After a rigorous debate and a 28-21 vote, on Wednesday night, the Washington state Senate approved a measure that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. In addition to the measure, more than 10 amendments were introduced. Several amendments, including one that strengthened legal protections for religious groups and organizations, passed. An amendment that mandated [...]

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Internet users can now view online five of the Dead Sea Scrolls that for the past decades have been kept in a climate-controlled display at Jerusalem’sIsraelMuseum. The website, which was developed by the museum in partnership with Google, features separate pages for the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on the Habakkuk [...]

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Pope Benedict XVI’s recent words of praise for Martin Luther, founder of the Protestant reformation, has set abuzz speculation on the possible “rehabilitation” of the spiritual leader as the Lutherans’ 500th anniversary approaches. Bishop Nikolaus Schneider, Germany’s top Protestant bishop, was so elated by the Pope’s words on Benedict that he told journalists that Luther [...]

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A program in Alabama that was supposed to allow offenders to choose between going to church for a year, or serving a term in jail and paying a fine, was temporarily delayed after a civil rights group issued a letter of objection. The Operation Restore Our Community, an initiative in Bay Minette, Alabama by Municipal [...]

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A man in the UK was warned recently by police that the Christian cafe that he owns is in breach of public order laws because it shows Bible verses on a TV screen. Jamie Murray, owner of Salt and Light Café in  Blackpool, was told by Lancashire Police that a customer had complained about offensive [...]

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More than 7,600 churches from 34 denominations opened their doors to an estimated 250,000 visitors during National Back to Church Sunday (www.Backtochurch.com), held Sept. 18. Twice as many churches as last year participated in what has become the single, largest cross-denominational outreach initiative in America. Churches responding to a post-event survey welcomed an average of [...]

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Two evangelical Christian thinkers from opposite ends of the political spectrum come together for a thought-provoking dialogue on polarizing issues in a live forum at Riverside Church in New York City on Thursday, October 6, 7:00 p.m. Lisa Sharon Harper, director of mobilizing at Sojourners, and D.C. Innes, associate professor politics at The King’s College, [...]

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While nearly 7-in-10 (69%) Americans believe there is solid evidence that the average temperature on earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades, and nearly 6-in-10 (57%) Americans believe humans and other living things evolved over time, a new survey finds that approximately half of Americans who identify with the Tea Party reject [...]

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Three countries, namely China, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam slammed recently a U.S. government religious freedom report which included two of them, China and Saudi Arabia, among eight Countries Of Particular Concern regarding religious freedom. Vietnam was not included among the eight cited in the U.S. State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report, but was nonetheless [...]

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The head of an Alzheimer’s organization said recently that comments by televangelist Pat Robertson, referring to Alzheimer’s as a type of “death” that may justify divorce, highlights the need for more public education about the ailment. Eric J. Hall, founder and head of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, said the comments Robertson made on the [...]

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