http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:15:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23800/america-christian-right http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23800/america-christian-right#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:07:46 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23800 The 'Christian Right' has been a major power broker in U.S. politics for 30 years, having played especially important roles in the 1980, 1994 and 2004 presidential elections, and in Republican administrations since the tenure of former President Ronald Reagan.

It appeared at its apex after the 2004 'values vote' election, but now seems on the decline under President Barack Obama. The Christian Right has no clear leader or central movement organization to guide it, and many younger evangelicals are turning away from their parents' emphasis on a narrow set of contentious social issues.

Nevertheless, it remains a powerful political force capable of resurgence, Forbes writes.

Christian Right organizations are experiencing increased contributions and activism, as Obama and a Democratic Congress push socially progressive legislation.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23800/america-christian-right/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23788/questioning-sports-evangelism http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23788/questioning-sports-evangelism#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:31:40 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23788 In big-time sports, God often gets a prominent place on the field of play. A shout-out here, a prayer there. But this faith surge is being powered by a brand of conservative Christianity that is — like two teams competing on the field — very ‘us’ vs. ‘them,’ USA Today religion columnist Tom Krattenmaker writes.

should we be pleased that the civic resource known as "our team" — a resource supported by the diverse whole through our ticket-buying, game-watching and tax-paying — is being leveraged by a one-truth evangelical campaign that has little appreciation for the beliefs of the rest of us?]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23788/questioning-sports-evangelism/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23649/ethiopia-jails-convert-for-handing-out-bibles http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23649/ethiopia-jails-convert-for-handing-out-bibles#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:40:11 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23649 Christian sources in Ethiopia said that, contrary to Ethiopian law, 39-year-old Bashir Musa Ahmed has not been formally charged since his arrest on May 23 in Jijiga, capital of Somali Region Zone Five, a predominantly Muslim area in eastern Ethiopia.

Zonal police arrested him after he was accused of providing Muslims with Somali-language Bibles bearing covers that resemble the Quran, the sources said.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23649/ethiopia-jails-convert-for-handing-out-bibles/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23556/fathima-rifqa-bary http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23556/fathima-rifqa-bary#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:40:50 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23556 The Muslim parents of an Ohio teenager who fled to Florida fearing an "honor killing" for converting to Christianity today blamed their daughter's fears on the husband and wife pastors who took their daughter in and didn't report her presence for more than two weeks.

He said he believes the Ohio girl fled to Florida last month after being brainwashed by the pastor of Global Revolution Church of Orlando, who she met on Facebook.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23556/fathima-rifqa-bary/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23441/india-christians http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23441/india-christians#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 09:30:55 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23441 With elections underway in India, its 2.3 percent Christian minority – which faced a deadly spate of attacks in the eastern state of Orissa last year – is praying for a secular party to come to power.

Along with the Muslim community, Christians fear that if the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies form the next government or an ideologically loose coalition comes to the helm, their already compromised welfare may further deteriorate.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23441/india-christians/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23425/persecution-north-korea-christians http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23425/persecution-north-korea-christians#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:59:26 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23425 Even as the North Korean government this month allowed two high-profile, U.S. Christian bands to perform at a music festival in Pyongyang, the fear of punishment authorities have instilled in North Korean Christians keeps most of them from publicly revealing their faith.

As many as 400,000 Christians are estimated to worship secretly in the country, and Suzanne Scholte, head of an association of some 60 groups campaigning for change in the country called the North Korean Freedom Coalition (NKFC), estimates that more than 200,000 North Koreans are held in political prison camps for various perceived "disloyalties" to the regime, including adherence to Christianity. [video]]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23425/persecution-north-korea-christians/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23412/saudi-arabia-authorities-release-christian-blogger http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23412/saudi-arabia-authorities-release-christian-blogger#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:04:15 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23412 In a surprise move, a Saudi Christian arrested in January for describing his conversion from Islam and criticizing the kingdom’s judiciary on his blog site was released on March 28 with the stipulation that he not travel outside of Saudi Arabia or appear on media.

The country’s penalty for “apostasy,” or leaving Islam, is death, although in recent years there have been no known cases of kingdom citizens formally convicted and sentenced with capital punishment for the offense.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23412/saudi-arabia-authorities-release-christian-blogger/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23162/religion-trends-7 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23162/religion-trends-7#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:01:19 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23162 A sizable majority of the country's faithful no longer hew closely to orthodox teachings, and look more to themselves than to churches or denominations to define their religious convictions, according to two recent surveys. More than half of all Christians also believe that some non-Christians can get into heaven.

"Growing numbers of people now serve as their own theologian-in-residence," said George Barna, president of Barna Group, on releasing findings of one of the polls on Jan. 12.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23162/religion-trends-7/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22896/catholic-islam-interfaith-dialogue http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22896/catholic-islam-interfaith-dialogue#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:59:28 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22896 Muslim and Vatican officials are holding historic talks in Rome to establish a better inter-faith dialogue and defuse any future tensions.

Catholic-Muslim ties soured after Pope Benedict XVI's speech in 2006, in which he linked Muslims with past violence.

The speech provoked Muslim outrage and triggered violent protests.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22896/catholic-islam-interfaith-dialogue/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21942/son-of-top-hamas-leader-converts-to-christianity http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21942/son-of-top-hamas-leader-converts-to-christianity#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:15:51 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=21942 The son of a Hamas MP who is also the most popular figure in that extremist Islamic organization in the West Bank, a young man who assisted his father for years in his political activities, has become a rank-and-file Christian.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21942/son-of-top-hamas-leader-converts-to-christianity/feed 0