Religion News

Nonreligious struggle to find their voice and place in Indian society and politics

CHENNAI, India (AP) — Despite India’s millennia-old history of nonreligious movements, most atheists and rationalists choose to keep quiet about their skepticism of faith — it’s easier and far less risky than going public in one of the world's most r

Oct 4, 2023 10:21 PM Read more >

Israel is perennially swept up in religious conflict. Yet many of its citizens are secular

MEVASSERET ZION, Israel (AP) — Israel is a nation perennially swept up in religious fervor and conflict .

Oct 4, 2023 10:20 PM Read more >

Fearing ostracism or worse, many nonbelievers hide their views in the Middle East and North Africa

There’s the Tunisian woman who fasts during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan , though not for God. The Iraqi woman who, until recently, wore a hijab.

Oct 4, 2023 10:19 PM Read more >

Highlights from AP-NORC poll about the religiously unaffiliated in the US

Thirty percent of Americans don't identify with a religious group — but not all of them are atheists or agnostics. In fact, 43% of the group known as the “nones” say they believe in God, even if they largely dislike organized religion.

Oct 4, 2023 9:47 PM Read more >

Q&A: Jose Mujica on Uruguay’s secular history, religion, atheism and the global rise of the 'nones'

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — In Uruguay , a nation of some 3.3 million people, more than half identify as “nones” — atheist, agnostic or other religiously unaffiliated — the highest portion in Latin America.

Oct 4, 2023 9:43 PM Read more >

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, trailblazer and champion of liberal priorities, dies at age 90

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat and champion of liberal causes who was elected to the Senate in 1992 and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics , has died.

Oct 4, 2023 5:47 PM Read more >

Point of no return: Pope challenges leaders at UN talks to slow global warming before it's too late

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis shamed and challenged world leaders on Wednesday to commit to binding targets to slow climate change before it’s too late, warning that God’s increasingly warming creation is fast reaching a “point of no return.

Oct 4, 2023 10:27 AM Read more >

Israeli police arrest suspects for spitting near Christian pilgrims and churches in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police said Wednesday they arrested several people suspected of spitting in the direction of Christian pilgrims and churches in Jerusalem this week as religious tensions flared anew in the contested capital that the three Abr

Oct 4, 2023 10:17 AM Read more >

Pope Francis opens a big Vatican meeting on the church's future and says 'everyone' is welcome

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis said the Catholic Church needed to be rebuilt to make it a place of welcome for “everyone, everyone, everyone,” as he opened a divisive meeting on the future of the church that has sparked hope among progressives and

Oct 4, 2023 9:43 AM Read more >

'It's a new party': How Conservatives try to rebuild trust among Muslim communities

OTTAWA — When Pierre Poilievre pitches the Conservative party to Muslim Canadians, he talks about "faith, family and freedom.

Oct 4, 2023 6:10 AM Read more >