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Editor's note:
As Congress was considering the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the 1990s, the U.S. Catholic bishops voiced opposition, concerned the bill would allow for religiously based arguments in favor of abortion rights. Today, as the country prepares for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the bishops’ prediction may yet come to pass. Jewish Americans who argue their tradition does not teach life begins at conception may turn to the courts and Muslim Americans could argue something similar, sparking a wave of religious freedom challenges to state-level restrictions. As Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, told RNS national reporter Jack Jenkins, “I support the right to an abortion because of my Jewish faith, not in spite of it.” If abortion rights advocates do succeed, Jenkins writes, their path to victory has been paved by conservative Christians who spent years suing for religious exemptions from government regulations.
Religion News
How Black people and Jews are bound together in ‘great replacement’ theory
Dozens of pages of the Buffalo shooter's manifesto are devoted first to Blacks and then to Jews, replete with photos, drawings, graphs and caricatures. By Yonat Shimron/Religion News Service
Israel approves ultranationalist Jewish march in Jerusalem
Israeli authorities say they have given the go-ahead for a march of flag-waving Jewish nationalists to walk through the heart of the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Old City later this month. The decision threatens to re-ignite violence in the holy city. By Josef Federman/The Associated Press
‘They are some of the matriarchs and the pillars of our community,’ Buffalo minister says of residents killed in attack. By Adelle M. Banks/Religion News Service
Some Catholic abortion foes are uneasy about overturning Roe
Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are calling on the faithful to pray and fast in hopes that the Supreme Court will soon overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Yet even among Catholics who oppose abortion, there is some unease about this prospect. By David Crary/The Associated Press
Buddhist chaplains on the rise in US, offering broad appeal
Christian clergy have long dominated the chaplaincy in the United States. But the profession is becoming more religiously diverse, and Buddhists are leading the way. Buddhist chaplains cite their ability to minister to a wide cultural and religious spectrum. By Gosia Wozniacka/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Relics often provided a way to bring more pilgrims into a church – and therefore, more offerings. By Joanne M. Pierce for The Conversation
Two scholars of fundamentalism and creationism explain what they found when they visited the Ark Encounter, an evangelical theme park in Kentucky. By Susan L Trollinger and William Trollinger for The Conversation
Video: A Hopi community founded on religious principles had a prophecy about protecting the Earth. Will Indigenous voices finally be heard?
Ukrainian families' anguish at not being able to bury their loved ones underscores a deep human need, an anthropologist writes. By Dimitris Xygalatas for The Conversation
I don’t need Disney to publicly condemn DeSantis’ politics so I am able to feel valued as a gay man. I feel that way every time I set foot on Disney property. By Brandon Ambrosino/Religion News Service
Buddhists wait to attend a service celebrating Buddha's birthday at the Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 8, 2022. Buddhist believers visit temples across the country to celebrate the Buddha's birthday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
