pewforum.org Religion News on the Web

Religion News on the Web

Selected religion-related news from around the Web
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.
Boston Globe: What American nuns built
When Benedict XVI became the first pope in almost 600 years to resign earlier this month, most of the initial speculation had to do with obscure succession rules, and whether the next pope would be European, African, or even American.
Chicago Tribune: Cardinal George doesn't rule out an American pope
Fifteen years to the day that he became a prince of the Roman Catholic Church, Chicago's Cardinal Francis George said he wouldn't rule out the possibility of a fellow American becoming pope.
NPR: Who gets religious exemptions and why
Under revised rules of the Affordable Care Act, religious groups can be exempt from paying their employees' insurance coverage for birth control.
AP: California school district sued over yoga program
An attorney representing a family bent out of shape over a public school yoga program in the beach city of Encinitas filed a lawsuit Wednesday to stop the district-wide classes.
AP: Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court narrowly upholds law that bars gay couples from adopting children
Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court narrowly voted Wednesday to uphold a law banning gay couples from adopting children.
RNS: Is Purim the Jewish Halloween? Some Jews say no
Debby Levitt's four children are dressing up big time for Purim, one of the more raucous of Jewish holidays, which begins on Saturday (Feb. 23) this year.
National Post: Canada’s new religious freedom ambassador says he’ll give a louder voice to homegrown values in a ‘noisy world’
Andrew P. W. Bennett, Canada’s first ambassador of religious freedom, is a Christian academic studying toward a theology degree in Ottawa, an expert on Scottish devolution, and a government policy analyst with experience in the Privy Council, Export Development Canada and Natural Resources Canada.
NYT: House approves storm aid for religious institutions
The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow the use of federal money to rebuild churches and synagogues damaged by Hurricane Sandy, despite concern that such aid could violate the doctrine of separation of church and state.
Globe and Mail: Key immigration role urged for new religious-freedom ambassador
An evangelical Christian leader wants the federal government’s new ambassador for religious freedom to play a central role in screening refugees and immigrants fleeing religious persecution.
NYT: Eagerly awaiting release of Brazilian evangelical’s autobiography
The crowds of young people began arriving in SoHo in the dark, pitching portable chairs and passing cups of porridge among them.
Observer: Latin America is home to almost half the world's Catholics, but will struggle to produce the next pope
Almost as soon as Benedict XVI announced his resignation, Latin America was abuzz with speculation that the Catholic church would finally choose a pope from the continent with the most believers.
AP: Gay marriage support has risks for GOP lawmakers
As more state legislatures around the country consider whether to legalize same-sex weddings, an analysis of gay marriage votes in eight states shows that Republican lawmakers who backed it often faced consequences — including loss of their seats.
OC Register: Don't count out mainline Protestants yet
Churches grow, churches die.
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