Latest Religion and politics News
Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms is back in court
As Louisiana schools remain stuck in the middle of a legal battle over a new state law requiring every public classroom to display the Ten Commandments, a panel of three judges heard arguments over the controversial mandate on Thursday morning. The law, which has been touted by...
Trump won't ban immigration arrests at churches. Now clergy are weighing how to resist
Numerous faith leaders across the U.S. say the immigration crackdown launched by President Donald Trump’s new administration has sown fear within their migrant-friendly congregations. They are pondering ways to resist even in the face of warnings that houses of worship are not off-limits for...
Former Republican state lawmaker Niraj Antani launches bid for Ohio secretary of state
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former state Sen. Niraj Antani, a self-described “pro-Trump conservative warrior” who proposed unsuccessful bills banning ballot drop boxes and requiring citizenship checks for voters, has launched a bid to be Ohio's next elections chief. Antani, 33, of...
MLK Day at King's Atlanta congregation features daughter's warning about anti-woke rhetoric
ATLANTA (AP) — A massive 70-member choir belted out “Hallelujah” at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day service Monday at his former congregation in Atlanta, followed by a stern message from his youngest daughter warning against anti-woke rhetoric. The service at Ebenezer Baptist...
India kicks off a massive Hindu festival touted as the world's largest religious gathering
PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world's largest religious gathering. Over about the next...
Some US lawmakers want more Christianity in the classroom. Trump could embolden their plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative lawmakers across the U.S. are pushing to introduce more Christianity to public school classrooms, testing the separation of church and state by inserting Bible references into reading lessons and requiring teachers to post the Ten Commandments. The...
Elon Musk helped Trump win. Now he's looking at Europe, and many politicians are alarmed
LONDON (AP) — Fresh from pouring his money and energies into helping Donald Trump win reelection, Elon Musk has trained his sights on Europe, setting off alarm bells among politicians across the continent. The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive has endorsed the far-right Alternative...
Far-right leader pledges to 'govern Austria honestly' and makes demands of potential partner
VIENNA (AP) — Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl said Tuesday in his first comments after being tasked to form a new government that he aspires to “govern Austria honestly” as he prepared for talks on a potential coalition with conservatives who criticized him sharply in the past. ...
Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer? An AP Explainer about the anti-Nazi pastor
Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Germany executed by the Nazis in 1945 at age 39 for his role in a resistance movement that included attempts to assassinate German leader Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer was born in 1906...
Pope names like-minded ally Cardinal McElroy as Washington archbishop
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, tapping one of his most progressively like-minded allies to head the Catholic Church in the U.S. capital at the start of Donald Trump's second administration. At a press...