16 May Religion and Atheism News Digest

Tags

america, ancient, babylon, bangladesh, buddha, capitalism, christian, christian right, christianity, evangelical, extremism, faith, fundamentalism, history, homophobes, humans, israel, liberty, palestine, persia, pope, population, secrets, sumeria, survey, UN, unaffiliated, vatican, woman

Killing of Bangladesh Bloggers Critical of Religious Extremism Reviles UN Rights Experts

Two U.N. special experts, one on freedom of expression and the other on extrajudicial executions, are alarmed at the recent killing in Bangladesh of three secular bloggers writing against extremism in the name of religion.

5 States Where Christian Right Homophobes Got Their Comeuppance

While homophobic bills can rally the GOP’s far-right evangelical base, they can also be bad for business.

Vatican and ‘State of Palestine’ Signing of Religious Liberty Treaty Irks Israel

The Vatican’s official recognition of the State of Palestine in a step to a new treaty has evoked disappointment from Israel which says that an accord signed in such a way hurts peace prospects in the Holy Land.

The Secret History of American Religion: Christian Fundamentalism Started As a Capitalist Ad Campaign

The all-American brand of “old-time religion” was developed by an early captain of consumer capitalism—who wanted to sell pure Christianity like he sold breakfast.

Christian US Population Share Falls; Unaffiliated, Other Faiths Grow, Survey Finds

The United States has more Christians than any other country but their share of the population is declining, while the number of adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing.

Can This Woman Make Evangelical Christianity Sane Again?

Meet the most polarizing woman in Evangelicalism.

Ancient Persian Inscriptions Link a Babylonian King to the Man Who Became Buddha

The Persepolis Seals identified royals and other important personages within the Persian ruling sphere. Guatama was the name of the royal family of the Saka kingdom.

The Origins of Human Beings According to Ancient Sumerian Texts

According to the ancient texts, each Sumerian city was guarded by its own god; and while humans and gods used to live together, the humans were servants to the gods.