Police in northeastern Thailand have arrested a forest-dwelling self-proclaimed holy man whose followers allegedly worshipped corpses and consumed bodily fluids as a cure for sickness, officials said Monday.
After Florida passes bill, LGBTQ parents ask: Which parents’ rights?
Janelle Perez had just finished testifying in front of Florida state senators about the impact the “don’t say gay” bill would have on her family when she received a text. It was a photo her 4-year-old daughter had drawn of her family:…
How belief in Moscow as ‘the new Rome’ explains Kirill’s astonishing declaration that ‘Russia has never attacked anyone’
Saying outrageous, verifiably untrue things has sort of become Patriarch Kirill of Moscow’s brand. The chief Russian Orthodox cleric had a history of outrageous statements before the Russian invasion of Ukraine (including calling the concept of human rights a heresy), but he’s…
At a popular evangelical tourist site, the Ark Encounter, the image of a ‘wrathful God’ appeals to millions
The Ark Encounter, an evangelical theme park located near Williamstown, Kentucky, has welcomed between 4 million and 5 million visitors since its opening in July 2016. Hundreds of thousands more are sure to visit this summer.
Discrepancy in sentencing of Cuban pastor
The Cuban government notified the family of Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo, who has been imprisoned since participating in peaceful protests last July, he has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
God is a mother, too, writes children’s book author Teresa Kim Pecinovsky
“You know God the Father, but God is your Mother too.”
What they wore: Amish Country exhibit spotlights sex abuse
Clotheslines with billowing linens and long dresses are a common sight on the off-grid farms of Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, home to the nation’s largest Amish settlement. For many tourists they’re as iconic a part of Amish Country’s bucolic scenery as…
The Sikh-American Community Is Building Resilience As Hate Crimes Rise
Within one week in April, three Sikh men between 45 and 72 were assaulted and severely injured in Queens, New York. The Sikh community was also marking the first anniversary of the mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx warehouse last…
Israeli police enter tense holy site as Jewish visits resume
Israeli police entered a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem to clear away Palestinian protesters on Thursday, after Jewish visits that had been paused for the Muslim holidays resumed.
Florida churches among first to begin exit from UMC to new, conservative denomination
A statement posted on Facebook Tuesday (May 3) by the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s Florida chapter caught the attention of the Florida bishop for the United Methodist Church: “107 Florida Methodist Churches Depart United Methodist Church,” it began.
How Same-Sex Marriage Shaped Joe Biden
Few living Americans have spent as much time under the cameras of political talk shows as Joe Biden, but no pre-presidential broadcast appearance of his is as memorable as one visit to NBC’s “Meet the Press” ten years ago this week.
Canadian panel urges not hiring military chaplains of religions that exclude women from their priesthoods
An advisory panel to the Canadian Department of National Defence wants to rid the Canadian Armed Forces of military chaplains whose religious faiths do not openly promote diversity.