Lead story
Editor's note:
Should a cross be allowed to fly over a city hall?
That’s the question driving a case the Supreme Court will take up later this month, Shurtleff v. Boston. Dozens of organizations have been allowed to temporarily raise flags in front of Boston City Hall for special events, but none of them are religious. The city says allowing a Christian flag would violate the First Amendment’s ban on government's promotion of particular faiths. The petitioner, meanwhile – the director of Camp Constitution, an organization that says it seeks "to enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage” – argues its free speech rights are being violated.
But whose speech is really represented on that flagpole – the government’s, or the individual’s? That’s the key question justices will have to consider, according to Mark Satta, who teaches philosophy of law at Wayne State University. And at a time when the Supreme Court seems concerned about limits on religious expression, the case is grabbing attention far from Boston.
Religion News
These are some of the prayers said in and around the Capitol that day, collected by Religion News Service from videos, public documents, interviews and news reports. By Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service
‘A moral giant’: South Africans pay their respects to Tutu
South Africans from all corners of retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s “rainbow nation” filed past his plain pine casket by the hundreds to pay their respects. By Andrew Meldrum/The Associated Press
Comments renew debate over adoption as abortion alternative
Despite the demand for babies from Americans yearning to adopt, perhaps 40 times more women opt for an abortion, and a large majority who decide to give birth make the choice to keep the child. By David Crary and John Hanna/The Associated Press
A surge of evangelicals in Spain, fueled by Latin Americans
Spain’s migrant and evangelical populations have surged in recent decades, profoundly changing how faith is practiced in the country long dominated by the Catholic church. By Alberto Arce/The Associated Press
How East London’s oldest halal restaurant survived the pandemic
Halal Restaurant opened in 1939 to serve the needs of Muslims in the maritime industry. Over the ensuing decades the restaurant has changed alongside the rapidly shifting neighborhood. By Joseph Hammond /Religion News Service
Commentary and Analysis
Fear of prosecution and a history of distrust toward the government have contributed to some fundamentalist groups' views of medicine. By Cristina Rosetti for The Conversation
The very people who have been subject to the worst of the United States have embodied its best. By Eboo Patel/Religion News Service
Alternative beliefs like spiritualism seem to experience resurgences in times of crisis. Taggart has spent the past 20 years exploring the oft-misunderstood religion. By Beth Saunders for The Conversation
As debates about abortion heat up in the U.S. once again, we need to pay attention to the hard-fought struggles over abortion in other nations where religion plays a key role in politics and public life. By Megan Rivers-Moore for The Conversation
Khishtan art group performs the Sama dance, or a Sufi dance, at a theater hall in downtown Tehran, Iran, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. Sama is a popular form of worship in Sufism. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
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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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