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Editor's note:
Pride month and religion are often at odds in the public square, with much of today’s anti-LGBTQ sentiment rooted in religious rhetoric and advanced by traditional theologies. This includes the highly publicized recent debates around drag queen story hours, LGBTQ books in school libraries and legislation around trans rights. Yet, this June, at Religion News Service, we have told a number of stories complicating the traditional adversarial narrative between religious communities and queer communities, including that of Natalie Drew, a Christian, transwoman, veteran and pacifist. And that of four trans seekers – Jewish, Muslim, Old Catholic and Episcopalian – who all say the search for their gender identity has brought them closer to God. “As I come into myself and find more and more about myself, I get to practice Islam in a way that’s closer to divinity in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to without that,” one seeker told RNS correspondent Emma Ryan.
Religion News
What is it like living in Mecca? For residents, Islam’s holiest sites are simply home
For residents, Islam's most sacred city Mecca is simply home. People who grow up there say holy sites like the Grand Mosque housing the Kaaba were backdrops to their childhood, where they played and hung out with their families. By Riazat Butt/The Associated Press
Black nun who founded first African American religious congregation advances closer to sainthood
Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange -- a Black Catholic nun who founded the United States’ first African American religious congregation in Baltimore in 1829 -- has advanced another step toward sainthood. By Luis Andres Henao/The Associated Press
Oak Flat, about 40 miles east of Phoenix, is an Apache sacred site where Native Americans gather to pray and perform coming-of-age ceremonies and sweat rituals. A multi-national corporation has proposed a massive copper mine on the flats, which could threaten their spiritual practices and heritage. By Deepa Bharath/The Associated Press and Alejandra Molina/Religion News Service
For church worship teams, Auto-Tune covers a multitude of sins. Especially online.
The boom in livestreaming and the ubiquity of Auto-Tune and other technologies have led churches to up their game when it come to sound technology. But has it gone too far? By Bob Smietana/Religion News Service
Unitarian Universalism revisits identity, values at 2023 gathering
Intense discussions at this year’s General Assembly took place as the UUA navigates how to continue implementing its commitment to anti-racism. By Kathryn Post/Religion News Service
Commentary and Analysis
The Saudi government is using digital technology to help the hajj run smoothly and safely – the latest updates in a 200-year history of technology and the hajj. By Andrea Stanton for The Conversation
Jewish communities have always followed some different customs in different parts of the world, but the 19th and 20th centuries brought much more dramatic divisions. By Joshua Shanes for The Conversation
A scholar of politics and religion explains how anti-LGBTQ laws are being used to distract the public from governance failures in many parts of the world. By Nicolette Manglos-Weber for The Conversation
Are Catholic services simply too boring? By Thomas Reese/Religion News Service
Revelers gather at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, near Salisbury, England, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
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