religious beliefs

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ACLU: Ten Commandments Law 'Blatantly Unconstitutional'

Civil rights group, others say they'll sue over Louisiana law mandating display in public schools

(Newser) - "I can't wait to be sued," Louisiana's Republican governor announced over the weekend, just days before signing a bill Wednesday requiring every public school classroom in the state to display the Bible's Ten Commandments . And now, the time has come. The American Civil Liberties Union,...

Swear You Saw Stigmata? Vatican Has New Guidelines

Church officials update norms to confirm Virgin Mary visions, other supernatural claims

(Newser) - The Catholic Church has a long and controversial history of the faithful claiming to have had visions of the Virgin Mary, of statues that purportedly wept blood tears, and of stigmata that erupted on hands mimicking the wounds of Christ. On Friday, the Vatican will announce new norms to help...

Johnson's God Speech Irks Republicans: 'I'm Not at Church'

Speaker of the House's religious-themed attempt to rally Republicans at retreat didn't resonate

(Newser) - It makes sense that the Republican speaker of the House would lead a GOP retreat meant to discuss how to keep and expand the chamber's majority. What didn't make sense to some in attendance at the Miami event last weekend, however, was the tenor of Mike Johnson's...

Most Americans Believe in Angels
Most Americans
Believe in Angels
Jul 31, 2023 1:06 PM CDT

Most Americans Believe in Angels

69% of them, per a new poll

(Newser) - Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America. Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. More than astrology, reincarnation, and the belief that physical things can have spiritual energies. In fact, about 7 in 10 US adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll...

Document in SCOTUS LGBTQ+ Case Is Raising Eyebrows

'Gay' man whose inquiry is evidence tells 'New Republic' he never made that inquiry—and isn't gay

(Newser) - One of the Supreme Court's final rulings for this term is due out Friday regarding LGBTQ+ rights, but ahead of its release comes a report on a key document in the case. It appears that document may be phony, reports the Guardian , which notes that "[raises] the possibility...

Mom Sues Pharmacist Whose 'Beliefs' Kept Him From Doling Out Meds

Andrea Anderson had to try 3 Minnesota pharmacies before she could get morning-after pill in 2019

(Newser) - In January 2019, during sex with her partner of more than 10 years, Andrea Anderson discovered the condom they were using had broken, and she immediately got a prescription for Ella, an emergency contraceptive that delays or stops ovulation—i.e., the morning-after pill, which doesn't end a pregnancy...

Alleged Cult Leader Dies, Followers Apparently Can't Part With Her

7 members of Love Has Won religious group kept mummified remains of Amy Carlson in home

(Newser) - Police say a man returned to his rural Colorado home last week to find a mummified woman, who "appeared to be set up in some type of shrine." The face, with missing eyes, was caked in glittery makeup, and the body was wrapped in a sleeping bag and...

Suit Says Asking for Prayer Breaks Ended Job Interview

CEO mocked her beliefs, interviewee says

(Newser) - A northern Virginia woman is suing a company that she says refused to hire her after she requested two five-minute breaks to pray during her shift. Shahin Indorewala, 26, says her interview with Fast Trak Management was going well until she asked if she could take the prayer breaks in...

Student Forced to Wash Ashes Off Forehead in Front of Class

Teacher who called cross inappropriate apologizes

(Newser) - A Utah teacher is on administrative leave after she made a 9-year-old Catholic student wash off the Ash Wednesday cross from his forehead. Davis School District spokesman Chris Williams said Thursday that fourth-grade teacher Moana Patterson won't be teaching as the district investigates, the AP reports. Karen Fisher says...

5 Most, Least Religious US States
5 Most, Least
Religious US States
Oct 27, 2017 1:05 PM CDT

5 Most, Least Religious US States

New Hampshire is where Americans are least religious, Mississippi the most

(Newser) - Being able to freely turn to whatever higher power one chooses (or none at all) is one of the principles America was founded on, but in some states, residents take their religion more seriously than others. A Pew Research Center survey from 2014 was placed under the 24/7 Wall St....

