Religion
-
Jewish congregations mount legal challenges to state abortion bans
Thousands of years of Jewish scripture make it clear that access to abortion care is a requirement of Jewish law…
Read More » -
Pope says he’ll slow down, may eventually retire: ‘You can change a pope’
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis acknowledged Saturday that he could no longer travel as he used to…
Read More » -
Hawaii museum revisits history of gender-fluid healers
HONOLULU (AP) — More than 500 years ago, Hawaiians placed four boulders on a Waikiki beach to honor visitors from…
Read More » -
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
ATLANTA (AP) — A rural Georgia monument that some conservative Christians criticized as satanic and others dubbed “America’s Stonehenge” was…
Read More » -
#ChurchToo revelations growing, years after movement began
You might call it #ChurchToo 2.0: a withering report on sexual abuse and cover-up in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant…
Read More » -
Vatican’s Pius XII archives begin to shed light on WWII pope
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has long defended its World War II-era pope, Pius XII, against criticism that he…
Read More » -
Sen. Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist, publishes memoir; children’s book to follow
(AP) — U.S. Sen. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, is Georgia’s first Black senator.…
Read More » -
Pope establishes, staffs new committee to guide Vatican’s future investments
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis announced the first appointments Tuesday under his newly reformed Vatican bureaucracy, tapping a trusted…
Read More » -
Eight Missouri ministers accused of sex abuse in Southern Baptist Convention report
The Southern Baptist Convention’s list of accused sex abusers within the denomination includes at least eight men in Missouri. The…
Read More » -
Southern Baptist leaders release secret accused abuser list
In response to an explosive investigation, top Southern Baptists have released a previously secret list of hundreds of pastors and…
Read More » -
Police investigate swastika painted on Black church
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A black swastika was painted on the outside wall of an historically Black church in southwestern…
Read More » -
Pope decries divisions caused by old-school liturgy fans
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday blasted Catholics who, hewing to old-school versions of liturgy such as the Latin…
Read More » -
Black catholic nuns have compelling, long-overlooked history
Even as a young adult, Shannen Dee Williams – who grew up Black and Catholic in Memphis, Tenn. – knew…
Read More » -
Sacred hares, winter witches, pagan worship: Roots of Easter Bunny traditions are ancient
The Easter Bunny is a much celebrated character in American Easter celebrations. On Easter Sunday, children look for hidden special…
Read More » -
All-year Daylight Saving Time push threatens Jews’ morning prayer
American Jews say they were blindsided by the U.S. Senate’s lightning-fast passage of a bill to make daylight saving time…
Read More » -
Pope’s peace prayer for Ukraine recalls Fatima prophecy
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis prayed for peace in Ukraine in a ceremony Friday that harked back to a century-old…
Read More » -
$1.7M is approved for restoration of historic Black church
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government has approved $1.7 million for the restoration of one of the oldest Black…
Read More » -
Happy Twosday! Numbers such as 2/22/22 have been too fascinating for over 2,000 years
This Feb. 22, the world hits an unprecedented milestone. It’s the date itself: 2/22/22. And this so-called “Twosday” falls on…
Read More » -
Many faith leaders wary of religious exemptions for vaccine
By the thousands, Americans have been seeking religious exemptions in order to circumvent COVID-19 vaccination mandates, but generally they are…
Read More » -
Millions in tax dollars flow to anti-abortion centers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Anti-abortion centers across the country are receiving tens of millions of tax dollars to talk women…
Read More » -
Governor’s ‘Christian values’ statement questioned
Gov. Mike Parson has no “litmus test for appointments,” his spokeswoman said Friday, despite a statement earlier in the week…
Read More » -
Pandemic changes death rituals, leaves grieving families without a sense of closure
The unexpected death of a friend and colleague to COVID-19 in January 2021 led me to start researching how American…
Read More » -
Pope New Year’s message: Pandemic is hard, but focus on the good
VATICAN CITY (AP) — In his New Year’s wishes to the world, Pope Francis encouraged people Saturday to focus on…
Read More » -
Desmond Tutu, South African equality activist, dies at 90
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights and retired Anglican…
Read More » -
Pope demands humility in new zinger-filled Christmas speech
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis urged Vatican cardinals, bishops and bureaucrats to embrace humility this Christmas season, saying their pride,…
Read More » -
Many churches cancel in-person Christmas services
(AP) — Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the U.S., numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services, disappointing pastors…
Read More » -
What’s your religion? In U.S., a common reply now is ‘None’
Nathalie Charles, even in her mid-teens, felt unwelcome in her Baptist congregation, with its conservative views on immigration, gender and…
Read More » -
Women breaking through to top roles in Black churches
When an opening for bishop arose in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in 2010, Teresa Jefferson-Snorton looked around to see…
Read More » -
How Christmas became an American holiday tradition, with a Santa Claus, gifts and a tree
Each year, the celebration of Christmas has religious leaders and conservatives publicly complaining about the commercialization of the holiday and the growing…
Read More » -
Conflict over abortion laws won’t abate if Roe v. Wade falls
On both sides of America’s abortion debate, activists are convinced that Roe v. Wade — the 1973 Supreme Court ruling…
Read More »
