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Editor's note:
Tel Aviv is home to one of the most famous Pride month celebrations in the world. But the mood this June may be a bit different, coming on the heels of months of protests against the Israeli government’s proposed judicial overhaul.
Each week’s demonstrations are a sea of blue and white, as protesters wave Israel’s national flag. But among the crowds, there are also plenty of pride flags, notes Orit Avishai, a sociologist who studies LGBTQ activism in Israel. Some protesters fear that hard-line conservative ministers will roll back LGBTQ rights. And LGBTQ issues themselves are a symbol of the country’s deep “chasm” between “secular and religious Israeli Jews’ very different visions of the Jewish state.”
Avishai traces how Israel came to be a relatively accepting society – and how religion’s place in the government has influenced that journey.
Religion News
Casteless utopia: California religious group backs bill to ban caste discrimination
Community members who have kept a low profile so far now want to make their voices heard as they champion a bill in the state Senate that will outlaw caste bias in California. By Deepa Bharath/The Associated Press
Catholic Church in California grapples with more than 3,000 lawsuits, alleging child sex abuse
Advocates have been left stunned by the number of cases that surfaced during this revival window. By Alejandra Molina/Religion News Service
The woodworking techniques pioneered by those who built the Notre Dame Cathedral more than 800 years ago are being used again today to rebuild following the 2019 fire. By Jeffrey Schaeffer/The Associated Press
How evangelical Christian writer Jemar Tisby became a radioactive symbol of ‘wokeness’
Once an evangelical insider with a textbook conversion story, Tisby has become persona non grata in some Christian circles for his books on race and religion, including the 2019 bestseller, ‘The Color of Compromise.’ By Bob Smietana/Religion News Service
Defendant in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre carried out attack, defense acknowledges as trial begins
Prosecutors, who rejected the 50-year-old Bowers’ offer to plead guilty in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, opened their case by describing for jurors the terror he sowed. By Peter Smith/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Turner was introduced to Nichiren Buddhism in 1973, and its teachings provided inspiration for some of the final projects of her career. By Ralph H. Craig III for The Conversation
The Vatican plans to set up an 'observatory' to investigate apparitions of the Virgin Mary. A scholar of global Christianity explains why this is a major shift in how apparitions are authenticated. By Deirdre de la Cruz for The Conversation
Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religious system in several parts of South and Southeast Asia, but there is a rich diversity of beliefs and practices in this tradition. By Brooke Schedneck for The Conversation
The U.K. government needs to be bolder, more discerning and more open to faith engagement. By Colin Bloom/Religion News Service
Buddhists march with giant lanterns in a parade during the Lotus Lantern Festival to celebrate for the upcoming birthday of Buddha on May 27 in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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