Almost Everyone Thinks Atheists Are the Worst
Almost Everyone Thinks
Atheists Are the Worst
NEW STUDY
Aug 8, 2017 10:58 AM CDT

Almost Everyone Thinks Atheists Are the Worst

'Atheists are broadly perceived as potentially morally depraved and dangerous': study

(Newser) - When given a hypothetical scenario describing a fictional character who progresses from torturing animals as a child to murdering homeless people as an adult, most people assume that this person is an atheist—and that includes atheists themselves. That's what researchers at the University of Kentucky in Lexington are...

Indian Top Court to Rule on Muslim Divorce With 3 Words

Men have to say 'talaq' 3 times and they're officially free; women say that's discriminatory

(Newser) - Although the Koran spells out how a Muslim couple's divorce should be handled—Islamic experts say it's to be spread out over three months so the couple can gauge if it's really the best decision—a more modern-day divorce tactic is now being examined by India's...

Woman's Abrupt Hyper-Religiosity Has Medical Cause
Woman's Abrupt
Hyper-Religiosity
Has Medical
Cause
case study
Feb 18, 2017 2:45 PM CST

Woman's Abrupt Hyper-Religiosity Has Medical Cause

Patient already believed in God, so it wasn't a 'case of religious conversion'

(Newser) - Her friends and family felt something was wrong: The Spanish woman went from simply believing in God to believing she was seeing and talking with the Virgin Mary. And that's not all. The 60-year-old abruptly shifted from being happy and positive to sad and withdrawn, reports Live Science . Suspecting...

NYPD Cops Get OK to Sport Turbans, Beards for Religion

Both Sikh and Muslim officers have pushed for policy change

(Newser) - The NYPD announced Wednesday it has revised policy so that police officers can now sport beards and turbans if called for by their religion, the New York Times reports. Per NBC New York , officers must get the green light before showing up for work with either, but once they get...

After New Mom's Death, Jehovah's Witnesses Take Heat
After New Mom's Death,
Jehovah's Witnesses Take Heat 
in case you missed it
Oct 29, 2016 3:49 PM CDT

After New Mom's Death, Jehovah's Witnesses Take Heat

Eloise Dupuis, 27, died of a hemorrhage after she refused blood transfusion

(Newser) - Jehovah's Witnesses are defending their ban on blood transfusions after the death of a new mom in Quebec this month. Family members of Eloise Dupuis, 27, say she was influenced to decline a potentially lifesaving blood transfusion after a bedside visit by a "hospital liaison committee" of Jehovah'...

Why Food Vendors in Malaysia Have to Rename Hot Dogs

Government tells Auntie Anne's that 'dog' can't be in product name if it wants halal certification

(Newser) - What's in a name? In Malaysia, a heck of a lot when it comes to hot dogs. Per the BBC , the country's Islamic Development Department has told food vendors in the mostly Muslim nation that if they want a halal designation (meaning food items have been given the...

Teen Dies After 68-Day Fast, Family Faces Homicide Charges

13-year-old Aradhana Samdariya was taking part in ancient religious ritual

(Newser) - For more than two months, a 13-year-old in India took part in an extreme religious fast, reports the BBC . Early this month she called off that fast, but she fell into a coma two days later and died of cardiac arrest on Oct. 4—and now her parents, well-off jewelers...

Georgia Passes Anti-Gay Bill, May Face Economic Backlash

Churches, pastors could refuse to serve same-sex couples

(Newser) - Gay rights advocates say discrimination could soon be legal in Georgia if Gov. Nathan Deal signs a bill now on his desk. The controversial Religious Liberty Bill—which would allow churches and pastors to refuse to serve same-sex couples, at least in theory—passed the Georgia legislature late Wednesday, reports...

11 Least Religious Cities in the US

Yup, Sin City makes the list

(Newser) - Haven't yet found God and don't plan to? You might feel right at home in Portland, San Francisco, or Seattle. Those are the least religious cities in the country, according to a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute picked up by MarketWatch . Here are the 11...

America Might Be Ready for an Atheist President
America Might Be Ready
for an Atheist President
OPINION
Dec 11, 2013 5:56 PM CST

America Might Be Ready for an Atheist President

New Republic essay thinks another political taboo is poised to fall

(Newser) - A Politico Magazine story sounds a pessimistic note about the prospects for an atheist president, noting that Barney Frank came out as gay 25 years ago but waited until after his political retirement to announce that he was a non-believer. But at the New Republic , Isaac Chotiner finds "surprising...

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