Church Journalist On Why He Thinks Mormonism Is The Most American Religion

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US includes Azerbaijan in list of countries fully ensuring freedom of religion

By Ayya Lmahamad

The U.S. has included Azerbaijan to the list of countries with the full religious freedom, the State Committee for Work with Religious Structures has reported.

This was stated in the statement published by the U.S. States Commission on International Religious Freedom in connection with the situation of religious freedom in the world.

According to the State Department, the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 divided countries into two categories of “special concern” and “special observation”.

The USCIRF statement reads that in the report for 2020, the “special observation” list mentioned the recommendation to include Azerbaijan there.

However, this year Azerbaijan was not included in any of the abovementioned categories.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.

—

Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 

Pale Waves Release Video For ‘She’s My Religion’

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) British indie-pop band Pale Waves have released a deeply personal video for their latest single “She’s My Religion,” which features frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie and her life partner Kelsi Luck in a series of candid, vulnerable vignettes showing that even the most mundane moments can be transformative when paired with the right person. It was directed by award winning filmmaker and photographer Jess Kohl.The raw and honest second track from their forthcoming full-length Who Am I? – out February 12, 2021, via Dirty Hit – is a non-typical love letter that sees Heather embracing her sexuality to represent a real, queer relationship without hiding behind the clichés of oversexualization or playful experimentation.

“I wanted to give my fans a song to find themselves in,” Heather says of the intimate new video. “I wish I had a song like this when I was a young girl trying to find herself in the world.”

“She’s My Religion” follows lead single “Change,” a catchy, retro-guitar track made up of stories of heartbreak from Heather’s friends, reflecting the different moods and emotions that we all go through. and PRESS HERE to watch the video and PRESS HERE to listen to the song, which was first played as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record In The World on BBC Radio 1, and was recently added the track to Billboard’s Best Tracks of 2020 year-end list.

Who Am I? – the follow-up to the band’s 2018 debut album My Mind Makes Noises which amassed over 70 million streams worldwide, opens up a bold new chapter for Pale Waves. Heather’s songwriting holds the last few years of her life up to the light, reflecting on her own mental health and growing pains – depression, distraction, and feelings of darkness – but also her experience of falling in love and becoming more open about her sexuality, emerging with a newfound clarity and optimism.

Who Am I? acts as the Pale Waves manifesto, inspiring inclusivity, self-discovery, and the notion of being whoever the hell you want to be. On the making of the album, Heather says “for me, music and art is for people not to feel so alone and isolated. I want to be that person my fans look up to and find comfort in.”

Who Am I? was recorded primarily in Los Angeles alongside producer Rich Costey (Muse, Foo Fighters, Sigur Rós), before the Coronavirus lockdown forced the making of the album to go virtual, with Heather remaining in LA and the rest of the band returning home to record their parts in their bedrooms, sending them back to LA to be added into the record.

Pale Waves – comprised of front woman Heather Baron-Gracie (she/her); drummer Ciara Doran (they/them); guitarist Huge Silvani (he/him) and bassist Charlie Wood (he/him) – made an immediate splash when the debuted on the music scene a few year ago, hitting the Top 10 on UK Album Chart, winning the NME Under The Radar award, making the BBC Sound of 2018 shortlist, touring with fellow Dirty Hit label mates and mentors The 1975 as well as Muse and The Cure, and appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers. They have performed at Reading, Leeds, Lollapalooza, SXSW, and Outside Lands Festival and have received praise from NPR, AV Club, The Fader, Stereogum, Nylon, Billboard, Ladygunn, and more.

PM at AMU event: In India’s progress, none can be left behind because of religion

                                            <span itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject">
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                                                    </span><span class="custom-caption"> <span class="ie-custom-caption">Prime Minister Narendra Modi at AMU's centenary celebrations (Twitter/BJP)</span></span>Underlining that “a lot of time was wasted last century in the name of differences”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a gathering of Aligarh Muslim University Tuesday that “the country is progressing on a path where none can be left behind because of religion, where all get equal opportunity to move ahead, and fulfil their dreams”.

