News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
Twenty-five years after President Bill Clinton signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, most Americans don’t know about current aggressive efforts to amend RFRA into oblivion. In the last two months before the election, 50 House Democrats became new cosponsors on a bill gutting the 25-year-old Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That…
Bulgarian evangelicals have asked for prayer in the face of a new religion bill that threatens a draconian clampdown on minority faiths. The bill has passed its first reading through parliament and they have warned its impact on all faith communities will be serious if it becomes law. The Bulgarian…
Much of the English-language journalism in global news services is generated in increasingly secular societies, and in newsrooms, places that lean towards scepticism and irreverence. But the world is not so secular. Faith and its teachings and rituals play central roles in many lives. A readers’ editor sees how offence…
In response to the latest abuses against Christians, Amnesty International has initiated an "urgent action" appeal. It has called on the Iranian regime to "quash the convictions and sentences of Victor Bet-Tamraz, Shamiram Isavi, Amin Afshar-Naderi, and Hadi Asgari, as they have been targeted solely for the peaceful exercise of…
(Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images) After two conservative Christian groups filed lawsuits against the city of Austin over the past week challenging an ordinance that protects LGBTQ individuals from discrimination, Texas LGBTQ advocates said Wednesday they do not think the lawsuits will hold up in court. The first lawsuit , filed…
A billboard sponsored by the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Harrisburg, Pa. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons (RNS) — An atheist relief organization has sued the Internal Revenue Service, claiming its tax-exempt status was unfairly revoked. IRS officials say the group failed to file required annual information to the agency…
Ambassador Sam Brownback delivers a speech about religious freedown during the 25th annual International Law and Religion Symposium at in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News (courtesy) It shouldn’t sound as difficult as it does. During his recent visit to Provo, Utah to speak…
PROVO — Sam Brownback is a diplomat, chosen by the Trump administration to travel the world promoting religious freedom. But he sometimes describes himself as a salesman, and he thinks he’s got a great deal for global leaders. If they’ll agree to strengthen religious freedom protections in their countries, to…
Scott Morrison is just starting to tell Australians about who he is and what he stands for. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen Prime Minister Scott Morrison does not hesitate when asked if Australia needs new laws to protect religious freedom . “Yes,” he says. He is yet to set out exactly […]…
SPRINGFIELD — Imagine a classroom full of bright, inquisitive college students who have no idea who Pontius Pilate was or never heard the story of Noah’s Ark. That’s what Gwen Jordan, an associate professor of legal studies at the University of Illinois-Springfield, has experienced. More than 10 years ago, […]…
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act could provide a shield for liberal businesses seeking to support undocumented immigrants, much the same way the law has allowed conservative companies to challenge enforcement of health care and anti-discrimination laws, a researcher from Oregon State University suggests in a new paper. “We’re seeing […]…
Noted columnist and commentator E.J. Dionne, Jr. (left) will present a public lecture Sept. 27 on American religion, inequality and populism, the culmination of a day of events honoring Candler emeritus professor Jon P. Gunnemann (right). Noted columnist and commentator E.J. Dionne, Jr. will give a public lecture titled, […]…
One of the loudest voices calling for better protection of religious freedoms in recent years has been the Prime Minister Scott Morrison. But what exactly is religious freedom, and why are we having this debate now? Who follows what religion in Australia? Christianity remains the dominant religious group in […]…
News Modal Trigger BEIJING — China’s government is ratcheting up a crackdown on Christian congregations in Beijing and several provinces, destroying crosses, burning Bibles, shutting churches and ordering followers to sign papers renouncing their faith, according to pastors and a group that monitors religion in China. The campaign corresponds […]…
Click here to view full article at christiannews.net PARKERSBURG, W. Va. — One of the nation’s most conspicuous Church-State separation groups has filed a lawsuit against a city in West Virginia in an effort to stop city council members from opening public meetings with the Lord’s Prayer. The Wisconsin-based Freedom…
Click here to view full article at www1.cbn.com Parents in Maine who want to use school choice funds to send their children to religious schools aren’t being allowed to participate in the state’s school tuition program. Since 1873, Maine has paid for parents in small towns to send their children…
Click here to view full article at www.lawandreligionuk.com More answers to readers’ queries and comments Below is a further compilation of “Quick Answers” to questions which have arisen from searches of, or comments during July, providing links to our blog posts addressing these issues. As before, the topics covered in…
Click here to view full article at www.worldreligionnews.com Natalie Maynro is licensed under CC BY-2.0 The judge granted the request on genuine mistake grounds Judge Lyndsey de Mestre, QC, the Deputy Chancellor of Diocese of St, Albans, has given permission to Mrs. Beverley Wilson and Michael Hugill, her ex-husband, parents…
Click here to view full article at www.patheos.com In a unanimous decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today, the judges ruled that the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Directors (in California) was indeed violating the Establishment Clause by promoting Christianity at meetings. This is a huge…
Click here to view full article at idahostatejournal.com Portneuf Valley Interfaith Fellowship Religious freedom is a basic human right that gives our lives dignity and meaning and enables all of us to think, act upon, and express what we deeply believe. It’s recognized in constitutions and declarations the world over.…
Click here to view full article at www.lawandreligionuk.com So it’s goodbye from him – and it’s goodbye from him… Brexit Last week, Boris Johnson resigned as Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and David Davis as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. Johnson was replaced by Jeremy Hunt, who campaigned…
Click here to view full article at www.lawandreligionuk.com A fairly quiet week – though not for Mrs May… Leicester City Council and criticism of Israel In R (Jewish Rights Watch, t/a Jewish Human Rights Watch) v Leicester City Council [2018] EWCA Civ 1551 , the Court of Appeal ruled unanimously…
Click here to view full article at www.catholicnewsagency.com Des Moines, Iowa, Jun 22, 2018 / 10:49 am ( CNA/EWTN News ).- After reviewing $844,000 worth of grants that were given by Polk County, Iowa to local Catholic schools a few years back, the Diocese of Des Moines said that it…
Click here to view full article at www.lawandreligionuk.com Trinity Western was probably the main news of the week, but the likely abolition of blasphemy in Ireland may prove of wider importance in the longer term. Trinity Western On Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down two judgments in the…
Click here to view full article at www.lifesitenews.com Shutterstock OTTAWA, June 15, 2018 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Supreme Court decision favoring LGBTQ “rights” over a Christian college’s freedom to uphold Christian moral standards is an outright attack on religious freedom, said a number of critics. In a pair of…