect' unfair treatment will have 'powerful avenue' for redress.


'The Matrix' as secular religion - Christian Post
'The Matrix' as secular religion  Christian Post

The scene is movie legend: Morpheus sits with Neo beside a fireplace while a storm rages outside, and tells him that the world he calls reality—what he sees ...


Bad Religion Announce Fall Tour Dates - Loudwire
Bad Religion Announce Fall Tour Dates  Loudwire

The punk legends released dates for their month long fall tour in support of 'Age of Reason.'


Religion must rise to the challenge of climate change too - New Scientist News
Religion must rise to the challenge of climate change too  New Scientist News

With biblical floods and famine on the cards, the fight against global warming needs faiths to get serious about green issues, says Graham Lawton.


Was AOC correct when she suggested all religions worship the same God? Experts weigh in - Fox News
Was AOC correct when she suggested all religions worship the same God? Experts weigh in  Fox News

Do all of our prayers go to the same higher power – whether we are Muslim, Christian or Jewish? Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently ...


Democrats Have The Religious Left. Can They Win The Religious Middle? - NPR
Democrats Have The Religious Left. Can They Win The Religious Middle?  NPR

Faith voters who have a mix of liberal and conservative values are up for grabs in the 2020 election. Democrats hope to win them over.


When Leaving a Religion Is Like Abandoning a Cult - The New York Times
When Leaving a Religion Is Like Abandoning a Cult  The New York Times

Amber Scorah's memoir, “Leaving the Witness,” recounts a tale of disillusion and ultimate apostasy as she decides to turn away from the faith she's known since ...


Twitter updates its rules against hateful conduct to include religion - The Jerusalem Post
Twitter updates its rules against hateful conduct to include religion  The Jerusalem Post

Our primary focus is on addressing the risks of offline harm,” Twitter explained, “and research shows that dehumanizing language increases that risk."


Photos of the Week - Religion News Service
Photos of the Week  Religion News Service

(RNS) — Each week Religion News *Service* presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week's gallery includes the anniversary ...


What Religion is BTS? - BTS Members Religion and Faith - Seventeen.com
What Religion is BTS? - BTS Members Religion and Faith  Seventeen.com

It's not hard to tell BTS is super dedicated to their loyal fan base, the ARMY. Whether it's putting out exclusive *content* for them via a mobile video game or ...


Quebec Errs on Freedom of Religion - The New York Times
Quebec Errs on Freedom of Religion  The New York Times

A reader faults the province's ban on religious garb in public-sector jobs.


US religious freedom envoy insists Vatican-China deal should be made public - Crux: Covering all things Catholic
US religious freedom envoy insists Vatican-China deal should be made public  Crux: Covering all things Catholic

U.S. Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback said Friday that the Vatican's agreement with China on the appointment of bishops ought to ...


'Religious' does not also mean 'opposed to religion.' Seriously. - Patheos
'Religious' does not also mean 'opposed to religion.' Seriously.  Patheos

U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang used "religious" wrong in an atheist context. He's not the only one who does it, but it's a problem.


The Turnabout on Religious Freedom - The Wall Street Journal
The Turnabout on Religious Freedom  The Wall Street Journal

Liberals used to favor broad claims of liberty. Prof. David Skeel says the Obama-era culture wars helped change that.


Arab world turns its back on religion – and its ire on the US - The Guardian
Arab world turns its back on religion – and its ire on the US  The Guardian

Survey of 25000 people in Middle East and North Africa also shows 52% of 18- to 29-year-olds are thinking about migrating.


Opinion | Is the Religious Right Privileged? - The New York Times
Opinion | Is the Religious Right Privileged?  The New York Times

The history of race and religion under liberalism is a tangle, not just a morality play.


Terror has no politics, religion or caste, says Amit Shah as Lok Sabha passes NIA Bill - India Today
Terror has no politics, religion or caste, says Amit Shah as Lok Sabha passes NIA Bill  India Today

Home Minister Amit Shah said in favour of the NIA Bill that terrorism has no religion, politics or caste in it.


Watching the rise of the religious left on 1970s TV - Religion News Service
Watching the rise of the religious left on 1970s TV  Religion News Service

(RNS) — Liberal-leaning faith movements are getting a lot of play these days, with everyone from pundits to presidential candidates predicting the rise of a ...


Physicist: “Multiverse Is Religion, Not Science” - Discovery Institute
Physicist: “Multiverse Is Religion, Not Science”  Discovery Institute

No, this is not an exercise video. It's a cogent explanation by theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder of “Why the multiverse is religion, not science.” Watch: ...