Describing the AMU campus, its history of education as a “priceless heritage” of the country and praising its alumni across the world as “representatives of India’s culture”, the Prime Minister, addressing the centenary celebrations of the university via a video link, said: “There are ideological differences in a society, it is natural. But when it comes to attainment of national goals, then these differences should be kept aside.”

“When you young friends decide to move ahead with this thinking, then there’s no goal that we cannot achieve together. Be it education, economic progress, better living, opportunities, women’s rights, security, nationalism, these are every citizen’s requirements. These are some issues on which we cannot disagree because of our political, ideological compulsions,” he said.

“We must understand that politics is an integral part of society, but there are issues other than politics in society. A country’s society is much larger, far more pervasive than the thinking of politics and power. Even beyond politics, there is enough space to take the society forward. It is very important to keep exploring this space. A campus like AMU can do this work, all of you can.”

He said the development of a country or society should not be viewed through the prism of politics. “When we come together for a larger objective, it is possible that some elements get troubled. Such elements can be found in every society of the world. These are people with vested interests. To suit their own interest, they will employ every ploy, and spread negativity. But if building India is uppermost in our hearts and mind,then the space for such people will shrink on its own,” he said, adding that “politics can wait, not society, not the development of the country, not the poor”.

“A hundred years ago, in 1920, the youth of the country got a chance to dedicate themselves to the country, struggle and make sacrifices. That generation’s sacrifices gave India independence in 1947. Today’s generation has many opportunities to reach the goal Atmanirbhar Bharat, New India. That was 1920, this is 2020. The next 27 years are very important for you. In 2047, when India completes 100 years of independence, you will witness the historic moment, and you will also be part of the making of modern India. You must think of the country’s welfare,” Modi said.

“Today, the entire world is looking at India… There is curiosity about this being India’s century. We must have a single goal to make the country Atmanirbhar. It should not matter which family one was born in, in which religion one was raised…,” he said.

“AMU has given several freedom fighters and I would like to say that they came from different backgrounds, but worked together for the independence of the country. What was done for the freedom of this country, you have to do the same for the country. We have to work for a common ground. New India must be self-reliant, and the benefits will reach everyone equally. The youth can do it.”

In December 2019, AMU was one of the centres of protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and clashes on the campus had left over 70 people injured. Police arrested 26 people, including AMU students. Following the incident, university authorities announced an extended winter break.

In his address, the Prime Minister also spoke on the dropout ratio among Muslim girls which he said had declined from 70 per cent to 30 per cent. “I met an AMU alumnus recently who is also an Islamic scholar. He told me something very interesting which I would like to share with you. Under the Swachh Bharat mission, when more than 10 crore toilets were built, everyone benefited. Toilets were built without discrimination. But there is one aspect of Swachh Bharat which has not been discussed much. There was a time when the dropout rate of Muslim daughters was more than 70 per cent. It was a big hurdle in the development of the Muslim community.”

“For 70 years, the situation was that 70 per cent of Muslim daughters could not complete their education. Under these circumstances, Swachh Bharat mission started. Toilets for girl students was built on mission mode by the government. Now, the dropout ratio of Muslim women is just 30 per cent — from 70 per cent. Lakhs of Muslim daughters had to quit studies earlier due to lack of toilets. The government is doing everything to ensure that fewer Muslim women drop out. At AMU, there is a bridge course for dropout students. I have been told that at AMU, the percentage of women students has increased to 35 per cent,” he said.

“The government has special focus on the education and empowerment of Muslim daughters. In the last six years, the government has granted scholarships to one crore Muslim daughters,” he said.

