All posts tagged: religious

Racial and religious differences help explain why unmarried voters lean Democrat

Racial and religious differences help explain why unmarried voters lean Democrat

A new study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family has shed light on a persistent trend in American politics: unmarried voters are more inclined to support Democratic presidential candidates compared to their married counterparts. Researchers found that this difference in voting preferences is largely explained by the distinct racial and religious make-ups of these two groups. Specifically, the higher proportion of Black voters among unmarried individuals, and the lower levels of religious observance in this group compared to married voters, significantly contribute to this political divide. Political analysts have long observed various divisions within the American electorate, such as differences based on gender, race, and location. However, the influence of marital status on political preference has received less attention in recent years. While studies in the 1980s and 1990s noted that unmarried individuals leaned more towards Democratic presidential candidates, the new research aimed to provide an updated analysis using data from more recent elections, spanning from 1984 to 2020. The researchers sought to confirm whether this marital divide in voting remained relevant in …

Laws shouldn’t be used to shield religious sensitivities

Laws shouldn’t be used to shield religious sensitivities

A man who tore out pages from a Quran and set them alight was convicted this week after pleading guilty to a single charge of racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment or alarm. Martin Frost’s protest was a low key, mundane and somewhat lamentable affair. The 47-year-old was filmed holding a flag of Israel before tearing out pages of the text and setting fire to it. He was apparently demonstrating solidarity with Salwan Momika, an Iraqi Christian refugee who was shot dead last week after burning Qurans in Sweden during public demonstrations in 2023. The ‘victim’ of Frost’s protest was Fahad Iqbal. In his victim impact statement, Iqbal said: “I was quite shocked, disgusted and offended. I’m a Muslim. I still can’t believe someone would do this. When he began to burn the Quran, my heart was about to break out. This is the most emotion I have ever felt.” Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Frost had publicised the event online beforehand, and that it was streamed on social media. The “trigger” for his actions …

NSS: Scotland should repeal religious observance laws

NSS: Scotland should repeal religious observance laws

The Scottish Government should repeal laws mandating collective worship in schools, the National Secular Society has said. Responding to a Scottish Government consultation, the NSS said laws mandating collective worship – known in Scotland as religious observance (RO) – are incompatible with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The law in Scotland requires state funded schools to hold “community acts” which promote “the spiritual development of all members of the school’s community”. Non-denominational schools are “encouraged to draw upon” Christian traditions in RO. While the law allows parents to withdraw their children from RO, there is no independent right to withdrawal for children, even when they are over 16. In its response, the NSS noted the Committee overseeing the convention has repeatedly recommended laws mandating RO be repealed, most recently in 2023. Last summer, the Scottish Government incorporated the CRC into Scots Law, creating a legal duty for public bodies to act in compliance with the convention. The NSS said the Scottish Government’s proposed legislative changes, which would only require parents …

Committee: Remove religious privilege from Canada’s charity law

Committee: Remove religious privilege from Canada’s charity law

The Government of Canada should remove the “privileged status” of religion in charity law, a Canadian parliamentary committee has said. In a report ahead of Canada’s 2025 budget, the Standing Committee on Finance recommended the Income Tax Act be amended to “provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of ‘advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose”. The National Secular Society has long called for similar changes to the UK’s charity law. In both Canada and the UK, the “advancement of religion” is a recognised charitable purpose in law. The NSS has argued that this can enable religious organisations to register as charities, and therefore gain tax exemptions, without demonstrating a tangible public benefit. The NSS has also raised concerns that including the “advancement of religion” in the list of charitable purposes enables religious charities to promote misogyny, homophobia and other forms of extremism with impunity. This is despite the duty on charities to serve a public benefit and not to cause harm. The committee’s report, presented to Canada’s House of …

Buddhist group says Army Corps’ Everglades project violates religious freedom

Buddhist group says Army Corps’ Everglades project violates religious freedom

(RNS) — Each year, thousands of members of an influential Buddhist group journey to a retreat center tucked away in the Florida wetlands seeking tranquility and spiritual enrichment. Established in 1996 by Soka Gakkai International-USA, the Florida Nature & Culture Center sits on 118 acres sparsely populated with red-roofed buildings, where adherents pray and attend sessions on Buddhist study surrounded by the property’s 40-acre wetland conservation area. But the center and Soka Gakkai have sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in federal court, saying a planned Corps of Engineers conservation project will dwarf the center in violation of the 1996 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, arguing that a peaceful natural environment is vital to their Buddhist practice.  The project would include an above-ground reservoir that would cover over 1,000 acres and a seven-story pump station near their property, according to the retreat center. “The recitation of mantras (prayers) aiming to harmonize oneself with one’s environment (including the natural environment) and awaken to the inseparability of life and the environment are core tenets of Nichiren Buddhism,” …

