All posts filed under: Religion

Religion

Kenya starts to hand over to relatives the bodies of 429 members of a doomsday cult

Kenya starts to hand over to relatives the bodies of 429 members of a doomsday cult

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s government on Tuesday began handing over to relatives the bodies of 429 members of a doomsday cult at the center of a legal case that has shocked the country. Exhumed bodies from a vast rural area in coastal Kenya have shown signs of starvation and strangulation. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie is accused of asking his followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus and now faces charges that include murder. Authorities are using DNA testing to help identify bodies and their families. On Tuesday, the first bodies were handed over to relatives. Emotions ran high at the Malindi mortuary as families collected loved ones for reburial. Some wailed, overwhelmed. Francis Wanje, a father who lost his daughter and seven other family members, pointed at a hearse carrying four bodies. “We lost eight members of our family,” Wanje said. “We were supposed to get five, but were told that one of the children did not match the DNA. “So now we have been given only four (bodies). So we are …

Germany player Rüdiger takes legal steps after Ramadan greeting prompts accusation of terror support

Germany player Rüdiger takes legal steps after Ramadan greeting prompts accusation of terror support

BERLIN (AP) — Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger and the German soccer federation are taking legal action against a disgraced former tabloid editor for suggesting the player’s Ramadan greeting was a show of support for terrorist group Islamic State. Rüdiger, a practicing Muslim, posted on Instagram a photo of himself in a white robe kneeling on a prayer mat while pointing upward with his right index finger. “Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslims around the world. May the almighty accept our fasting and prayers. #AlwaysBelieve,” the Real Madrid player wrote. Former Bild chief editor Julian Reichelt responded on X, formerly Twitter, with a series of posts accusing the player of “Islamism” and of showing the “ISIS-greeting of Islamists,” using another term to refer to Islamic State. Reichelt still enjoys a large following on social media despite being fired from Bild in 2021 amid allegations of bullying and abuse of female staff at the tabloid. He has since set up his own online media start-up, where he also accused Rüdiger of showing “the Islamist greeting that the whole …

‘Holy Spirit, Come’ or ‘God is Already Here’

‘Holy Spirit, Come’ or ‘God is Already Here’

Credit William White, unsplash.com “…and the power of the lord was present to heal them.” 
Luke 5:17 By Andrew Hopkins Lately, I’ve been seeing some posts about the phrase “Holy Spirit, come” and how it is wrong theology to pray because God is omnipresent. If He’s everywhere at all times, then why ask Him to come? The reality is, God is always omnipresent, but He’s not always manifestly present. In fact, He’s not always welcome everywhere. But when He is manifest and He is welcome, amazing things take place. Not that He doesn’t move in places of resistance – because He does. But as seen demonstrated in the life of Jesus, a place that welcomes Him receives much more than those who don’t.  The controversy comes up around songs or prayers like the well-known worship song “HOLY SPIRIT” where the Holy Spirit is welcome to come and flood the atmosphere. John Wimber and Lonnie Frisbee seemed to coin the phrase “Come, Holy Spirit” in the vineyard movement years ago. One popular worship ministry posted not …

Feds say California’s facial hair ban for prison guards amounts to religious discrimination

Feds say California’s facial hair ban for prison guards amounts to religious discrimination

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The federal government is asking a court to halt California’s enforcement of a rule requiring prison guards to be clean-shaven, saying it amounts to religious discrimination for Sikhs, Muslims and others who wear beards as an expression of their faith. The civil rights complaint filed Monday by the U.S. Justice Department says the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s prohibition on facial hair denies on-the-job accommodations for officers of various religions. It seeks a temporary court order “allowing these officers to wear beards while CDCR fully assesses options for providing them with religious accommodations while complying with California safety regulations,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “Sikhs, Muslims and employees of other minority faiths should not be forced to choose between the practice of their faith and their jobs,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in the statement. “Religious freedom and religious accommodation are bedrock principles of our democracy. We are taking action to ensure that the rights of employees of minority faiths are respected and accommodated in the workplace.” …

In video ad, Donald Trump endorses ‘God Bless the USA’ Bible for every American home

In video ad, Donald Trump endorses ‘God Bless the USA’ Bible for every American home

(RNS) — During Holy Week, Donald Trump says he has the perfect solution to America’s troubled soul. A patriotic, God Bless the USA Bible. “We must make America pray again,” the former president said in a YouTube and social media promotional video for the Bible, named after country singer Lee Greenwood’s 1984 hit song. Along with a King James Version translation of the Christian Scriptures, the God Bless the USA Bible also features the text of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and the chorus to Greenwood’s song. All for $59.99. In the promo, Trump, who is seeking a return to the White House, laments the decline of organized religion in the United States. A new poll from Gallup found that more than half of Americans rarely or never go to church, while projections from Pew Research indicate that by 2070, fewer than half of Americans may be Christians. Most Americans believe religion is on the decline but are split on whether that is a good or bad thing. “Religion and …

