Madeleine Buckley writes for Religion News Service.
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Four Faiths, Four Perspectives: A Year in, How Trump's Presidency Galvanized People into Action
Image via RNS/Jerome Socolovsky
“I really feel like activism is a form of sharing that love that God has given you,” she said. “Realizing that this world is made for all of us is something that’s transcending, and we have to inspire each other.”
Clergy March in a ‘Funeral Procession’ to Protest Health Care Repeal
Interfaith clergy carry a cardboard coffin while leading a procession to protest attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act during a rally on Capitol Hill, on July 25, 2017. RNS photo by Madeleine Buckley
For the third week in a row, clergy showed up on Capitol Hill to protest Senate action on health care.
As in past weeks, some were arrested. But on this Tuesday, the group ratcheted up the drama by marching to the Capitol, carrying a cardboard coffin and poster-sized death certificates for those who would lose health insurance.
Black Clergy Arrested While Protesting Trump Administration Policies
Image via Madeleine Buckley/ RNS
“Since all of these folk make a big deal about putting their hand on the Bible and swearing themselves into office, we’ve come to let them know what’s in the Bible,” said the Rev. William J. Barber II, a North Carolina pastor at the forefront of state and national protests focused on poverty and civil rights.
Clergy Arrested Outside McConnell’s Office While Protesting Health Care Bill
Image via AP/J. Scott Applewhite.
“We’re saying today it’s time for other clergy to come. It’s time for moral agents to step up. It’s time for us to go down to the house of power and challenge the way power is being used.”
Muslim Refugees to U.S. Are Declining As Christians Overtake Them
Photo via Reuters/RNS
In the wake of Trump’s executive orders restricting travel to the U.S. from seven — and under the revised travel ban, six — Muslim-majority countries, the report said, “the religious affiliation of refugees has come under scrutiny.”
Lawmakers, Religious Leaders Pray for Victims of Congressional Baseball Shooting
Image via RNS/Rep. Ruben Kihuen
Political and religious leaders offered prayers for Rep. Steve Scalise and four others who were injured in a shooting during a GOP congressional baseball practice.
The Democratic team stopped their practice following the shooting on June 14 in Alexandria, Va.
Interfaith Coalition Launches ‘Know Your Neighbor’ Campaign
Image via RNS/Islamic Networks Group
At a time of growing assaults and intimidation of Muslim Americans, the Islamic Networks Group has partnered with 70 interfaith organizations to launch a “Know Your Neighbor” campaign. The effort is intended to encourage individuals and groups to encounter people of faith different from their own.
Strong Religious Reaction to Trump Climate Accord Decision
Image via RNS/Jerome Socolovsky
Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Muslims, and others reacted vigorously and emotionally to President Trump’s announcement that he will withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris climate change agreement.
While leaders of the so-called religious left were overwhelmingly critical of the move, conservatives were somewhat divided.
Catholic Farmer Ousted from Michigan Market Over Same-Sex Marriage Views
Image via RNS/Alliance Defending Freedom
According to the lawsuit, Country Mill is the only business to have been prohibited under the market’s anti-discrimination policy.
In a statement, the city of East Lansing said the farmer’s refusal to host a same-sex wedding violated a “long-standing ordinance that protects sexual orientation as well as the Supreme Court’s ruling that grants the right for same-sex couples to be married.”