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Violence and Persecution of Christians Worldwide is Theme for Holy Week: A Report from Rome

By Anthea Butler

…“behold the man,” was poignant, given the recent massacre of Christians in Kenya at Garrisa University. Referencing both the beheading of Coptic Christians by ISIS and the Kenya killings, he said: “Christians of course are not the only victims of homicidal violence around the world, but we cannot ignore the fact that in many countries they are the most frequently intended victims.” From the homily forward, the focus was on the death at the center…

Global LGBT Recap: Francis’s First Year; Homophobia and Development; African Activists Push Back

By Peter Montgomery

…n “said that the teaching appears as not practical in relation to people’s day-to-day struggles, being at best an unrealistic ideal. There appears to be a ‘theory-practice’ gap,” he said. While clearly there was among the respondents “hesitancy, uneasiness and opposition” to same-sex marriage, “many felt that there should be some way of civilly recognizing stable same-sex unions,” he said. Global: World Bank on Homophobia as Challenge to Developme…

Catholic Bishops End Family Synod With Little To Say To Gays; World Congress of Families Has Plenty To Say, None of it Good; How Same-Sex Marriage Came to a Buddhist Temple in Japan; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…rt on a more explicitly and intensely anti-gay event that took place on Monday, the day before WCF officially convened. BuzzFeed’s Lester Feder wrote about efforts by conference organizers to soften their anti-gay image, which exposed divides within the movement about what kind of anti-gay rhetoric to use. Not surprisingly, there was a significant Mormon presence at the conference, including an opening keynote rom Elder M. Russell Ballard, a membe…

God Bless Islam with Courageous Leadership

By Ebrahim Moosa

…nding the image of the Prophet Muhammad in an exam questionnaire? `Id is a day of celebration with family and friends. But it is unconscionable if Muslims do not think seriously and act in unison about the deep moral crises afflicting our communities here and abroad. To think critically is not to bow to the hate of the Islamophobes, it is a sign of strength and faith. Those who claim that there are no “moderate” Muslim voices denouncing acts of vi…

Israel Votes to Limit Sheldon Adelson

By Sarah Posner

…the inaugural meeting of the Israeli American Council in Washington on Sunday, said, “I don’t like journalism.” Haaretz’s Anshel Pfeffer explains the anti-Adelson bill that advanced today: The law, proposed by MK Eitan Cabel (Knesset) and sponsored by members of five other Knesset parties, would make it illegal to widely distribute a full-size newspaper free of charge. The law’s stated intention is to “defend written journalism” in a period of fi…

Put Your Money Where Your Mind Is: A For-Profit Meditation Studio Opens in New York

By Michael Schulson

…d will continue. Certainly, it is ascendant. For many affluent Americans today, ethics and spirituality look more and more like a commercial service. “People used to go to church on Sunday—that was their weekly ritual and their community,” Peloton co-founder John Foley told Bloomberg Businessweek last year. “Most 25 year-olds aren’t relating on that platform, but it’s ‘I’ll see you at the studio.’” Places like MNDFL seem to be betting that Foley’s…

Virtual Book Burning and Its Consequences

By Laurie Patton

…nces to appear in real time. Jewish tradition has it that Rabbi Haninah Ben Teradion was burned at the stake with the Torah scroll underneath him for defying the Roman decree against teaching the Torah. As the scroll was burning, he said, “I see the scrolls burning but the letters fly up in the air.” Most interpreters over the centuries, both religious and secular, have taken this statement to mean that ideas are more powerful than the physical le…

African Religious leaders complain about Obama advocacy for LGBT rights; Ultra-Orthodox Man Stabs Jerusalem Pride Parade Marchers, Again; Struggles over sexuality in Islam, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican Churches; Global LGBT recap

By Peter Montgomery

…LGBT people during his visit to Kenya last weekend. In his appearance with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, Obama said, “With respect to the rights of gays and lesbians, I have been consistent all across Africa on this. I believe in the principle of treating people equally under the law and that they are deserving of equal protection under the law and that the State should not discriminate against the people based on their sexual orientation.” LGB…

Pope’s ‘Joy of Love’ Brings Little Joy To LGBT Catholics; Gay Atheist Malaysian Granted Refugee Status In Canada; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ng. A pro-equality senator, Armando Benedetti, told the New York Times, “Today is a bittersweet day. I’m happy because LGBT people have equal rights, but I’m sad because although Congress looks like a cathedral outside, it is a manger inside.” The Times’ Paula Duran noted that a Gallup poll earlier this year showed 55 percent of Colombians opposing gay marriage, even though “the Catholic Church has lost influence and the country has made progress…

‘Barbaric’ v ‘Progressive’ Islam; Catholic Church Objects to Mexican Court OK For Gay Adoption; Malaysian Court Weighs Boundaries Of Civil and Shariah Law; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ed to Congress this week to protest the proposed gay marriage legislation. Kenya: Gay Kenyan pastor and partner marry in religious ceremony and prepare to flee country Gay Star News’ Joe Morgan this week tells the story of Edwin and Ishaiah, a gay couple who held a public wedding ceremony in February and are now living in what they describe as a “cave” while figuring out how to get to Tanzania or Zanzibar in hopes of being given asylum. The couple…