Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: Chinese Christians continue to resist a government campaign to remove crosses, an Iraqi archbishop pleads for help for his people, and a new generation of nuns stands out from its predecessors.
AROUND THE WORLD
Jewish Extremist Poses Threat to Holy Land Christians, Church Body Says
by Michele Chabin
Washington Post/RNS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/jewish-extremist-poses-threat-to-holy-land-christian...
The church body authorized by the Vatican to oversee the Catholic Church’s property in Israel has asked Israel’s attorney general to indict a Jewish extremist who, it says, poses a threat to Holy Land Christians.
Chinese Christians Resist Government Plan to Remove Crosses
by Ian Johnson
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/world/asia/chinese-christians-resist-government-plan-to-remove-cro...
A government campaign in China to remove crosses from Christian churches faces increasing resistance from the community, as prominent theologians speak out and public appeals add to the opposition.
Israeli Rabbis Create Independent Jewish Conversion Court
by Tia Goldenberg
Washington Post/AP
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israeli-rabbis-create-independent-jewish-conversion...
Defying the Orthodox establishment’s monopoly on religious affairs in Israel, a group of rabbis in the nation has created an independent Jewish conversion court. The move signals a growing sense of impatience with the Orthodox rabbinate’s tight grip on aspects of daily life and the political leadership's failure to liberalize access to conversion and other religious services.
Iraqi Archbishop Discusses Desperate Plight of Iraqi Christians
by Tom Gallagher
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/news/global/iraqi-archbishop-discusses-desperate-plight-iraqi-christians
Prior to 2003, it is estimated that some one million Christians lived in Iraq out of a population of 25 million--yet today, it is estimated that the number has dropped to approximately 300,000. Fighting for his people, an Iraqi archbishop has come to the U.S. to raise awareness of the desperate humanitarian crisis affecting Christians in Iraq and to plead for help.
The Need for 'Faith Literacy' in an Increasingly Religious World
by Evert-Jan Ouweneel
ABC Radio National
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/religionandethicsreport/the-need-for-faith-literacy-in-...
Dutch philosopher and World Vision consultant Evert-Jan Ouweneel argues for the necessity of diplomats, politicians and everyday people in raising their ‘religious literacy’ as they work to understand the mindsets of others.
Enlightened Despots, Then and Now
by John M. Owen IV and J. Judd Owen
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-08-10/enlightened-despots-then-and-now
There is no question that, today, Islamism is resurgent, with a radicalized wing growing in militancy and brutality. But Westerners should not be fooled by the strength of Islamism into thinking that the Muslim world simply needs a modern enlightenment. The violence that continues to shake so many Muslim societies is in part about Islam’s ongoing confrontation with an enlightenment imposed on Muslim societies from above, much as European absolute monarchs imposed the young Western Enlightenment on their societies centuries ago.
The (Non)Free Exercise of Religion
by Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/10/the-nonfree-exercise-of-religion/
As Pakistan celebrates National Minorities Day today, the nation's minorities themselves experience little tolerance or acceptance in the midst of the country's widespread religious and sectarian violence.
DOMESTIC
Nuns of a New Generation Forge Their Own Path
by Mark Oppenheimer
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/us/nuns-of-a-new-generation-forge-their-own-path.html
The number of young women who join religious orders has increasingly diminished over the ears. In fact, according to a Georgetown University study, “there are more Catholic sisters in the United States over age 90 than under age 60.” Though small, however, the newest generation of nuns makes for a fascinating bunch.
Breaches in the Wall of Separation
by Erasmus blog
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/08/church-state-and-early-america
For conservatives and liberals alike, the separation of church and state plays a huge role in perceptions of government and politics today--though one law professor is arguing that this separation did not always exist. In fact, during the early decades of American life, she argues that state authorities actually interfered heavily in the affairs of churches, and in doing so, helped to remold the American religious scene.
Jewish Extremist Poses Threat to Holy Land Christians, Church Body Says
by Michele Chabin
Washington Post/RNS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/jewish-extremist-poses-threat-to-holy-land-christian...
The church body authorized by the Vatican to oversee the Catholic Church’s property in Israel has asked Israel’s attorney general to indict a Jewish extremist who, it says, poses a threat to Holy Land Christians.
Chinese Christians Resist Government Plan to Remove Crosses
by Ian Johnson
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/world/asia/chinese-christians-resist-government-plan-to-remove-cro...
A government campaign in China to remove crosses from Christian churches faces increasing resistance from the community, as prominent theologians speak out and public appeals add to the opposition.
Israeli Rabbis Create Independent Jewish Conversion Court
by Tia Goldenberg
Washington Post/AP
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israeli-rabbis-create-independent-jewish-conversion...
Defying the Orthodox establishment’s monopoly on religious affairs in Israel, a group of rabbis in the nation has created an independent Jewish conversion court. The move signals a growing sense of impatience with the Orthodox rabbinate’s tight grip on aspects of daily life and the political leadership's failure to liberalize access to conversion and other religious services.
Iraqi Archbishop Discusses Desperate Plight of Iraqi Christians
by Tom Gallagher
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/news/global/iraqi-archbishop-discusses-desperate-plight-iraqi-christians
Prior to 2003, it is estimated that some one million Christians lived in Iraq out of a population of 25 million--yet today, it is estimated that the number has dropped to approximately 300,000. Fighting for his people, an Iraqi archbishop has come to the U.S. to raise awareness of the desperate humanitarian crisis affecting Christians in Iraq and to plead for help.
The Need for 'Faith Literacy' in an Increasingly Religious World
by Evert-Jan Ouweneel
ABC Radio National
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/religionandethicsreport/the-need-for-faith-literacy-in-...
Dutch philosopher and World Vision consultant Evert-Jan Ouweneel argues for the necessity of diplomats, politicians and everyday people in raising their ‘religious literacy’ as they work to understand the mindsets of others.
Enlightened Despots, Then and Now
by John M. Owen IV and J. Judd Owen
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-08-10/enlightened-despots-then-and-now
There is no question that, today, Islamism is resurgent, with a radicalized wing growing in militancy and brutality. But Westerners should not be fooled by the strength of Islamism into thinking that the Muslim world simply needs a modern enlightenment. The violence that continues to shake so many Muslim societies is in part about Islam’s ongoing confrontation with an enlightenment imposed on Muslim societies from above, much as European absolute monarchs imposed the young Western Enlightenment on their societies centuries ago.
The (Non)Free Exercise of Religion
by Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/10/the-nonfree-exercise-of-religion/
As Pakistan celebrates National Minorities Day today, the nation's minorities themselves experience little tolerance or acceptance in the midst of the country's widespread religious and sectarian violence.
DOMESTIC
Nuns of a New Generation Forge Their Own Path
by Mark Oppenheimer
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/us/nuns-of-a-new-generation-forge-their-own-path.html
The number of young women who join religious orders has increasingly diminished over the ears. In fact, according to a Georgetown University study, “there are more Catholic sisters in the United States over age 90 than under age 60.” Though small, however, the newest generation of nuns makes for a fascinating bunch.
Breaches in the Wall of Separation
by Erasmus blog
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/08/church-state-and-early-america
For conservatives and liberals alike, the separation of church and state plays a huge role in perceptions of government and politics today--though one law professor is arguing that this separation did not always exist. In fact, during the early decades of American life, she argues that state authorities actually interfered heavily in the affairs of churches, and in doing so, helped to remold the American religious scene.
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