Long before the Supreme Court took up one of the last remaining cases it will decide this session—the 303 Creative v. Elenis case, concerning a Colorado web designer named Lorie Smith who refuses to make websites for same-sex weddings and seeks an…
Thousands in North Macedonia join Church protest against proposed laws on gender equality, identity
Thousands of people gathered outside the cathedral in North Macedonia’s capital on Thursday during a protest organized by the country’s Orthodox Church against proposed legislation on gender equality and identity which it says threatens family values.
Religious Freedom Arguments Underpin Wave of Challenges to Abortion Bans
For years, conservative Christians have used the principle of religious freedom to prevail in legal battles on issues like contraceptive insurance mandates and pandemic restrictions. Now, abortion rights supporters are employing that argument to challenge one of the right’s most prized…
Saudi Arabia’s new Hajj booking process has left many foreign pilgrims frustrated
Muslims from around the world began the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Monday (June 26). This year, about 2.6 million pilgrims are expected in the Islamic holy city, as the kingdom has lifted all COVID-19 restrictions on foreign…
Pope’s peace envoy arrives in Moscow after the short-lived Wagner rebellion
Pope Francis’ peace envoy arrived in Moscow on Tuesday in hopes of helping find “a solution to the tragic current situation” of the war in Ukraine, weeks after making a preliminary visit to Kyiv, the Vatican said.
As Pittsburgh shooter stood trial, members of a congregation he attacked found parallels with Palestinians in the West Bank
About two weeks ago, the CEO of HIAS, the Jewish refugee aid group, testified in the trial of the Pittsburgh synagogue gunman — discussing how his group’s partnership with one of the building’s congregations prompted the shooter to commit the attack.
The search for gender identity, say trans seekers, brought them closer to God
Ari Fernandez, a journalist and aspiring rabbi living in Atlanta, began to realize the gender they were assigned at birth wasn’t a good fit in 2018, when they were reconnecting with their Jewish roots by working at Hillel International, a…
Unitarian Universalists elect first woman of color, openly queer president
A womanist theologian, ethicist and minister was installed as the 10th president of the Unitarian Universalist Association Sunday afternoon (June 25), following an uncontested election in which she secured 95.5% of the vote. She is both the first openly queer person…
How Christian groups helped parents pull books from some Pennsylvania school libraries
On May 12, the library coordinator for Pennsylvania’s Central Bucks School District sent an email to colleagues that some conservative parents and Christian advocacy groups had long prayed to see.