RELIGION
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Stolen Hindu Artifacts Return Home as Nepal Celebrates Repatriation Efforts
Call it the return of the deities. After being stolen and smuggled overseas for years, dozens of statues depicting Nepal’s revered gods and goddesses are being returned to their Hindu-majority Himalayan abode, marking a notable contribution to a global initiative aimed at repatriating such cultural artifacts to their countries of origin in Asia, Africa, and beyond. In January, museums and…
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Latest Scientology Super Bowl Ad—“Take A Look”
The long-awaited Scientology ad for Super Bowl LVIII appeared before a worldwide audience of billions. The church has made a name for itself with its life-affirming yearly messages of hope, potential and freedom. Last year’s commercial asserted—through images of a dead forest coming alive, a city rising from ruins, and colors leaping up from a debris-strewn sidewalk—all at a single…
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Collaborative Efforts of Indigenous and Christian Communities Promote Conservation of Sacred Forests in India
In the heart of one of India’s ancient and most highly esteemed “sacred” forests, individuals from indigenous communities have joined forces with Christians to advocate for the preservation of what they consider to be priceless and holy woodland areas. Named after the village where it is located—Mawphlang—the forest lies in the lush Khasi Hills in the northeastern Indian state of…
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Bestselling Authors, Parents, PEN and Penguin Random House Sue Florida County Over Removal of Over 1,600 Books
Dictionaries, thesauruses, the Guinness Book of World Records, numerous National Geographic science books, “Anne Frank—The Diary of A Young Girl,” “Schindler’s List”—you won’t find these or over 1,600 other titles on the shelves of school libraries in Escambia County, a Florida school district. Book removals for “further review”—a process that has no mandated time limit—have become the norm in school…
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Pope Calls For Global Ban On “Deplorable” Surrogate Motherhood
In an unsurprising move, Pope Francis, who in recent months has urged attention to migrants and the poor and has reached out to the LGBTQ+ community, has again made clear—as he did in 2022—his condemnation of surrogacy, or as he called it, “womb renting.” In 2022 he denounced the activity as “threats to human dignity,” exploitation of impoverished women and…
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Alleged Conversion of Muslim Girl to Christianity by Her Public School Teacher Unleashes Legal Tempest
Referred to as “B.D.” in court filings to protect her identity, a teenage Muslim girl converted to Christianity allegedly due to her teacher’s active proselytization during public school hours. That is the center of a long-running legal back-and-forth over religion at Jacobs High School in the northwest Chicago suburb of Algonquin, Illinois. The teacher, Pierre Thorsen, taught world history and…
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Islamophobic Line of Questioning at Confirmation Hearing
He has been called a “preeminent litigator with a brilliant legal mind…. His accomplished record of appellate advocacy, combined with his steadfast commitment to serving vulnerable, voiceless clients pro bono, demonstrates his dedication to the cause of justice.” He was named a 2023 National Law Journal General Litigation Trailblazer and was recognized by the BTI Consulting Group as one of…
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The “Amazing Journey” of Mark Wahlberg
The 15-year-old boy threw rocks and racial epithets at a group of black children. “Kill the n*****s!” he screamed as he terrorized them. The resulting civil rights injunction for the hate crime appeared to be no deterrent as the youth, two years later, attacked two Vietnamese men during an attempted robbery. He bashed the one over the head with a…
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Pagans and Wiccans Celebrate Yule—The Turning of The Wheel of The Year
While the rest of the country has opted for menorahs, Christmas trees or Kwanzaa candles this time of year, the nation’s one million souls who identify as Pagan or Wicca celebrate the returning of the sun—otherwise known as Yule, the word originally used for an ancient 12-day Germanic feast—beginning with this year’s winter solstice December 21. As in other faiths,…
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“At the Starting Line of Infinite Horizons” – How Scientologists Marked the New Year
Year’s end after year’s end it happens. At the stroke of midnight, the great ball of crystal falls in Times Square, Big Ben tolls 12 and—time zone after time zone until all 24 are accounted for—millions croon “Auld Lang Syne.” More vows, resolutions and declarations to improve are sent up to the heavens with more good intentions at this time…
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