RNS Morning Report: Neo-Buddhists push back against Hindu claims on ancient cave monasteries in India

Top Stories Neo-Buddhists push back against Hindu claims on ancient cave monasteries in India GUJARAT, India (RNS) — In western India, where thousands of monks once worshipped in caves chiseled into the rocky hills, a fight is on to keep Hindu chauvinists from erasing a 2,000-year-old Buddhist site.   National Baptists hold annual meeting as leadership questions continue BALTIMORE (RNS) — The Rev. Jerry Young, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, has been president for two five-year terms and cannot run for a consecutive third term.   The Black church has moved from essential to voluntary, says author Jason Shelton (RNS) — ‘Is the Black church dead? I think it really varies depending on which traditions we’re talking about,’ said Shelton, a sociologist at the University of Texas at Arlington.   What to know about the rescued hostage’s Bedouin community in Israel One significant long-running source of tensions is that tens of thousands or so Bedouins in the Negev eke out an existence in villages that the Israeli authorities don’t recognize. The villages are largely cut off from basic services and the government wants to tear them down. RNS Opinion You need to abandon God to find God (RNS) — Our understanding of God has to mature as we do.   Trump’s Arlington affair harks back to Bill Clinton (RNS) — Trump’s is not the first affront to the American civil religion. ICYMI Montgomery County, Maryland, was most religiously diverse US county in 2023 (RNS) — Beyond the religiously unaffiliated, which represent slightly less than 2 in 10 (17.8%) residents, the largest religious group in the county was Black Protestants, who make up 10% of the population.    Some nonprofit newspapers endorse candidates. So why can’t churches, new lawsuit asks. (RNS) — The federal lawsuit, filed by the National Religious Broadcasters, is the latest challenge to the so-called Johnson Amendment, which bars charitable nonprofits from taking sides in campaigns. In Other News Pope Visits Indonesia, Where Muslim-Christian Harmony Is Under Strain Catholic diocese sues US government, worried some foreign-born priests might be forced to leave   Talk to Us We want your feedback on the RNS Morning Report — what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at Comments@ReligionNews.com Subscribe to other RNS Newsletters. Forward this email to a friend. View the archive of past newsletters. RNS is free to read, but it's not free to produce. If you value our reporting, please consider making a donation today at religionnews.com/donate. If you prefer to mail a donation, please address to: Religion News Foundation, PO Box 1808, Columbia, MO 65205. Yes, I support the work you're doing! Forward this email to a friend