People Archives - Religion News Service

Black church leaders brought religion to politics in the ‘60s – but it was dramatically different from today’s white Christian nationalism

Tobin Miller Shearer — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 14:25:10 +0000

(The Conversation) — In 1966, the assertion of Black power was grounded in an appeal to the founding principles of the United States. Black church leaders called for healing internal divisions through engagement.

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The pope urges Indonesia to live up to its promise of ‘harmony in diversity’

Edna Tarigan — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 14:06:51 +0000

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Pope Francis compared Indonesia's human diversity to the archipelago’s 17,000 islands. He said each one contributes something specific to form “a magnificent mosaic, in which each tile is an irreplaceable element in creating a great original and precious work.”

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As Russell M. Nelson turns 100, a look back at one of the words that will define his legacy – and the controversial term’s 200-year history

Konden Smith Hansen — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:36:03 +0000

(The Conversation) — Latter-day Saints’ attitudes toward the word ‘Mormon,’ often used to describe the church, have had highs and lows − like other Americans’ often-tense relationship with the faith.

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Rutgers task force report urges university to add caste discrimination ban

Richa Karmarkar — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 22:52:45 +0000

(RNS) — Beginning in 2020 with Brandeis University, more than 20 higher education institutions across the country have followed momentum to recognize caste discrimination in their policies. But some in Hindu advocacy circles see this as a concerted attempt to negatively label one community as 'casteist.'

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Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’

Michael Scott Bryant — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:32:41 +0000

(The Conversation) — Throughout modern history, charismatic leaders have shown their extraordinary ability to elicit devotion to themselves and their causes.

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A Pakistani religious leader is tried in his absence for allegedly threatening Geert Wilders

Mike Corder — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:07:50 +0000

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) — “Every day you get up and leave for work in armored cars, often with sirens on, and you are always aware somewhere in the back of your mind that this could be your last day,” Geert Wilders, leader of the party that won last year's general election in the Netherlands, told the court.

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What is the Shroud of Turin and why is there so much controversy around it?

Eric Vanden Eykel — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 15:00:15 +0000

(The Conversation) — Many believe the Shroud of Turin to be the cloth used to bury Jesus after his crucifixion. Scientists have investigated the claim and here’s what they found.

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Is Usha Vance’s Hindu identity an asset or a liability to the Trump-Vance campaign?

Deepa Bharath — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 14:55:02 +0000

(AP) — While some political analysts say her strong presence as a Hindu American still makes the community proud, others question whether the Republican Party is really ready for a Hindu second lady.

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Taliban reject UN concerns over laws banning women’s voices and bare faces in public

Associated Press — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 14:03:47 +0000

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers on Wednesday issued the country’s first set of laws to discourage vice and promote virtue. They include a requirement for a woman to conceal her face, body and voice outside the home. They also ban images of living beings, such as photographs.

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The suspect in the Germany attack was motivated by Islamic State group ideology, prosecutors say

Daniel Niemann — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:38:23 +0000

SOLINGEN, Germany (AP) — The attack comes amid debate over immigration before regional elections on Sept. 1 in Germany’s Saxony and Thuringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well.

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