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President Obama Signs Bill Specifically Granting Atheists Protection Against Persecution - World Religion News

December 30, 2016
THE FRANK R. WOLF INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT WILL NOT ONLY PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE RELIGIOUS, BUT OF THE NON-RELIGIOUS TOO AND PREVENT HARASSMENT OF ATHEISTS. Atheists, humanists, and other freethinkers will finally be given official protection against harassment by the U.S. government. This has been made possible after U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act. The updated Act will not only benefit religious minorities in America, but will also enable the government to intervene in cases of persecution of religious...
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Is Christmas still a religious holiday?

December 30, 2016
Christmas is more than just a religious holiday. As the Pew Research Center found in 2013, about 81 percent of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in the United States. That includes people without religion, Buddhists, Hindus and American Jews. In fact, close to one-third of Jewish people (32 percent) have a Christmas tree in their homes during the December months, according to Pew.

Source: Is Christmas still a religious holiday?

For Pope Francis, A Year Of Reconciliation Abroad Amid Opposition At Home : Parallels : NPR

December 30, 2016
Pope Francis turned 80 this month, at the end of what has been a busy year. He made six foreign trips and oversaw many events and ceremonies with millions of pilgrims throughout what he proclaimed the Holy Year of Mercy. The year was also marked by the pope's efforts to heal divisions within the Christian world and tackle dissension within Catholicism.

Source: For Pope Francis, A Year Of Reconciliation Abroad Amid...

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Churches Drop Anti-LGBT Lawsuit Against Massachusetts Transgender Law - World Religion News

December 18, 2016
CHURCHES WITHDRAW LAWSUIT AFTER CLARIFICATION THAT TRANSGENDER PROTECTION LAW DOES NOT VIOLATE THEIR RIGHTS OR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. In October 2016, four Massachusetts churches represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom group sued the Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and members of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. The lawsuit arose from the new Massachusetts transgender anti-discrimination law. In their submission to the court, the four churches stated that the law violated their religious freedom by requiring them to allow transgender individuals...
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Two U.S. Towns Being Sued for Discrimination This Week for Refusing Permits to Mosques - World Religion News

December 18, 2016
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FILES DISCRIMINATION CASES AGAINST U.S. TOWNS FOR DENYING MOSQUES. The city of Sterling Heights, Michigan is facing a legal suit due to the rejection of a plea by the area’s Muslims to build a mosque. The U.S. Department of Justice has called this discriminatory decision an infringement of the Muslims’ constitutional rights and has filed a case in a U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Source: Two U....

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