The Supreme Court’s ‘Peace Cross’ case demonstrates the fine art of pretending religious symbols aren’t religious - Washington Post
The Supreme Court’s ‘Peace Cross’ case demonstrates the fine art of pretending religious symbols aren’t religious  Washington Post

The Supreme Court Thursday ruled that a large cross erected as a memorial to the dead may continue to stand on public land in Maryland because it has many ...


Kanye West says religion helped him overcome 2016 hospitalization for mental health issues - Fox News
Kanye West says religion helped him overcome 2016 hospitalization for mental health issues  Fox News

Kanye West revealed that religion and acknowledgment of his bipolar disorder helped him through a very public rough patch in his career. In 2016, West took to ...


Pete Buttigieg Takes Aim at Religious Hypocrisy - The Atlantic
Pete Buttigieg Takes Aim at Religious Hypocrisy  The Atlantic

The second night of the first Democratic debates focused on the American values that have been corrupted under Trump, in the view of the 2020 candidates.


Ethics and Religion Talk: Healing From Religious Trauma, part 2 - The Rapidian
Ethics and Religion Talk: Healing From Religious Trauma, part 2  The Rapidian

“I hear this pain and the longing in your question. I'm heartbroken for all those who have suffered traumatic experiences within the church. The healing journey is ...


Bengal School 'Asks' Teachers to Maintain Religion Column in Attendance Book, Suspends 1 for Protest - News18
Bengal School 'Asks' Teachers to Maintain Religion Column in Attendance Book, Suspends 1 for Protest  News18

Teachers, who alleged that the Principal had insisted for a separate column in the attendance register for Hindu and Muslim students, held a 'pens down' protest ...


This abortion clinic is blessed - Religion News Service
This abortion clinic is blessed  Religion News Service

(RNS) — The other day, I joined clergy from many faiths in a worship *service* that, like many others, featured poetry, music, ritual and prayer. But this *service* was ...


Christian leaders speak out against proposed religious discrimination laws - SBS News
Christian leaders speak out against proposed religious discrimination laws  SBS News

An Anglican priest renowned for his provocative billboards has weighed into the religious freedom debate.


Faith leaders disrupt US Vice President Mike Pence during CUFI summit - Religion News Service
Faith leaders disrupt US Vice President Mike Pence during CUFI summit  Religion News Service

This Monday, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) hosted its annual summit in Washington DC. The world's largest Christian Zionist organization, CUFI is infamous ...


What Religion Is Luke P. From 'The Bachelorette'? We Found His Church - Distractify
What Religion Is Luke P. From 'The Bachelorette'? We Found His Church  Distractify

What religion is Luke Parker from 'The Bachelorette'? The Georgia native and Hannah clash over their differing faiths.


Anti-Vaxxer Sues NY to Give Religious Groups the Right to Spread Measles Again - Patheos
Anti-Vaxxer Sues NY to Give Religious Groups the Right to Spread Measles Again  Patheos

Being religious doesn't give you a right to infect the public with a disease.


VA's revised policies on symbols, displays aim to protect 'religious liberty' - Religion News Service
VA's revised policies on symbols, displays aim to protect 'religious liberty'  Religion News Service

(RNS) — In the wake of a Supreme Court decision permitting a cross to remain on a public highway, the Department of Veterans Affairs has revised its policies ...


Maryland banned a school from voucher program over anti-LGBT views. It says that violates religious freedom. - Baltimore Sun
Maryland banned a school from voucher program over anti-LGBT views. It says that violates religious freedom.  Baltimore Sun

A private Christian school that doesn't accept same-sex marriage or transgender people says Maryland unfairly threw it out of a school voucher program ...


'Stranger Things' sees Mormons as 'super-religious white people' - Religion News Service
'Stranger Things' sees Mormons as 'super-religious white people'  Religion News Service

(RNS) — Season 3 of the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” features a rare discussion of Mormonism — but not in a good way. Without spoiling any plot points, Dustin, ...


Quebec passes religious symbols secularism bill - BBC News
Quebec passes religious symbols secularism bill  BBC News

The new law bars civil servants in positions of "authority" from wearing religious symbols at work.


AP-NORC Poll: Americans rarely seek guidance from clergy - Religion News Service
AP-NORC Poll: Americans rarely seek guidance from clergy  Religion News Service

DETROIT (AP) — Timothy Buchanan says he never consults clergy about important decisions, but it's not for lack of faith: He regularly attends a ...


India rejects critical US religious freedom report - Al Jazeera English
India rejects critical US religious freedom report  Al Jazeera English

State Department report says senior BJP officials made 'inflammatory speeches' against religious minorities last year.


