News

Poll shows slight dip in US support for LGBTQ rights across religious groups

March 12, 2024

(RNS) — While most Americans continue to broadly support LGBTQ rights, that support may be waning, including among religious Americans, according to a new poll from PRRI. The report, based on interviews with more than 22,000 U.S. adults in 2023, found that Americans are slightly less likely to support same-sex marriage and LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections and less likely to oppose allowing business owners to refuse to serve LGBTQ people for faith reasons, compared with the year before. 

Source: https://religionnews.com/2024/03/12/poll-shows-slight-dip-in-us-...

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Do Interfaith Skills Help Healthcare Workers Provide Better Patient Care?

March 11, 2024

 

Across the United States, the landscape of religion and spirituality is changing. Reflected in the patient populations, US healthcare facilities are tasked with providing care to a religiously diverse country. Healthcare professionals skilled in interfaith leadership have taken the lead in reshaping the landscape of patient care to create a more inclusive and understanding healthcare environment.   

 

Source: https://www....

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Many Christian voters in US see immigration as a crisis. How to address it is where they differ.

March 7, 2024

MIAMI (AP) — Christian voters and faith leaders have long been in the frontlines of providing assistance to migrants — but when it comes to support for immigration policies, from border security to legalization options for migrants already in the U.S., priorities diverge broadly.

Both President Joe Biden and GOP challenger Donald Trump ...

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Interfaith Council Looking To Solidify ‘Communities of Compassion’ Identity

March 5, 2024

Newtown Interfaith Council (NIC) discussed wanting to solidify the identity for its new “Communities of Compassion” initiative at its February 24 meeting.

Dr John Woodall, alongside Newtown Congregational Church Pastor Matt Crebbin and Love Has a Home Here Founder Bill Donaldson, led discussions with other NIC members about the initiative after its first session at Sticks and Stones Farm in February.

While they celebrated getting “Communities of Compassion” off the ground by hosting the first session, the council hopes to find a name that they feel better fits the...

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Silicon Valley Start-Up Aims to Unlock Buddhist Jhana States with Tech

March 4, 2024

The quest for inner peace and profound bliss typically takes years of meditation practice, but a Silicon Valley start-up named Jhourney claims it might soon offer a shortcut. Founded by Stephen Zerfas and Alex Gruver, Jhourney aims to harness artificial intelligence and EEG technology to help people achieve deep meditative states, known as jhanas, which are described in ancient Buddhist texts as leading to intense experiences of bliss and peace. The founders believe their approach could democratize access to these states, traditionally the realm of advanced meditators.

Source...

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Rising Wiccan Tide: 1.5 Million U.S. Witches Challenge Mainstream Religion

March 3, 2024

Wicca, a minority religion that began in the U.K. during the 1940s, has seen significant growth in the United States since its introduction in the 1960s. With an estimated 1.5 million practitioners identifying as witches, and approximately 800,000 of those adhering to Wicca specifically, this spiritual path continues to attract followers. Its emphasis on celebrating a Goddess alongside a God, lack of formal institutional structure, and focus on ritual and direct spiritual experience rather than belief set it apart from mainstream religions.

Source: https://bnnbreaking.com...

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In conversation: Podcast explores collective inquiry through Bahá’í studies

March 3, 2024

 

BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — This podcast episode from the Bahá’í World News Service explores the initiatives of the Association for Bahá’í Studies (ABS) in North America that aim to enrich the intellectual life of communities.

 

Selvi Adaikkallam Zabihi, Michael Karlberg, Malik Nash, and Negin Toosi join the News Service from the United States to discuss the ABS’s unique approach to inquiry within the sciences and humanities.

 

 

Source: https://news.bahai.org/...

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How Hakeem Jeffries’ Black Baptist upbringing and deep-rooted faith shapes his House leadership

February 28, 2024

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stood together at the annual National Prayer Breakfast — an opportunity, in the words of one introductory speaker, to “put our political differences aside.”

Such differences are vast between Johnson, a staunchly conservative Republican, and Jeffries, a hero to liberal Democrats. But at the prayer breakfast earlier this month, they collegially took turns reading Scripture — evoking how their shared Christianity confronts evil.

It was a fleeting moment of unity for...

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Interfaith group addresses food insecurity issue throughout the Midlands

February 26, 2024

 

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - An organization called More Justice, made up of more than 25 interfaith leaders from across the Midlands, is rallying their congregations to raise awareness of issues of food insecurity, gun violence and affordable housing.

More Justice formed research groups throughout their congregations to find what social issues were impacting their communities the most. While gun violence and affordable housing have been issues raised since the group’s inception, food insecurity was the latest to join the list.

Members of More Justice...

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