While speaking on the importance of educating women, Modi said, “Even today, AMU can say with pride that the founder chancellor was Begum Sultan one hundred years ago. Given the circumstances 100 years ago, it was a big thing. The attempt to build a modern Muslim society had begun. With the end of the triple talaq malpractice, it has been moved forward. It used to be said earlier that if a woman is educated, then the whole family is educated. This is correct, but this has meaning beyond the education of family. Women should be educated, so they can use their rights correctly. So, she can decide her future. Education brings employment and entrepreneurship, which brings economic independence, which gives way to an empowered woman, who is equal to all others, whether it is about giving direction to the family or the country,” he said.

The Prime Minister also released a postage stamp dedicated to AMU on the occasion. AMU Chancellor Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, Vice- Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank also took part in the virtual event.

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India moving on a path where nobody stays behind because of one’s religion: PM Modi at AMU

Lucknow: India is moving on a path where nobody stays behind because of his religion and the schemes made today for the poor are reaching them without any religious discrimination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the Aligarh Muslim University, seeking to impress the government’s “anti-discriminatory” nature on the students of the university. Speaking at the centenary celebrations of the varsity on Tuesday, Modi exhorted students to rise above ideological and political differences of opinion to align their aspirations with the aspirations of the nation, and contribute towards building of a ‘New India’ and an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. He lauded the university for its contribution to the freedom struggle, towards shaping of the modern Muslim society and its diversity, calling it a “Mini-India”.
Last year, the AMU campus had seen clashes between the police and the students who had protested against a police crackdown at Jamia Millia Islamia University during the anti-CAA protests. “Today, India is moving on a path where each citizen is benefitting from its development without discrimination, no citizen has to worry about the rights given to him by the Constitution, as well as about his own future. It is moving on a path where nobody stays behind because of his religion and everybody gets equal opportunities to move ahead in life and fulfil his dreams,” the PM said, adding: “Sabka saath, sabka vikaas, and sabka vishwas – this mantra is the basis of this journey and this mantra is reflected in the country’s intent and policies.”

While toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission were constructed to benefit everyone, it especially has led to a fall in the school dropout rate of Muslim girls from more than 70% to 30%, thus overcoming a huge obstacle in the development of the Muslim world, he said, citing this as a little known aspect of the cleanliness drive.

The effort to build a modern Muslim society, which was undertaken 100 years ago when Begum Sultan had become the founding chancellor of the university, has been taken forward by the current government by ending the practice of instant triple talaq, Modi said. While he laid stress on the importance of women’s education, Modi also touched upon how the new education policy propounded the interdisciplinary approach of the university in its higher studies syllabus. “We will have to realise that politics is an important part of society, but there are more issues in society greater than politics,” he said.

Religion in the Time of COVID.

Citizenship test drops questions on freedom of press, religion

The new citizenship test, which immigrants began to use this month, no longer includes a question dealing specifically with the right to religious freedom, one of the Constitution’s defining liberties.

                  It’s a startling move for the <a href="/topics/trump-administration/">Trump administration</a>, which has overall been a vigorous advocate of religious freedom across the government, said <a href="/topics/alfonso-aguilar/">Alfonso Aguilar</a>, who ran the Office of Citizenship in the Bush administration and oversaw the last rewrite of the test in 2008.












                  He made sure the religious freedom question was added to the test at that point because he thought would-be citizens should know about something so central to the American experiment.
















                  “I’m surprised this is happening under this administration. I’m sure the president is not aware,” Mr. <a href="/topics/alfonso-aguilar/">Aguilar</a> said.












                  The citizenship test works under what Mr. <a href="/topics/alfonso-aguilar/">Aguilar</a> called the “catechism” approach: Those seeking citizenship are told to study a set of questions. When it’s time for the test, they are asked a small subset of those questions and must get 60% correct.














                  The previous version had 100 possible questions, and test-takers were asked 10. The new version has 128 questions. Test-takers are asked 20 and must get 12 correct to pass.




























                  Even with the expanded test materials, religion has been cut. It appeared seven times in the questions and answers of the old test but just three times in the new version. Gone entirely is the stand-alone question: “What is freedom of religion?” The correct answer: “You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.”












                  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Homeland Security Department agency that oversees legal immigration, said religious freedom is still “well represented” on the test and appears as an answer in three questions.












