Religion
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Baha'is say racial justice is 'an integral part of our faith'
AUSTIN, Texas -- Aliyah Marandiz, who grew up a member of the Baha'i faith, said that her religion influences her actions, her perspective and how she treats other people, much the same way any religion would.
Yet while many religious communities are grappling with how to talk about race in the wake of recent protests against racism and police ...Read more
Archdiocese of Detroit bars 2 LGBTQ Catholic groups
DETROIT -- For more than 45 years, Dignity Detroit has been a haven for LGBTQ Catholics looking to practice their faith in a respectful space for those with different sexual orientations.
The group held Masses in Detroit with the help of several Catholic priests, including even some bishops who would preside over their services, first held at ...Read more
Trump 'is so much anti-life,' Kentucky Catholic bishop says in abortion discussion
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Rev. John Stowe has long been critical of President Donald Trump, and the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Lexington did not hold back in recent comments about what it means to be pro-life.
In a live video chat July 31 with the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs, Stowe said Trump is "so ...Read more
Judge hikes bail for La Luz del Mundo leader to $90 million
LOS ANGELES -- A judge on Thursday set bail at $90 million for the leader of La Luz del Mundo church, all but ensuring that the religious leader, Naason Joaquin Garcia, will remain jailed as he awaits trial on charges of raping children and possessing child pornography, among other crimes.
The bail amount, set by Los Angeles Superior Court ...Read more
Could COVID-19 inspire the faithful? Scholars predict spirituality surge in our future
During the Black Death, which originated in Asia and terrorized Europe from 1347 to 1352, artists captured the macabre zeitgeist with depictions of mocking skeletons wielding scythes and leading townsfolk to their painful deaths.
Between 25 million and 30 million people perished, and, historians say, the medieval mind blamed the plague's boils ...Read more
In California's 'Bible Belt,' churches find ways around state's coronavirus lockdown orders
LOS ANGELES -- Jennifer Trujillo made a 30-minute trip from her home in San Diego County to the country roads of Wildomar in Riverside County for the first time in weeks.
For the last year, the Pala resident had made the trek up every Sunday to attend the service at Bundy Canyon Christian Church, a complex of colorful old-timey buildings along ...Read more
Camden's Roman Catholic diocese suspends payments to clergy abuse victims, citing COVID-19 financial stress
Citing financial losses resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden in New Jersey said Friday that it would halt payments from a clergy sex-abuse victim fund that has paid out nearly $7.6 million.
In a statement, the diocese said it had suffered a "precipitous decline in revenue" and was rapidly approaching a ...Read more
Pilgrimage 'by proxy': Coronavirus spurs new technologies for age-old hajj
BEIRUT -- In the best of times, it's hard to land one of the slots Saudi Arabia parcels out for the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are duty-bound to make at least once in their lives. In the worst of times -- cue the novel coronavirus -- it's well-nigh impossible, with the numbers for this year's event, now underway, ...Read more
Muslim pilgrims begin curtailed Hajj in Saudi Arabia
AMMAN, Jordan -- Muslim pilgrims started performing the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, although Islam's largest gathering has been significantly curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A few thousand people are taking part, a fraction of the usually 2.5 million people from all over the world who usually gather annually ...Read more
With ouster of priest accused of pedophilia, Coptic Church mobilizes against sexual abuse
LOS ANGELES -- The Coptic Orthodox Church in the U.S., shaken by recent accusations of sexual abuse, has vowed to eradicate inappropriate behavior in its cloistered communities following the defrocking of a priest accused of pedophilia for decades.
The 2,000-year-old church, which was started in Egypt by the Apostle Mark and grew in the U.S. ...Read more
Twin Cities Black clergy hope to seize power of the moment
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Rev. Edrin Williams, pastor of one of the most racially diverse churches in the Twin Cities, quickly launched an emergency food distribution center when rioting after the death of George Floyd destroyed neighborhood stores. Now he's taken on another role as well: dispensing food for thought to white faith leaders grappling ...Read more
Outdoor religious gatherings draw warnings and rebukes from health officials
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- Along Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, electronic road signs were programmed to read: CANCELED SATURATE OC.
But the evangelical worship event took place on the sand near Lifeguard Tower 20 for the fourth Friday in a row, despite warnings that it was violating public health orders and permitting rules, ...Read more
'Where do we draw the line?' Some California church leaders question order barring indoor worship
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- As California Gov. Gavin Newsom once again bars houses of worship in much of the state from conducting indoor religious services, some Christian leaders are critical of the governor's decision.
The order restricting indoor worship services applies to any county on the state's COVID-19 monitoring list. On Monday, Newsom ...Read more
Spiritual Life: Learn from mistakes of others to finish well in life
It shook the ground like a sudden clap of thunder. Stunned, we stood silently near our car looking around for a few minutes -- before realizing the sound came from nearby Fairchild Air Force Base.
It was Friday, June 24, 1994, and Lieutenant Colonel Bud Holland had just crashed a B-52 Stratofortress bomber, killing himself and three crew ...Read more
Austin's religious leaders both embrace, grapple with racial reckoning
AUSTIN, Texas -- Rabbi Neil Blumofe and the Rev. Daryl Horton are no strangers to uncomfortable conversations about race.
On their annual summer road trips, Blumofe and Horton have visited sites related to Black and Jewish history and documented their experiences on Facebook.
So when demonstrators took to the street to protest police brutality...Read more
San Jose Catholic school releases sex abuse report, apologizes 'with heavy hearts'
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Nearly three years after a former student exposed sex abuse complaints dating back decades at San Jose's Presentation High School for girls, its leaders released a damning outside investigation Thursday that found administrators failed to seriously pursue credible allegations against six former staffers.
Investigators the ...Read more
Ex-Philly priest pleads guilty to decades-old sex assaults of altar boys
PHILADELPHIA -- After decades of dodging allegations of abusing children, a disgraced former Catholic priest pleaded guilty Wednesday to molesting two altar boys in Bucks County decades ago.
Francis Trauger, 74, admitted his guilt to two counts of indecent assault of a minor and Bucks County Judge Jeffrey L. Finley sentenced him to 18 to 36 ...Read more
'Crisis mode chaplains' seek to heal trauma of Floyd's death
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kelly Sherman-Conroy felt the anguish on the streets following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, concluding that people were aching for more than food and emergency relief.
So the Lutheran leader and Native American activist posted an appeal on Facebook for "clergy, spiritual leaders and mental health ...Read more
Light Notes: Life upside down? Don't let fear take you for a ride
Fear had pounced without warning back then. Powerless and trapped, it felt like a nightmare ... and I was afraid.
It's a vivid memory that stretches more than a few years back, a time when I was handed a long list of demands; an agenda that stretched from here to the nearest McD's. At the top were the words, "Ride a roller coaster."
Were the ...Read more
Evangelicals wrestle with racism and their own silence: 'We repent'
SEATTLE -- Joseph Castleberry, president of Northwest University, an evangelical school in Kirkland, Wash., was sitting at his desk in early May when he started seeing Facebook posts about a Black man killed while jogging through a coastal Georgia town.
As Castleberry read about 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, fatally shot by white men shown on ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Archdiocese of Detroit bars 2 LGBTQ Catholic groups
- Trump 'is so much anti-life,' Kentucky Catholic bishop says in abortion discussion
- Judge hikes bail for La Luz del Mundo leader to $90 million
- In California's 'Bible Belt,' churches find ways around state's coronavirus lockdown orders
- Could COVID-19 inspire the faithful? Scholars predict spirituality surge in our future
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