Latest Religion and politics News

As Venezuela holds a presidential election Sunday, what does its religious landscape look like?

Jul. 24, 2024 21:08 PM EDT

The majority of Venezuelans are religious — just like parts of the country's political history. But as they prepare for the upcoming presidential election, it's hard to say exactly how religious Venezuelans are and what specifically they believe. The government has not released...

Thousands attend annual EuroPride parade in Greek city of Thessaloniki amid heavy police presence

Jun. 29, 2024 16:51 PM EDT

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — About 15,000 people attended the annual EuroPride parade Saturday, police said, in support of the LGBTQ+ community in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki amid a heavy police presence. The parade, whose motto is “Persevere, Progress, Prosper,” was...

Ten Commandments. Multiple variations. Why the Louisiana law raises preferential treatment concerns

Jun. 29, 2024 08:41 AM EDT

Christians and Jews believe in the Ten Commandments — just not necessarily the version that will hang in every public school and state-funded college classroom in Louisiana. The required text prescribed in the new law and used on many monuments around the United States is a...

What to know about Oklahoma's top education official ordering Bible instruction in schools

Jun. 28, 2024 17:27 PM EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's top education official outraged civil rights groups and others when he ordered public schools to immediately begin incorporating the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12. Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters said in a...

Oklahoma state superintendent orders schools to teach the Bible in grades 5 through 12

Jun. 27, 2024 17:34 PM EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools Thursday to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. The directive drew immediate condemnation from civil...

India's president inaugurates newly elected parliament and sets out economic reforms as a key agenda

Jun. 27, 2024 03:46 AM EDT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s president inaugurated a new parliament on Thursday after national elections, listing the priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in coming years, including fast-tracking economic reforms and boosting small and medium-size enterprises to create jobs. ...

Editorial Roundup: Missouri

Jun. 25, 2024 12:06 PM EDT

St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 23, 2024. Editorial: Gun sanity briefly prevails at the U.S. Supreme Court. (Now do Missouri.) The Supreme Court on Friday issued the kind of ruling that would once have been viewed as so obvious as to be unnecessary: Yes, the court said,...

Hillary Clinton to release essay collection about personal and public life

Jun. 25, 2024 09:47 AM EDT

Hillary Clinton’s next book is a collection of essays, touching upon everything from marriage to politics to faith, that her publisher is calling her most personal yet. Simon and Schuster announced Tuesday that Clinton’s “Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life,...

Lawsuit challenges new Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments

Jun. 25, 2024 00:57 AM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit Monday to block Louisiana’s new law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, a measure they contend is unconstitutional. Plaintiffs in the suit include parents of Louisiana...

Lawsuit challenges new Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments

Jun. 24, 2024 23:01 PM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit Monday to block Louisiana’s new law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, a measure they contend is unconstitutional. Plaintiffs in the suit include parents of Louisiana...