pewforum.org Religion News on the Web

Religion News on the Web

Selected religion-related news from around the Web
Balt. Sun: Md. Senate votes to repeal death penalty

The Maryland Senate voted Wednesday to make Maryland the 18th state to abolish the death penalty, putting Gov. Martin O'Malley one step closer to a significant legislative victory.

AP: Americans control conclave message just by talking
The two American cardinals sat on the stage, microphones in hand, fielding questions from the world's news media on everything from the delayed arrival of some of their colleagues to their own wardrobe choices if elected pope.
AP: Ark. Gov. Beebe vetoes 12-week abortion ban
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday vetoed what would have been the most restrictive abortion ban in the nation, telling lawmakers that outlawing the procedure as early as 12 weeks into a pregnancy would be unconstitutional.
Wash. Post: Virginia’s Liberty transforms into evangelical mega-university
The small Baptist college that television preacher Jerry Falwell founded here in 1971 has capitalized on the online education boom to become an evangelical mega-university with global reach.
Post-Dispatch: Illinois gay marriage debate is splitting parties, churches
As Illinois edges toward legalizing same-sex marriage, the debate is dividing partisan, religious and even racial allies.
AP: Catholics ponder future with new pope
Faithful attending Sunday Mass on five continents for the first time since Pope Benedict XVI's retirement had different ideas about who should next lead the Roman Catholic Church, with people suggesting everything from a Latin American pope to one more like the conservative, Polish-born John Paul II.
Toronto Star: Politics, secrecy play role in selection of religious leaders around world
Roman Catholic cardinals will soon gather beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope to succeed Benedict XVI, who retired in February.
Miami Herald: Pastors across county unite to fight black-on-black crime
Before families in Miami’s black communities bury loved ones killed by violent shootings, they call a pastor.
Wash. Post: Obama urges Supreme Court to overturn California same-sex marriage ban
The Obama administration told the Supreme Court on Thursday that California’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, a position that could also cast doubt on prohibitions in other states.
Houston Chronicle: Bahá'ís to begin fast ahead of new year
The Bahá'í community - known for its outward focus on interfaith relations and community service - turns inward for its annual month of fasting and spiritual devotion, beginning Saturday.
AP: Critics: NY gov's abortion bill would hurt women
A coalition of doctors said Wednesday that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's abortion rights bill would hurt women, force many into lifetime bouts of depression and guilt and make late-term abortions more common and more dangerous.
CS Monitor: Gay marriage: why corporations are coming out against DOMA
Wading into the highly emotional but quickly shifting national debate over gay marriage, 278 companies filed an amicus brief Wednesday in support of Edith Windsor, the New York woman whose challenge of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has been taken up by the United States Supreme Court.
Globe and Mail: Call to help Tibetans puts pressure on Canada’s new religion envoy
The political leader of exiled Tibetans is calling on Canada’s ambassador for religious freedom to investigate religious repression and suicide in his homeland, squeezing the week-old post into a tricky diplomatic position.
USA Today: Brazil turns to Catholic Church to quash crack epidemic
Wrapped in a Persian rug caked in dirt, a man addicted to crack cocaine listened as Elizeu Dias tried to persuade him to take the last spot available in an old Volkswagen van that is taking addicts to drug treatment.
AP: Big push to support gay marriage at high court
Prominent Republicans, retired military leaders and U.S. businesses are among the factions ready to ask the Supreme Court to support marriage equality in two cases up for argument next month.
AP: Arkansas abortion bill vetoed by Governor Mike Beebe
Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday vetoed a ban on most abortions in Arkansas at 20 weeks into a pregnancy, setting up an override fight with a Republican-controlled Legislature that has been pushing for more restrictions on the procedure.
Wash. Times: Calif. gay-rights bill aims to strip Boy Scouts of tax-exempt status
Scouting organizations in California that bar open homosexuals as leaders and members could lose their state tax-exempt status if a bill is enacted.
Reuters: U.N. told atheists face discrimination around globe
Atheists, humanists and freethinkers face widespread discrimination around the world with expression of their views criminalized and subject in some countries to capital punishment, the United Nations was told on Monday.
Wash. Times: Born this way? Five court cases will put focus on gay identity
Lady Gaga may belt out that gays are “born this way,” but questions about the origin and unchangeability of homosexuality are central to at least five lawsuits, including two before the Supreme Court next month.
LA Times: As a new pope is chosen, Latin America hopes for more sway
They represent the region with more Roman Catholics than any other. And their to-do list for the next pope is a long one.
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