More than 140 global Christian leaders call for Gaza cease-fire in Holy Week letter

More than 140 global Christian leaders call for Gaza cease-fire in Holy Week letter

(RNS) — More than 140 global Christian leaders, including a Guatemalan Catholic cardinal and the presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and for an end to foreign military support for Israel in a Tuesday (March 26) letter to U.S. President Joe Biden and other politicians. “We, as global Christian leaders, stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Palestine and around the world and say the killing must stop, and the violence must be brought to an end,” they wrote. “The horrific actions Hamas committed on October 7th in no way justify the massive deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli military.” In separate text specifically addressed to Biden, the signatories wrote, “We implore you to have the moral courage to end U.S. complicity in the ongoing violence and, instead, do everything in your power to prevent the potential genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.” The letter comes just one day after the …

Fasting as a sacred practice of solidarity and social change

Fasting as a sacred practice of solidarity and social change

(RNS) — This week, the world marks the convergence of two sacred times: the third week of Ramadan for Muslims and, for Christians, the final week of the Lenten season, or Holy Week. These sacred times, occurring amid global conflict, serve as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity, a sacred and holy disruption in an era of war, chaos and division. For Muslims, the month of Ramadan marks a sacred period of fasting, reflection, spiritual expansion and community care. It transcends mere avoidance of sustenance from sunup to sundown; it is a practice that aims to cultivate profound empathy and serve as a reminder of the deeply intertwined nature of our lives, dreams and struggles. These sacred times call us to pause, reflect and reaffirm our commitment to peace, unity and the inherent dignity of all people. For Christians, the season of Lent marks a 40-day journey between Ash Wednesday and Resurrection (aka, Easter Sunday). It is a time of reflection, repentance, sacrifice and spiritual renewal. The season is often accompanied by fasting to …

For Pope Francis and Vatican diplomats, peace in Ukraine more important than ideology

For Pope Francis and Vatican diplomats, peace in Ukraine more important than ideology

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — On Palm Sunday, Pope Francis once again expressed his closeness to the “martyred” country of Ukraine, while also praying for the victims of the “vile terrorist attack” in Moscow on Friday that left 139 people dead and many more wounded. As many Christians draw closer to Easter, Pope Francis and the Vatican continue their efforts to reach out to both parties in the Russian and Ukrainian war. For the pope, there are no good guys and bad guys in today’s polarized wars, and achieving peace takes precedence over overarching ideologies. “Pope Francis tells us that when we attempt to enter into dialogue we need to avoid preconceived assumptions of good versus bad and instead try to start from zero with no set conditions,” said Victor Gaetan, author of “God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy and America’s Armageddon,” speaking to Religion News Service on Tuesday (March 26). The pope’s vision is enshrined in his 2013 document “The Joy of the Gospel,” where he stated that “reality is greater than ideas.” Behind this …

A century ago, one state tried to close religious schools − a far cry from today

A century ago, one state tried to close religious schools − a far cry from today

(The Conversation) — Almost 100 years ago, a group of nuns joined a suit against the state of Oregon – and made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Their cause? Keeping Catholic schools open. In 1922, voters approved an initiative requiring almost all children ages 8-16 to attend public schools – a motion aimed at closing faith-based schools in particular. But the Supreme Court’s 1925 ruling in their case, Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary, favored the nuns. The ruling became a Magna Carta of sorts for private schools, including faith-based ones, safeguarding their right to operate – both secular and religious. Equally as importantly, Pierce has been used to protect parental rights to make choices about their children’s education. Nonpublic schools such as the ones run by the Society of Sisters no longer must defend their rights to exist. Today, the pendulum has swung the other way: In recent years, the Supreme Court has increasingly allowed public funding to go to faith-based schools, their …

On the Third Day | OpentheWord.org

On the Third Day | OpentheWord.org

Resurrection of Jesus Christby Luca Giordano, 1665, Wikipedia, Public Domain An interesting article on Christianity Today by Andrew Wilson, delves into a curious Biblical anomaly about Christ’s death and resurrection. While there are ample, often vivid, descriptions of Christ’s death and suffering on the cross in the Old Testament, such as Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, we don’t have similar direct descriptions of Christ’s resurrection. Wilson, who pastors King’s Church in London, England, notes that Christ’s resurrection on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) is the very core of our Christian faith. As Paul explains a few verses later, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:4). Though we don’t have a similar Isaiah 53 description of Christ’s third-day resurrection, Wilson says it’s hinted at multiple times in the Old Testament, all with profound significance. First, Wilson notes that when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, the Lord provided a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice on the third day. I …