Wednesday's News & Ideas - 9/8/2021
- Gay substitute wrongfully fired
- Trump’s faith advisers gather
- Pastor on vaccine mandates
- Taliban’s ideology
- Taliban’s interim prime minister
- Michael K. Williams dies
Court rules Catholic school wrongfully fired gay substitute
Associated Press: A gay substitute teacher was wrongfully fired by a Catholic school in North Carolina after announcing in 2014 on social media that he intended to marry his longtime partner, a federal judge has ruled.
Trump’s faith advisers reconvene in new initiative
Religion News Service: Paula White leads the 70-member group, which includes evangelical leaders who backed the former president.
HuffPost: Trump gripes about losing ungrateful Catholic, Jewish voters on call with religious advisers
I’m a former pastor, and I don’t believe in ‘religious exemptions’ to vaccine mandates*
The New York Times: According to the Civil Rights Act, these exemptions are meant to apply to people with “sincerely held religious beliefs,” and on both counts — religious belief and sincerity — the exemption demand fails when it comes to coronavirus vaccine mandates for Christians.
The Taliban’s ideology has surprising roots in British-ruled India
NPR: The Darul Uloom Deoband seminary, founded in 1866, taught that by returning to the core principles of Islam, Indian Muslims could resist British colonial rule.
Who is Mullah Hasan Akhund? What does the Taliban’s choice of interim prime minister mean for Afghanistan?
The Conversation: After the Taliban was ousted from Afghanistan in 2001, Akhund remained an influential presence, operating mostly from exile in Pakistan. From there he would give spiritual and religious guidance to the Taliban throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
The Spark
Michael K. Williams was an iconic actor born for an iconic role
‘The Wire’ star, who was found dead on Monday at age 54, will be best remembered as Omar Little, but he contained multitudes beyond the character, The Ringer says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
