30 December 2015 Religion and News Report

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2016, AHA, america, atheist, bangladesh, books, britain, catholic, christian, christianities, church, civil liberties, class, creationism, cross statue, education, evangelical, exorcisms, florida, harpercollins, hebrew, islamic state, jesus, law, millennials, miracles, monotheistic, muslims, NCSE, new testament, nicky morgan, nones, pew research, prayer, preacher, pro-gun, pro-life, public property, rape, religion, SB 1018, schools, secularists, sex, sikhs, slaves, spirituality, texas, tornado, women

This is the last post of 2015, and it’s been a good 2nd year for Evangelically Atheist, a messenger of freethought.

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American Christianity is Changing Fast: Five Stories to Watch in 2016

Powerful juxtapositions are just part of the reason many of us now refer to American “Christianities,” rather than the singular “Christianity.” The five key stories below evoke questions that religion-watchers will be asking for years to come.

Islamic State Ruling Aims to Settle Who Can Have Sex with Female Slaves

Theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when “owners” of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captured females.

Leading Catholic Church Figure Urges Scots Secularists to Set Up Their Own Schools

Criticising those who have described denominational schools as “educational apartheid”, he accused detractors of faith within education of “trashing the principle of plurality” and undermining freedom of belief.

Schools Must Teach Children That Britain is a Christian Country

Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, says that there is ‘no obligation’ for schools to teach atheism as part of the religious studies GCSE.

Texas Christian Claims She Diverted Tornado to Another Neighborhood: ‘God Had Given Us Authority Over the Winds’

The tornado killed eight people and destroyed about 600 buildings.

Religion and the Rise of Millennial ‘Nones’

A recent Pew Research Center study found the youngest generation of American adults are far less likely than older Americans to identify with a religious group.

Does First-of-its-Kind Hebrew Inscription give Evidence for New Testament Account of Jesus Miracles?

Excavations at a Kursi site on the shores of the Sea of Galilee have uncovered an inscription in Hebrew letters engraved on a large marble slab, dating back ca. 1,600 years.

Florida Creationism: New Bills for 2016

NCSE says the two bills are identical, so here’s the one in the state Senate: SB 1018. It proposes extensive revisions to existing Florida law.

Why Are Exorcisms as Popular as Ever?

The first day of class, when we watched a clip of an alleged exorcism at an Austin Starbucks, many of my students said that they’d seen similar scenes in the towns where they’d grown up.

I’m an Evangelical Preacher. You Can’t Be Pro-Life and Pro-Gun

Our commitment to the sanctity of human life demands that we err on the side of reducing threats to human life. And our belief in the basic sinfulness of humankind should make us skeptical of the NRA’s slogan.

The Price of Secularism in Bangladesh

In support of gender equality, human rights and civil liberties, a group of bloggers is doing battle with Islamists online — and paying dearly for it.

Atheist Group Appeals Decision Allowing 40-Foot Cross on Public Property

The American Humanist Association filed an appeal in federal court Monday before the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to overturn a lower federal court decision allowing for the cross to remain on public land in Bladensburg.

How Seeker Spirituality Is Shaping the World of Publishing

This fall, HarperOne, the San Francisco-based imprint of HarperCollins, launched HarperElixir, a line of books specifically targeting people who seek the answers to life’s big questions.

Sikhs in America Are Still Coming Under Attack Because People Think They’re Muslims

Followers of the monotheistic faith, which originated in South Asia in the 15th century, have been on the receiving end of xenophobic intolerance since they began arriving in the Pacific Northwest to fill logging jobs in the early 20th century.