As with Americans in general, it may be too early to make forecasts about the shape of the Catholic vote in this very close presidential election, according to recent polls. Just as Catholic voting patterns are no longer as predictable as they once were, distinct public Catholic voices are no longer being heard above the […]
The popularity of at-home DNA tests has led to a surge in conversions to Judaism, reports Kaya Burgess in The Times of London (September 20). Dr. Jonathan Romain, a senior rabbi and convenor of the UK Reform Beit Din (rabbinic court), reports that this phenomenon has become increasingly common in recent years. Individuals who discover […]
While schismatic separations from the United Methodist Church (UMC) have largely taken place within the U.S., the largest being the Global Methodist Church, the denomination is now facing the situation of its international partners threatening to leave, according to Evangelical Focus (September 9), a newsletter on European evangelicals. So far, the denomination has lost around […]
While allowing for “prudent adherence” to the messages, the Vatican has recently taken steps to tighten control over the alleged Marian apparitions in Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina), writes Mikael Corre in La Croix International (September 20). On September 19, the Holy See issued a decree that does not formally recognize the supernatural nature of the […]
■ While there is less opposition to the prospect of an atheist president, especially as the stigma of atheism has decreased in recent years, partisanship and religiosity may still keep voters from electing even patriotic candidates if they don’t profess a faith, a new study finds. In an article in the Journal for the […]
In recent years, a new generation of young left-wing Christians has emerged in France, challenging the notion that Christian leftists were disappearing in the face of right-wing Catholics, writes Pascale Tournier in the Catholic weekly La Vie (September 26). This group, primarily consisting of individuals aged 25–40, is beginning to organize and assert itself in […]
Australia’s legalization of same-sex marriage in 2017 has opened the door to a series of federal, state, and territory-level religious discrimination bills (or proposed bills) that focus on anti-discrimination rather than protection of the autonomy of religious institutions, curtailing the capacity of such organizations to govern their affairs, writes Ian Tregenza in the Journal of […]
Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda based in Somalia, is finding new support among the young as well as forming new alliances, such as with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, reports Tam Hussein in the online magazine UnHerd (September 16). The ineffectiveness of the Somali government in defeating the terrorist group was on display in July […]
While the practice of deprogramming or “faith breaking,” where members of minority religions are confined and submitted to heavy psychological indoctrination and various forms of violence, has been reported to be a common practice in China, these techniques are now being conducted in cooperation with an official religious group, Dong Deming reports in the newsletter […]
Albania is planning to create the world’s smallest, Vatican-style sovereign state within its capital city, Tirana. This proposed 27-acre enclave, about the size of five New York City blocks, would be called the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order and would serve as a symbol of religious tolerance and moderate Islam. The initiative is being […]
