Lead story
Editor's note:
Debates about vaccine mandates – and efforts to escape them – have dominated headlines for weeks. And it’s not hard to see why. Take 18 months of fear, uncertainty and frustration during a global pandemic. Add hopes that vaccinations can finally pull us out of it. Mix in distrust of government, fierce polarization and brand-new medical technology. That’s already quite the combination. But just to top if off, throw in religion.
Many organizations, such as schools and businesses, are allowing people to claim a religious exemption, and some pastors have offered to help people avoid shots. To many Americans, always being able to opt out of policies against their religious beliefs seems like a bedrock right.
Or is it? The rules around religious exemptions are complicated, as religious liberty expert Douglas Laycock explains – and their legal basis may not be as clear as people seeking them assume.
Religion News
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Welcome.US provides a single point of entry for Americans to donate to frontline organizations, host arriving families through Airbnb and find other ways to help Afghans as they rebuild their lives in the United States after fleeing the Taliban. By Emily McFarlan Miller/Religion News Service
Texas man gets execution delay over pastor’s touch request
A Texas death row inmate has won a reprieve from execution for killing a convenience store worker in 2004. The Supreme Court blocked the lethal injection of John Henry Ramirez after his attorney argued the state was violating his religious freedom by not letting his pastor lay hands during the execution. By Juan Lozano and Michael Graczyk/The Associated Press
Recent rallies have intermingled resistance to COVID-19 vaccines with calls for a resurgence of Christian influence. By Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service
Militia leader gets 53 years in Minnesota mosque bombing
Leader of an Illinois anti-government militia group who authorities say masterminded the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque was sentenced Monday to 53 years in prison on several civil rights and hate crimes for the attack, which left a community terrified. By Mohamed Ibrahim and Amy Forliti/The Associated Press
Polish nun, cardinal who defied communism are beatified
Polish political leaders have attended the beatification of two revered figures of the Catholic church in a Warsaw church. One is the cardinal who led the Polish church’s resistance to communism and the other is a nun who devoted her life to helping the blind. By Vanessa Gera/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Two scholars – both converts to Islam – set out to understand the Muslim community in Chile. Here is what they found. By Michael Vicente Perez and Matthew Ingalls for The Conversation
Whereas many immigrant U.S. Muslims once sought to assimilate into the larger mosaic of American life, with 9/11, the focus has now shifted into forming a ‘more perfect union’ based on justice for all. By Omid Safi/Religion News Service
Concern about Islamophobia has been near-constant for years. But how it plays out is changing – especially online. By Saif Shahin for The Conversation
'Imagine' at 50: Why John Lennon's ode to humanism still resonates
Regularly topping lists for 'greatest song of all time,' the former Beatle's classic 1971 song is taken by many as an atheistic anthem. By Phil Zuckerman for The Conversation
Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, center, and Mitropolitan Joanikije, left, at the arrival ceremony in front of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Christ's Resurrection in Podgorica, Montenegro, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. Serbian patriarch Porfirije arrives at Podgorica ahead of the inauguration of the new bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro scheduled in the historic capital of Cetinje, sparking tensions. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters confronted the police in Cetinje and briefly removed some of the protective metal fences around the monastery where the inauguration of Mitropolitan Joanikije is supposed to take place. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)
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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.
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