LONDON (RNS) — In the first case of its kind, a British court has convicted three Muslim men — who claimed they were acting under teachings of their religion — of openly advocating the execution of gays. Jurors in Derby,…
Bodily desecration is disturbing — but why?
NEW YORK (RNS) — The recent outrage over a video allegedly showing U.S. Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters provided Americans with a disturbing reminder that war can reduce men to revenge-seeking brutality that defies human norms. It’s nothing new:…
Poll: Preachy politicians turn off many voters
NEW YORK (RNS) — If there’s one thing the fractious Republican field agrees on, it’s that personal religious devotion is central to their campaign message. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and even Ron Paul stress their faith on the…
Catholics warn Gingrich, Santorum on race baiting
NEW YORK (RNS) — More than 40 Catholic leaders and theologians have issued an open letter to Catholic candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, warning them “to stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes on the campaign trail.” The signers of the…
Pope gives final approval to controversial lay group
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — After a 15-year process, the Holy See on Jan. 20 gave its final approval to the Neocatechumenal Way, a lay movement that has been criticized for its unorthodox liturgical practices but that has been successful in…
Big-city mayors come out for same-sex marriage
NEW YORK (RNS) — A bipartisan coalition of 80 U.S. mayors on Jan. 20 launched a “Freedom to Marry” campaign to build public support for giving same-sex couples the right to marry under U.S. and state laws. “It is not…
Amish man says home electricity OK if it gets him out of jail
CLEVELAND (RNS) — The leader of an Amish splinter sect who is being held in jail on federal hate crime charges related to a series of beard-cutting attacks says he is not opposed to allowing electricity installed in his home….
Obama holds firm on contraception coverage
NEW YORK (RNS) — The Obama administration said Jan. 20 that it will not broaden the religious exemption in new rules that require employers to provide contraception coverage to employees, a move that angered religious groups and opened a high…
Conservative Presbyterians launch new denomination
NEW YORK (RNS) — Conservative Presbyterians launched a new denomination on Jan. 19, saying that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is too consumed by internal conflicts and bureaucracy to nurture healthy congregations. “This ‘new Reformed body’ is intended to foster a…