Biden’s 2020 margins came from atheists, agnostics; Trump’s White evangelical backing rose: Study
People who don’t believe in God gave President Biden the winning edge in the 2020 popular vote, a Pew Research Study released this week revealed.
religion
Iran persecution: Three Christians sentenced to five years imprisonment for “propaganda”
As Iran continues a relentless campaign of persecution against Iranian believers, on June 26 the Revolutionary Court in Karaj, northern Iran sentenced three Christians to five years in jail for “engaging in propaganda against the Islamic regime,” Christians Worldwide Solidarity reports.
Atheists claim Mississippi’s ‘In God We Trust’ state license plate is unconstitutional
Three atheists have filed suit in a federal court, asserting it is unconstitutional for Mississippi to force all vehicle owners to drive with new state license plates displaying the words ‘In God We Trust,’ or pay a fee for an alternative design, Mississippi Free Press reported. Mississippi began issuing the new plates in 2019, five years after the idea was introduced by Republican lawmakers.
Iran uses criminal law to persecute Christians
Iran is persecuting Christians in the country by wielding against them a new law that severely punishes “any deviant education that contradicts sacred Islamic shari’a,” Christian Today reports.
Report: Vietnam Christians suffer imprisonment, land confiscation by government
The California-based rights group Vietnam Human Rights Network (VHRN) has published its 2020-2021 report, asserting that Vietnamese Christians are suffering persecution, including imprisonment and land confiscation at the hands of the country’s communist government, ICC reports.
82% of Americans say religious freedom is key to ‘healthy American society’: poll
More than four-fifths of surveyed Americans believe that freedom of religion is an important aspect of a “healthy American society,” according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports and Summit Ministries.
Bangladesh: Christians protest imposition of Islam as state religion
Christians are among other persecuted religious minorities in Bangladesh who continue to actively protest the 1988 constitutional amendment that established Islam as the country’s state religion, the Christian Post reports.
Abbott bans Texas government from closing places of worship with religious freedom law
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning state agencies and public officials from closing houses of worship.
In speech before swearing-in, Ra’am leader vows to ‘reclaim expropriated lands’
Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas, whose support provided the key backing needed for the incoming change government’s majority, vowed to reclaim land in Israel that was “expropriated” from Arab Israelis.
Bhutan: ‘No Aid For Christian Homeless Unless They Convert To Buddhism’
A homeless Christian couple in Bhutan are denied aid from the government unless they convert to Buddhism, according to Christians familiar with the situation.
Christian Widow Forced To ‘Reconvert’ In Eastern India
A Christian widow in India’s eastern Odisha state has been forced to ‘re-convert to her old religion by villagers who threatened to prevent her husband’s funeral, Christian aid workers discovered.
Virginia court: Teacher must be reinstated following suspension for opposing transgender policy
A Circuit Court judge in Loudoun Virginia has ruled that local school administrators must reinstate a Christian teacher who was suspended after opposing a draft policy requiring educators to use transgender pronouns when addressing children who say they are the opposite sex.
California agrees never to impose discriminatory restrictions on houses of worship; will pay over $2 million in attorney’s fees
In what the plaintiffs’ lawyers described as a “triumph for religious liberty,” California has agreed to never again impose discriminatory restrictions on houses of worship, and to pay a total of $2,150,000 in attorney’s fees in settlement of separate lawsuits filed by South Bay United Pentecostal Church and Catholic priest Trevor Burfitt, Christian Headlines reports.
Sudanese authorities demolish church building in Omdurman
Despite a promise to authorize the church after its building was burned down, on May 27 officials in Sudan demolished a building belonging to the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) in the city of Omdurman, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports.
Uganda Muslims Torch House Christian Widow
Muslim hardliners in eastern Uganda have reportedly torched the home of a Christian mother of five whose husband was already beheaded for his faith in Christ.
Extremists Kill Pastor In India
Christians in eastern India mourn the death of an evangelical pastor who was reportedly killed amid ongoing anti-Christian violence in the Hindu-majority nation.
Christian realtor to leave real estate business over LGBT beliefs
A Minnesota-based Christian realtor, and former member of the LGBT community, has decided to let his license expire because his broker does not allow public expression of Biblical beliefs on homosexuality. Realtor Matt Moore announced his decision on Twitter Friday, and asked his followers for prayer as he and his wife seek God for a new direction.
China Detains Vatican-Backed Bishop, Priests, and Seminarians
Chinese authorities have detained a Vatican-appointed Catholic bishop, his seven priests, and several seminarians amid a new crackdown on the underground Catholic Church in the Communist nation, Catholic sources said Tuesday.
Turkey Christian persecution: Report submitted to Human Rights Committee
A report has been submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee about the persecution of Protestant Christians in Turkey, and about restrictions imposed against foreign Christians in the country, International Christian Concern reported Sunday.
Uganda Militants Behead Pentecostal Pastor For Leading Muslims To Christ
Police in eastern Uganda are investigating the involvement of Islamic militants in the May 3 beheading of a Pentecostal pastor who evangelized among Muslims, Worthy News learned Thursday.