News

Sporty hijabs encourage Muslim girls to play with confidence | Religion | stltoday.com

June 30, 2017
Muslim student athletes at one U.S. high school no longer have to be slowed down by worries that their headscarves might fall off. Deering High School in Portland, Maine, is providing sport hijabs with the goal of making Muslim girls comfortable — and boosting their participation in sports. The lightweight scarves stay put and are less bulky than other hijabs, garments that cover the hair and are worn by many Muslim women to express their faith. Source: ... Read more about Sporty hijabs encourage Muslim girls to play with confidence | Religion | stltoday.com

Ministers lend an ear to those dealing with hardships

June 30, 2017
Anne Donahue is a woman who has always wanted to help. She was a good listener, she said; she was told she had a compassionate ear. So, a few years ago, when her Roman Catholic parish, Sacred Heart in Southbury, began a program that sent lay people to minister to those enduring trying emotional times, she signed up. “I have a large family,” said Donahue. “I keep thinking of the fact that some people have nobody and, to me, it is just an overwhelming concept how sad that is. People such as that have to depend on a neighbor or neighbors. It has bothered me.” Donahue is one of an estimated 40... Read more about Ministers lend an ear to those dealing with hardships

To Understand How Religion Shapes America, Look To Its Early Days : NPR

June 29, 2017
Religion has played an outsized role in U.S. history and politics, but it's one that has often gone unrecognized in U.S. museums. "As a focused subject area, it's been neglected," says Peter Manseau, a scholar and writer installed last year as the first full-time religion curator at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. America's exceptional commitment to religious freedom stems from the diversity of its faith traditions. The rebellious attitudes prevalent in frontier settlements fostered the growth of evangelical... Read more about To Understand How Religion Shapes America, Look To Its Early Days : NPR

After a marathon late-night debate, Prince William County mosque plan approved - The Washington Post

June 29, 2017
On one side, impassioned Prince William County residents dressed in green shirts argued that constructing a new house of worship would disrupt their quiet community, choke the roads with traffic and go against the zoning regulations meant to protect the rural enclave. On the other side, their Muslim neighbors said that all they wanted was a place to pray in their own community — and that opposition to their plans to construct a mosque might arise out of not just technical arguments about land use but also bias against Islam. After hours of heated testimony on Tuesday night, which included... Read more about After a marathon late-night debate, Prince William County mosque plan approved - The Washington Post

Vatican women's council hopes to be 'electric shock' for global Church

June 29, 2017
If women were protons and men were electrons, the Vatican would be a pretty negatively charged electric field, meaning that men generally own the stage. The female advisory board for the Pontifical Council for Culture wishes to change that, sending an “electric shock” that will open discussion on women’s roles in the Church. “The Church is a male-dominated world, but the [wider] world in which it exists is both male and female,” Consuelo Corradi, vice rector for research and international relations at the LUMSA University of Rome, told Crux. “The global church needs to enter a... Read more about Vatican women's council hopes to be 'electric shock' for global Church

On Eid 2017, a peek into the lives of Puerto Rican Muslims | Religion News Service

June 28, 2017
(The Conversation) For Juan, Ramadan is a balancing act. On the one hand is his religious faith and practice. On the other is his land, his culture, his home – Puerto Rico. Although he weaves these two elements of his identity together in many ways, during Ramadan the borderline between them becomes palpable. For the 3,500 to 5,000 Puerto Rican Muslims like Juan, the holy month of fasting brings to the surface the tensions they feel in their daily life as minorities – Muslims among their Puerto Rican family and Puerto Ricans in the Muslim community. So, who are the Puerto Rican Muslims and... Read more about On Eid 2017, a peek into the lives of Puerto Rican Muslims | Religion News Service

What do Christian protests about Harry Potter books teach us? | Religion News Service

June 28, 2017
(The Conversation) On Monday (June 26), Harry James Potter — the world’s most famous wizard — will celebrate his 20th birthday. His many fans will likely mark the occasion by rereading a favorite Harry Potter novel or rewatching one of the blockbuster films. Some may even raise a butterbeer toast in Harry’s honor at one of three Harry Potter-themed amusement parks. But not everyone will be celebrating Harry’s big day. In fact, a vocal group of Christians – ... Read more about What do Christian protests about Harry Potter books teach us? | Religion News Service