“Mud sales”: In yearly Pennsylvania tradition, Amish communities hold spring auctions to support fire departments
MARK SCOLFORO, of Associated Press, reports from Gordonville…
US Supreme Court bolsters protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations
Washington DC, USAP The Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mail carrier who did not want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations. In a unanimous decision the justices made clear that workers who ask for accommodations, such as taking the Sabbath off, should have their requests […]
Pittsburgh synagogue attacker found guilty of hate crimes, could face death
Reuters A jury on Friday found Robert Bowers guilty of dozens of federal hate crimes for the killing of 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history. Bowers, 50, now faces the penalty phase of his trial at the US District Court in Pittsburgh in which […]
Religious rights: US Supreme Court to deliver answer in mailman’s case
JESSICA GRESKO, of Associated Press, reports on the case of Gerald Groff…
“Iron sharpens iron”: As Pennsylvania’s ‘Bible belt’ evolves, clergy look to one another for mutual support
ELIZABETH E EVANS, of Religion News Service, reports that after the difficulties of the pandemic and amid a widening gap between people of different political persuasions, the clergy of one small town in this historically religious region have found mutual support in a ‘ministerium’ dedicated to community unity…
StrangeSights: Banksy in Ukraine; stay in a shoe; and, cleaning sneakers for a good cause…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Essay: A Pennsylvania prison gets a Scandinavian-style makeover – and shows how the US penal system could become more humane
In an article first published on The Conversation, criminologists JORDAN HYATT and SYNØVE NYGAARD ANDERSEN look at what a recent collaboration between correctional services in Pennsylvania and several Scandinavian countries reveals…
“Go in peace”: US church founded in 1800 holds last service
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USAP A Pennsylvania church with a 221-year history held its final service and is scheduled to close at the end of the year because of declining membership and attendance. The First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, which is nearly as old as the borough itself, held the final scheduled service on Christmas Eve after […]
Low vaccination rates: Amish put faith in God’s will and herd immunity over vaccine
JOHN SEEWER, of Associated Press, reports on how Amish communities across the US are lagging behind when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations…
US election: Evangelicals at base of Trump hopes for Pennsylvania repeat
MARK SCOLFORO, writing for Associated Press, reports on the role white evangelicals in the key state of Pennsylvania could once again play in the upcoming US presidential election…