Gallup: Confidence in church or organized religion falls to 36 percent - UPI News
Gallup: Confidence in church or organized religion falls to 36 percent  UPI News

Thirty-six percent of respondents to a new Gallup poll released Monday said they have confidence in the church or organized religion, a far cry from the 60-plus ...


Was Abraham Lincoln an Atheist? - History
Was Abraham Lincoln an Atheist?  History

Every U.S. president has been a member of a church, except for one: Abraham Lincoln. Famously opaque on the subject of religion, Lincoln's personal faith was.


Israel Folau and the tension at the heart of religious freedom - The Guardian
Israel Folau and the tension at the heart of religious freedom  The Guardian

Two core democratic principles are at stake in the Israel Folau case, and they will not be challenged at the pulpit or on the football field. Andrew West. Sat 22 Jun ...


New Religion, old hypocrisies - The Australian
New Religion, old hypocrisies  The Australian

This is a parable about a new religion that has deep roots on the secular left side of politics. The starting principle for moderates and extremists alike is that those ...


Scott Morrison pledges bipartisan approach on religious freedoms - The Guardian
Scott Morrison pledges bipartisan approach on religious freedoms  The Guardian

Prime minister says he doesn't want 'religion to be an issue that divides Australians' but conservative MPs are pushing for tougher line.


Justin Haskins: The left is (finally) losing its war on religion – Here's why - Fox News
Justin Haskins: The left is (finally) losing its war on religion – Here's why  Fox News

For decades, the far-left in the has been working feverishly to eliminate all semblance of faith from the public arena, and its chief vehicle for imposing its ...


Beliefs review: Religion and social justice - Religion News Service
Beliefs review: Religion and social justice  Religion News Service

“I think the most perverse phrase in the Bible [is], “Am I my brother's keeper? Am I my sister's keeper?” With the implication that we're not attached to each other; ...


Zuma's religious leanings could explain his lack of shame - IOL
Zuma's religious leanings could explain his lack of shame  IOL

Jacob Zuma's religious utterances present a conundrum for scholars, as many poor South African Christians support his moral ...


Can drugs be a religious experience? Judge says no - The Courier
Can drugs be a religious experience? Judge says no  The Courier

By KATHRYNE RUBRIGHT. Staff Writer. Judge Reginald Routson on Monday rejected a Findlay man's religious freedom argument against drug charges, but ...


Orthodox newspaper’s editor called African religions ‘primitive’ and gay rights movement ‘evil’ - JTA News
Orthodox newspaper’s editor called African religions ‘primitive’ and gay rights movement ‘evil’  JTA News

NEW YORK (JTA) — The chief editor of The Jewish Press, an Orthodox newspaper, has repeatedly used his Twitter account to make racial comments and ...


Poll reveals lukewarm public support for religious freedom legislation - The Conversation AU
Poll reveals lukewarm public support for religious freedom legislation  The Conversation AU

As the debate over the Morrison government's plan to legislate against religious discrimination gathers heat, an Essential poll has found only 38% of Australians ...


Expanding Mormon "worthiness" interviews to children as young as 8: Why? - Religion News Service
Expanding Mormon "worthiness" interviews to children as young as 8: Why?  Religion News Service

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appears to be considering a new policy that would call for children ages 8 to 11 to have regular “interviews” with ...


Freedom From Religion Foundation wants Florence to rescind grant - Times Daily
Freedom From Religion Foundation wants Florence to rescind grant  Times Daily

FLORENCE — The Freedom From Religion Foundation is asking the city of Florence to rescind $38250 in matching funds it provided to the Salvation Army to ...


In Brooklyn, 'tradpunk' Christianity meets millennial counterculture - Religion News Service
In Brooklyn, 'tradpunk' Christianity meets millennial counterculture  Religion News Service

(RNS) — A few weeks ago, I found myself at a goth garden party in Brooklyn, New York's historic Green-Wood Cemetery with a few people I'd met on the fringe ...


Raising a progressive Hindu voice to counter Indian Modi's increasing power - Religion News Service
Raising a progressive Hindu voice to counter Indian Modi's increasing power  Religion News Service

(RNS) — This past May, the Indian nation reelected Narendra Modi, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party, for a second five-year term as prime minister of the ...


Israel Minister Says Jews Marrying Outside Religion Is 'Like the Holocaust,' Reports Say - Newsweek
Israel Minister Says Jews Marrying Outside Religion Is 'Like the Holocaust,' Reports Say  Newsweek

Israel's new top education official has reportedly compared intermarriage among Jews in North America to the Holocaust in comments said to have been ...


Religious Freedom Is Basis of All Other Freedoms in U.S., Cardinal Dolan Says - Catholic New York
Religious Freedom Is Basis of All Other Freedoms in U.S., Cardinal Dolan Says  Catholic New York

The nation's Bill of Rights guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, Cardinal Dolan told a crowd of more than 3000 gathered in Orem, Utah, ...


