In the News, June 25, 2015

June 25, 2015

Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the Israeli Army attempts to ease tensions in the West Bank, Quebec's premier defends legislation on freedom of expression, and a rift widens between liberal American Jews and the Israeli government.
AROUND THE WORLD
Signs of a Thaw
Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21656114-military-moves-make-life-easier-palestinians-sign-thaw
In preparation for Ramadan, the Israeli Army made several moves to ease tensions in the West Bank. Buses are now taking Palestinians directly to Friday prayers at a mosque in Jerusalem, and men over 40 and women of any age can board them without a permit. Palestinian doctors can also drive their cars directly into Jerusalem, which cuts their commuting time in half and saves them from paying expensive cab fares. Yet what the army gives, the politicians can, and do, still take away.  

related | Israel Cancels Some Gazans’ Access to Al Aqsa Mosque During Ramadan
by Diaa Hadid
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/world/middleeast/israel-palestinians-gaza-ramadan.html  

Quebec Leader Defends Limits on Freedom of Expression
by Rick Gladstone
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/world/quebec-leader-defends-expression-limits.html?ref=americas
Quebec's premier, Philippe Couillard, has defended legislation currently under consideration by provincial lawmakers that, if passed, would restrict Islamic face coverings for women. In regard to this proposed religious neutrality bill, Couillard explained the law would not be a complete ban of religious face veils, but it would prohibit female civic or provincial employees who have face-to-face dealings with the public from wearing the traditional Muslim attire.  

Can Pope Francis Save the Planet?
by Taylor Wofford
Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/can-pope-francis-save-planet-345586
Francis has a good track record when it comes to influencing policy outcomes. Take, for example, the warming of relations between the U.S. and Cuba, says John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. "Everybody was talking about it. Everybody knew it should be done. Nobody was willing to do it because of the political consequences. Then the Vatican and Pope Francis got involved and it provided some cover, some encouragement, some challenge and now it's getting done."  

Pope Francis's Guardinian Encyclical
by Robert Barron
Real Clear Religion op-ed http://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2015/06/25/pope_franciss_guardinian_encyclical.html
In 1986, Jorge Mario Bergoglio commenced doctoral studies in Germany--focusing his research on the great 20th century theologian and cultural critic Romano Guardini. Though he never completed his doctoral degree, Pope Francis' immersion in the writings of Guardini profoundly influences his thinking and surfaces quite clearly throughout the encyclical.  

Vatican Road Map for Fall Meeting on Families Features Roadblocks, Too
by Rosie Scammell
Washington Post/RNS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/vatican-road-map-for-fall-meeting-on-families-features-roadblocks-too/2015/06/23/8207613e-19cc-11e5-bed8-1093ee58dad0_story.html As a precursor to a major summit of church leaders this October, Vatican officials on Tuesday released a roadmap to the meeting, which focused on family values. The 78-page document underscores the ongoing tensions between Pope Francis’ desire for a more welcoming church and the need uphold long-standing tradition and doctrine.  

For Egypt, TV Show’s Shocking Twist Is Its Sympathetic Jews
by David D. Kirkpatrick
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/world/middleeast/for-egypt-tv-shows-shocking-twist-is-its-sympathetic-jews.html
A popular new series in Egypt proves the nation's first television production in at least six decades to respectfully depict Jewish families at prayer in a synagogue or Sabbath dinner. This portrayal is a stark turn from the overt anti-Semitism that has dominated Egyptian television for decades, though it has been received with vastly different reactions across the country.  

Losing Their Religion: When Muslim Immigrants Leave Islam
by Darren E. Sherkat
Foreign Affairs op-ed
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/review-essay/2015-06-22/losing-their-religion
In truth, the West’s embrace of secular multiculturalism has created a groundswell of increasingly non-religious Muslims, though quantitative research is lacking documenting this trend. Simon Cottee’s The Apostates: When Muslims Leave Islam provides readers with a powerful depiction of this group. Cottee examines how Western secularism challenges Islamic thought in ways that lead some to abandon their faith—an outcome that is much more common than resorting to fundamentalism.  

DOMESTIC
American Jews Reject Israeli Rabbinate
by Lisa Goldman
Daily Beast
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/23/american-jews-reject-israeli-rabbinate.html
Last week, Israel's newly appointed Minister of Religious Affairs referred to Reform Judaism as “a catastrophe for the people of Israel.” Though the reform movement may be relatively insignificant in Israel, it is actually quite important in America--a fact which has created a growing rift between liberal American Jews and the Israeli government.  

Better Than Church? Religions’ Social Events Have Higher Purpose
by Cathy Lynn Grossman
Washington Post/Religion News Service http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/better-than-church-religions-social-events-have-higher-purpose/2015/06/24/6daafd78-1a8e-11e5-bed8-1093ee58dad0_story.html 
A recent study by Eventbrite, a company that markets tens of thousands of live experiences annually, shed light on the increasing popularity of religious social events and the overwhelmingly positive impact they have on those who attend.
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