Religious leaders praise the late former President Jimmy Carter

Religious leaders praise the late former President Jimmy Carter

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A broad array of religious and political leaders across the country issued outpourings of support for former President Jimmy Carter following news of his death, heaping praise on the evangelical Christian Democrat known for teaching Sunday School and being unapologetic about his faith. Among the first to mourn the passing of Carter, who died on Sunday (Dec. 29) at age 100, was Sen. Raphael Warnock, a fellow Georgian. Warnock, who also serves as pastor of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, recalled how Carter and his family visited Ebenezer and dined with Warnock’s family. Warnock said Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, had held his 2-month-old daughter as the group broke bread together. “Jimmy Carter is a shining example of what it means to make your faith come alive through the noble work of public service,” Warnock said in a statement, later adding, “Well done, good and faithful servant, well done.” President Joe Biden, a Catholic who is slated to eulogize Carter at his state funeral scheduled for Jan. 9, also lauded Carter in …

What Was Jesus’s Religious Background?

What Was Jesus’s Religious Background?

  The cultures of the first-century Mediterranean world did not draw clear lines between civic and religious life as many do today. To say that Jesus was a Jew, thus, does not mean merely that he followed certain rules or participated in certain practices. Jews of his time did not see themselves as following a “religion” called “Judaism”. Rather, they considered themselves members of a chosen people who were playing a unique role in a story written by God. Jesus presented himself as the main protagonist of this Jewish story.   Jewish Rites of Passage in Jesus’s Childhood The Circumcision of Christ, by Justus Sadeler, ca. 1600–20. Source: Museum of Fine Arts Ghent   Very little is shared in the Gospels about Jesus’s childhood. However, what is provided highlights Jesus’s Jewishness. Like all Jewish boys, he was circumcised eight days after he was born. According to the Hebrew Bible, God had commanded Abraham that all male members of his household would be circumcised as a sign of God’s covenant with him and his progeny.   …

Why the religious beliefs of Trump defense pick Pete Hegseth matter

Why the religious beliefs of Trump defense pick Pete Hegseth matter

(The Conversation) — The most serious allegations against Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pickto head the U.S. Department of Defense, involve mismanagement, heavy drinking, infidelity, sexual harassment and even rape. Hegseth denies the allegations but also claims that because of Jesus he’s a “changed man.” The roots of Hegseth’s version of Christianity are worth a look as he heads into confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate in January 2025. Pete Hegseth’s interview with Megyn Kelly. In 2023, Hegseth moved from New Jersey to Tennessee to join a church and school community that arises from a 20th-century movement, called Christian Reconstruction. It holds deeply conservative views about the family, roles for women, and how religion and politics are related. The followers of the movement seek to make America a Christian nation, by which they mean a nation built on biblical law, including its prohibitions and punishments. Christian Reconstructionists want to dismantle public education and replace modern ideas about family with a patriarchal family model because they claim that biblical law requires both. They believe that Old Testament …

Religious service attendance linked to lower dementia risk in Black older adults

Religious service attendance linked to lower dementia risk in Black older adults

An analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study focusing on Black participants found that older adults with higher participation in religious or spiritual activities were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Those who never attended religious services had 2.37 times higher odds of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or related dementias than those who attended such services more than once a week. The research was published in the American Journal of Human Biology. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. It is characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, and adverse behavioral changes. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the accumulation of abnormal protein deposits in the brain, including beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles. These accumulations disrupt neuronal function and connectivity, ultimately leading to cell death. Symptoms typically begin with short-term memory loss and gradually worsen to include difficulties with reasoning, language, and performing daily tasks. However, Alzheimer’s is not the only type of dementia. Other conditions can produce cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer’s disease but …

More than a third of schools force Religious Studies GCSE on pupils

More than a third of schools force Religious Studies GCSE on pupils

More than a third of schools in England are blocking pupil choice by forcing them to take religious studies at GCSE level, new research has found. Freedom of information requests made by the National Secular Society have revealed 37% of all secondary schools require their pupils to take religious studies (RS) GCSE. Nine in ten faith schools in England are blocking pupil choice, with 88% of schools with a religious character requiring their pupils to take RS GCSE. Around 1.3 million pupils at schools with mandatory RS GCSE Out of the 317 responses received by the NSS, 280 schools with a religious character confirmed they had policies requiring all pupils to take GCSE RS in place. Most also confirmed that pupils would be unable to take an alternative GCSE, should parents elect to withdraw their child from religious education. In comparison, most nonreligious schools do not require children to take RS GCSE, with just 25% making it mandatory. An estimated 1.3 million pupils are affected by such policies across all types of school. Although it …