Among Muslim-majority countries, Pakistan has the strictest blasphemy laws. People jailed under these laws risk a sentence of life in prison and worse still, even death. Christians and other religious minorities make up a mere 4 percent of Pakistan’s population, but they account for about half of blasphemy charges. (Renaud, Christianity Today)
Read MoreWhile online dating took over its analog predecessor as the most common way romantic couples meet, online friend-making has received relatively little attention. Now, post-pandemic loneliness is driving young adults… to look for friends more intentionally and, for many, that means turning to the internet. (Hunter, The Washington Post)
Read MoreThe Dutch city announced new measures this spring to crack down on noise and substance abuse, which residents have long complained about in the district. But sex workers, bartenders and entrepreneurs say the new rules haven’t been effective in making the area safer or quieter. (Moses, The New York Times)
Read MoreThe Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) has removed Awaken Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, over “policies and practices that are inconsistent with the denomination’s human sexuality guidelines.”Awaken—which allows for same-sex marriage and the full participation of LGBT members in church life—is the second church in the ECC’s history to be removed involuntarily. (Fowler, Christianity Today)
Read MoreAfter Adolf Hitler ordered Munich's main synagogue to be demolished in June 1938, no one knew what became of the rubble — until last week. Construction crews working on a river dam unearthed some 150 tons of stone columns and a tablet bearing the Ten Commandments in Hebrew. (Treisman, NPR)
Read MoreWorth It Or Woke is the brainchild of James Carrick, a wedding DJ, corporate events organiser, lifelong cinema-goer – and, for the last four months, critic – from the US’s midwest. The site offers a self-styled conservative perspective on the latest cinematic releases, which includes a list of each film’s woke elements below an outline of its artistic merits or flaws. (Collin, The Telegraph)
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