Scottish police receive thousands of reports after new hate crime law
London, UK Reuters Scottish police said on Wednesday they had received more than 7,000 online reports of offences in the first week since the introduction of a new hate crime law that opponents say could curb free speech and waste police time. The law, brought in by a devolved government controlled by the centre-left pro-independence […]
Essay: From church to the mosque, faith and friends help Iowa’s African immigrants and refugees build a sense of home
Social scientists OSAMAMEN OBA EDUVIERE and BRADY G’SELL, of the University of Iowa, explain – in an article first published on The Conversation – detail the findings of the Homebuilding in the Heartland research project…
Sight-Seeing: The challenges of being a religious scientist
In an article first published on The Conversation, CHRISTOPHER P SCHEITLE, author of ‘The Faithful Scientist: Experiences of Anti-Religious Bias in Scientific Training’, looks at what his research revealed about the difficulties religious scientists face…
A third of Asian Americans say religion is very important in their lives – survey
United StatesRNS More Asian Americans identify as atheist, agnostic or nonreligious than before, according to a survey released Wednesday by Pew Research Center. But 40 per cent of those Pew surveyed, who included Americans of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese backgrounds, said they feel close to a religion for reasons aside from religion, […]
Essay: Three anniversaries will force issues of religious persecution at the UN General Assembly
Whether world leaders grapple with interconnecting issues of religion and global affairs remains to be seen, but, KNOX THAMES, a former special envoy for religious minorities at the US State Department and senior fellow at Pepperdine University, says they cannot afford to ignore them…
Essay: Living near the fire – 500 million people worldwide have active volcanoes as neighbours
In an article first published on The Conversation, geologist DAVID KITCHEN looks at why hundreds of millions continue to live near volcanoes…
Essay: When religion gets political
TIM COSTELLO, a senior fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity in Sydney, says seeking political power to impose and enforce a religious vision is a growing problem around the world…
New US study suggests thinking about God can make people more generous to outsiders
United StatesRNS Religion is often seen as a source of conflict – giving insiders a source of community and support while drawing boundaries against outsiders. A new study suggests religion can also prompt people to be generous to outsiders, even those from groups they distrust. PICTURE: Igal Ness/Unsplash/Creative Commons For the study, entitled Thinking About […]
Most adults in US, 16 other nations say belief in God, morality not always linked
United StatesRNS Is a belief in God a prerequisite for being a moral person? Most Americans say it is not, and majorities of adults in other countries with advanced economies agree. Pew Research Center released the findings – that also hold true among most of those affiliated with a religion – from its Global Attitudes […]
US report lists “significant human rights” abuses in India
Washington DC, US Reuters The annual US report on human rights practices released on Monday listed “significant human rights issues” and abuses in India, including reported targeting of religious minorities, dissidents and journalists, the US State Department said. The findings come nearly a year after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was monitoring […]