One by one, Catholic dioceses in key presidential swing states are putting out unusual statements: Newspapers whose titles include the word Catholic that are showing up in people’s mailboxes aren’t what they seem and aren’t connected to the church. With a classic typeface and traditional newspaper design, the mass-mailed Catholic Tribune newspapers carry signposts of legitimacy.
Read MoreAlong the Hudson River, about an hour north of New York, is a church perched atop a hill in a village called Sleepy Hollow. When Washington Irving immortalized the Old Dutch Church with its Headless Horseman in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” it became a literary mainstay. For 300 years, the ghost who haunts the churchyard has frightened people. These days, a new force distresses the locals.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Some 79 countries around the world continue to enforce blasphemy laws. And in places such as Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, violation of these measures can result in a death penalty. While the U.S. is not among those countries, it also has a long history of blasphemy laws.
Read MoreThe role of Jewish delis in American politics took a turn that gave some of its Jewish voters indigestion. Some Jewish Democrats said they would never again eat at Hymie’s Deli, a popular spot in the Philadelphia’s suburbs for nearly 70 years, after an ad for former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was filmed there.
Read MoreThe Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has urged the U.S. government to intercede for the American families and Chinese orphans caught in limbo by the end of China’s international adoption program.
Read MoreNick Saban — who adopted two children, Nicholas and Kristen, with his wife, Terry, and “adopted” hundreds more as a coach — drew a sellout crowd to Faulkner University’s annual benefit dinner, which celebrated heroes of adoption and foster care. Saban, a college football legend, retired from coaching and now works as a TV analyst for ESPN's “College GameDay,”
Read MoreA thought-provoking discussion of politics and faith highlights our first Norton Colloquium.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Behind the sensational headlines, the Sunshine State has another, far more solemn side. Not only is Florida a religious state, but according to recent rankings, it is one of the most religious states in the nation — a fact that might surprise some. Florida’s zest for the transcendent extends beyond the Bible Belt. The Cuban-American community has had an impact on the state's religious landscape.
Read More(OPINION) I can’t do justice to these responses in full here, but they all go back to that same fundamental point: Abortion snuffs out a real, human life, a life with unknown potential, however tiny and still-developing it may be.
Read MoreWhile many Jews don’t celebrate Halloween, that doesn’t mean we don’t have our own share of spooky, scary skeletons scattered throughout our day.
Read More(OPINION) Every day when I read or listen to the national news, I want to drive over to the public square and shout, “You kids stop it! Stop it right now!” So, before things get any further out of hand, let me offer up some thoughts on the election for all of us who are civically involved but not fanatics.
Read MoreAddressing the Synod Assembly on Saturday evening, Pope Francis highlighted how the Final Document, written over the course of the 2nd Session of the Synod on Synodality that began on Oct. 2 following a process of listening and dialogue, is the fruit of over three years of listening to the People of God.
Read More“Sons of Patriarchy” aims to expose patriarchy, Christian nationalism, the underlying theologies of these movements and how these beliefs breed all forms of abuse. The series will also “give voice to those who have suffered the kind of abuse you cannot even begin to imagine in the churches and institutions we are profiling,” according to its Facebook page.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I like studying an organization like the Freedom From Religion Foundation. It’s a self-selected collection of individuals who become members and pay dues because they feel it’s a good use of their time and resources. But how much do members of a group like FFRF represent the larger nonreligious group they come from?
Read MoreA series of recent court cases in several states regarding faith and schools have tested the separation of church and state guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, but variously interpreted by legal experts and judges. Questions of separation of church and state will likely be settled by the nation’s highest court.
Read MoreRepublican leaders have been pushing for Christian values in public schools, with mixed results. Many Christians are disillusioned with both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and the polls suggest that many may not vote in the upcoming election.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In her campaign against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — whose 2016 victory angered her — the Harris team has used Doritos as a symbol of the feisty, combative side of the vice president’s personality.
Read MoreThe election is not only coming on the heels of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, but nine days after the sixth anniversary of the Tree of Life massacre, where a gunman murdered 11 Jews. The election has further divided the community, with disagreements over Israel’s response and whether former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris is best suited to handle the fallout.
Read MoreNo publicity has gone to women who have chosen a different path. The Catholic Church, for example, opposes aborting the handicapped unborn on the grounds that all life — no matter how disabled — has “inherent dignity.” This debate has been reignited as Vice President Kamala Harris, who favors expanding abortion rights, runs for president.
Read MoreVice President Kamala Harris has chosen Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in part to appeal to white working-class male voters, but the gender gap continues to persist. The Harris-Walz campaign has been ramping up its outreach to male voters and Walz has been deployed to the frontlines of that campaign.
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