pewforum.org Religion News on the Web

Religion News on the Web

Selected religion-related news from around the Web
Wash. Post: Chinese leaders still suspicious of religion, party document shows
Chinese leaders issued an order last year quietly directing universities to root out foreigners suspected of plotting against the Communist Party by converting students to Christianity.
NYT: Monks lose relevance as Thailand grows richer
The monks of this northern Thai village no longer perform one of the defining rituals of Buddhism, the early-morning walk through the community to collect food. Instead, the temple’s abbot dials a local restaurant and has takeout delivered.
CS Monitor: How some Israelis see the sacred in settlements
As Rabbi Dovid Ben Meir leads visitors through the ruins of this ancient city, believed to have served as the Jewish capital more than 3,000 years ago, his love of history is clear.
AP: Philippine legislators approve divisive contraceptives bill despite church’s objections
Philippine legislators passed a landmark bill Monday that would provide government funding for contraceptives and sexuality classes in schools despite strong opposition by the dominant Roman Catholic Church and its followers, some of whom threatened to ask the Supreme Court to block the legislation.
AP: School yoga tries to avoid religious controversy
Public school yoga instructor Katie Campbell proudly looks out at 23 first graders as they contain their squirming in a kid-friendly version of the lotus position.
Reuters: Hungary's Jews face down new extremism
A week after a leader of Hungary's far-right Jobbik party called for lists of prominent Jews to be drawn up to protect national security, Janos Fonagy stepped forward.
AP: Israel's Women of the Wall pray for equality
Israeli security guards at the Western Wall on Friday searched women worshippers arriving at the holiest place where Jews can pray for a seemingly inoffensive object — the Jewish prayer shawl, which under the Orthodox tradition can be worn only by men.
Times of India: Turban pride restored as Sikhs win school turban ban case against France in UN
The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has ruled that France's ban on the wearing of "conspicuous" religious symbols in schools - introduced in a law adopted in March 2004 - violated a Sikh student's right to manifest his religion, protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Independent: Debate on Islam and evolution has to be called off after revolt by student societies
Organisers behind a British conference on Islam and evolution say they nearly had to cancel the event after receiving a torrent of opposition from Muslim students at one of the country’s top scientific universities, The Independent has learned.
CS Monitor: Chicago Muslims aim to reclaim meaning of 'jihad' from extremists
An Islamic-American advocacy group is trying to reclaim the word “jihad,” one city bus at a time.
Free Press: Bills limiting abortion options step closer to becoming law in Michigan
Two sweeping bills aimed at limiting abortion options moved closer to Gov. Rick Snyder's desk Wednesday, adding to two others already awaiting his signature.
The Times: Beijing strips Ma Daqin of his title of auxiliary Bishop of Shanghai
Relations between China and the Vatican were tense yesterday after Beijing revoked the title of a newly ordained Catholic bishop.
McClatchy: Religious colleges challenge health care law’s contraception rule
North Carolina’s Belmont Abbey College is trying to resurrect a religious school charge against the Obama administration’s signature health care law.
The Times: Church of England exempted from gay marriage
The Church of England will be forbidden by law from performing gay marriage ceremonies in an effort to appease senior Anglicans and Tory MPs.
Reuters: Putin pledges to fight corruption, capital flight
President Vladimir Putin pledged on Wednesday to crack down on corruption and the flight of capital from Russia in a new campaign to tackle problems that have marred his 13-year rule and blighted the country's business scene.
National Journal: More health care Supreme Court drama: 'Contraceptive mandate' versus religious freedom
The Supreme Court famously upheld most of the Affordable Care Act in June.
CS Monitor: England census: Why have the ranks of the religious declined?
Results from the first census of England and Wales for 10 years this week revealed a crisis engulfing what until recently had seemed to be Britain's newest and most vibrant religion: The ranks of Jedi Knights have more than halved to 176,632.
Daily Mail: Now PM's faith minister attacks gay marriage law: Warsi claims equality could have string of 'unintended consequences'
The minister for faith has broken ranks on gay marriage to warn that David Cameron’s controversial legislation could have a string of ‘unintended consequences’.
NYT: German lawmakers vote to protect right to circumcision
German lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation ensuring parents the right to have their boys circumcised, bringing a close to months of legal uncertainty set off by a regional court’s ruling that equated the practice with bodily harm.
Reuters: Election candidate hopes to draw Israeli Arabs out of shadows
One Israeli Arab election candidate aims to lead his community out of the margins of Israeli politics - saying their interests have been overshadowed for too long by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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