Jains gather in California with the next generation on their minds - Religion News Service
Jains gather in California with the next generation on their minds  Religion News Service

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a yogi with 1.6 million Instagram followers, addresses the 20th biennial JAINA Convention in Ontario, Calif. on July 5, 2019.


Being religious is now a countercultural identity - The Irish Times
Being religious is now a countercultural identity  The Irish Times

Christianity is no bulwark against new tribal identities dominating discourse.


Pastor surveilled after ministering to migrants sues US government - Religion News Service
Pastor surveilled after ministering to migrants sues US government  Religion News Service

(RNS) — A prominent Manhattan pastor has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that U.S. officials violated her religious freedom when she was put on a watchlist over ...


This Far-Right Activist Will Now Lead a Major U.S. Religious Freedom Body - New York Magazine
This Far-Right Activist Will Now Lead a Major U.S. Religious Freedom Body  New York Magazine

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins has claimed that Islam is not a religion. Now he'll lead the U.S. Commission on International Religious ...


Gallup: Confidence in Organized Religion is at an All-Time Low (Again) - Patheos
Gallup: Confidence in Organized Religion is at an All-Time Low (Again)  Patheos

How much confidence do you have in organized religion? Gallup asks that question every couple of years, and once again, we can safely say confidence in ...


Democrats Need to Talk About Their Faith - The Atlantic
Democrats Need to Talk About Their Faith  The Atlantic

America is still an overwhelmingly religious country. Candidates shouldn't be afraid to reflect that.


Is religion driving conservatism among youth? - Livemint
Is religion driving conservatism among youth?  Livemint

The past few years have witnessed rising religiosity in the country, according to data from a number of surveys conducted by different organizations over the past ...


Rami Malek: Bond terrorist 'not driven by religion' - BBC News
Rami Malek: Bond terrorist 'not driven by religion'  BBC News

Rami Malek has revealed he only agreed to play a James Bond villain after he was assured the character would have no religious or ideological affiliations.


Role of religion - DAWN.com
Role of religion  DAWN.com

NOT too long ago, the events at Christchurch (New Zealand) mosques and Sri Lankan churches once again highlighted the crucial need for interfaith harmony.


Julián Castro: Democrats 'put in a box' on religion and morality - Religion News Service
Julián Castro: Democrats 'put in a box' on religion and morality  Religion News Service

(RNS) — Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro is not the first Democrat from South Texas to run for president; Sen.


Freedom From Religion Foundation Won't Take Clergy Housing Case To Supreme Court - Forbes
Freedom From Religion Foundation Won't Take Clergy Housing Case To Supreme Court  Forbes

Freedom From Religion Foundation gives up fight against clergy housing exclusion as it sizes up Supreme Court makeup.


IRC Analysis: Trump Administration slashes resettlement of religious minorities - International Rescue Committee
IRC Analysis: Trump Administration slashes resettlement of religious minorities  International Rescue Committee

On the eve of the administration's Ministerial on Religious Freedom, an IRC analysis shows the U.S. administration drastically out of step with America's tradition ...


Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo address Christian pro-Israel summit - Religion News Service
Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo address Christian pro-Israel summit  Religion News Service

(RNS) — Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both addressed a Christian pro-Israel group Monday (July 8), lifting up the U.S. ...


Religious freedom for one must include religious freedom for all, Latter-day Saint leader says - Salt Lake Tribune
Religious freedom for one must include religious freedom for all, Latter-day Saint leader says  Salt Lake Tribune

Provo • Religious freedom does not truly exist for anyone if it does not exist equally for everyone, a senior leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...


A same-sex couple says that a wedding dress designer turned them away, citing religious beliefs - INSIDER
A same-sex couple says that a wedding dress designer turned them away, citing religious beliefs  INSIDER

A couple from St. Louis, Missouri, claims that a wedding dress designer in New York refused to work with them, citing religious beliefs, according to screenshots ...


Poll: Most Americans Rarely, If Ever, Seek Advice from Religious Leaders - Patheos
Poll: Most Americans Rarely, If Ever, Seek Advice from Religious Leaders  Patheos

While more Americans than ever have no religious affiliation, even the ones who do are relying less on their religious leaders for advice. In fact 75% of ...


Poll: Religion in Decline in Arab Countries, Anger at the US Growing - The Real News Network
Poll: Religion in Decline in Arab Countries, Anger at the US Growing  The Real News Network

James Zogby of the Arab American Institute discusses the results of a large survey conducted by the BBC in 11 Arab countries among 25,000 responders.





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