                  “The test continues to emphasize the fundamental concepts of U.S. government and American history that is found on the current naturalization civics test that has been administered in USCIS field offices since 2009,” said Dan Hetlage, a spokesman for the agency.









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                  It’s not just religion that has been axed.










                  A question about the First Amendment is also gone. The new test no longer makes any reference to freedom of the press, one of five fundamental liberties, along with religion, that are guaranteed by the First Amendment, said Charles Haynes, founding director of the Religious Freedom Center at the Freedom Forum.

                  He said it’s perhaps not a surprise that the <a href="/topics/trump-administration/">Trump administration</a> would make those changes.

                  “The 2008 answer to ‘what is religious freedom?’ may not appeal to an administration that gives voice to those who view the U.S. as a Christian nation (see White House religious advisors),” he said in an email. “Moreover, the <a href="/topics/trump-administration/">Trump administration</a> focuses on claims by conservative Christians that their religious liberty is under assault in the U.S.”

                  Mr. <a href="/topics/alfonso-aguilar/">Aguilar</a>, though, said the changes were more likely made by career officials and escaped notice by political leadership.

                  Homeland Security began the process of updating the test in 2018.

                  Mr. Hetlage said the new test questions were “informed by an internal USCIS team, which included USCIS employees from a cross section of agency divisions.”

                  He said the point of the update was to have a test that “more accurately assesses applicants’ knowledge of U.S. history, government and values.”

                  “The revision has met USCIS requirements for efficiency and proper rigor, while ensuring the civics test is valid, reliable and fair, and that it complies with statutory and regulatory naturalization requirements,” he said.

                  USCIS is using the new test for people who applied for citizenship beginning Dec. 1. Those who applied before that are still using the old test.

                  Immigrant rights activists say there was no reason to change the test in the first place because there was no evidence that the old test was too easy.

                  They argue that 100 questions were enough to study and said asking 20 questions instead of 10 — even if it still requires getting 60% correct — is a needless barrier to earning citizenship.

                  “These changes are completely unnecessary, capricious and nonsensical,” said Arturo Vargas, CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

                  He said the <a href="/topics/trump-administration/">Trump administration</a> didn’t give community groups a chance to offer feedback on the revisions, and particularly how they would affect immigrants still struggling to learn English. He said the Dec. 1 effective date, just a couple of weeks after the test was finalized, gave groups too little time to prepare to help immigrants study.

                  But Mr. <a href="/topics/alfonso-aguilar/">Aguilar</a>, who designed the version that is being replaced, said with the exception of the religious freedom omission, the new test looks like a solid effort.

                  He said the test is a key part of the assimilation process because immigrants learn about their new home country as they study.

                  Indeed, a 2018 study by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation found only 36% of participants could get the 60% grade needed to pass. For immigrants, the passing rate — at least on the old test — is above 90%.

                  Mr. <a href="/topics/alfonso-aguilar/">Aguilar</a> said when he released the 2008 test, he faced many of the same complaints from activist groups predicting fewer people passing.

                  “To argue that this is some sort of obstacle is really a stretch,” he said. “What it does, it makes it more meaningful by having more questions — and not that many, it’s 28, and then asking 20. It encourages a more rigorous study, which I think it great.”

                  “If you can’t take this test, you can’t operate in society,” he said.







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Fr. Mike Schmitz’s new podcast hits #1 on Apple’s Religion&Spirituality chart ahead of January launch

New release invites listeners to “read” the entire Catholic Bible in a year, podcast-style

“The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)” has become the #1 podcast on Apple’s chart for “Religion and Spirituality” this week, and is ranked #13 for overall “Trending” shows as it builds momentum towards a January 1st launch.

The new podcast, a passion project from the heart of YouTube’s favorite priest, invites listeners to journey through the full text of the Catholic Bible in a daily podcast format. Fr. Mike Schmitz will be using Ascension’s acclaimed Bible Timeline® Learning System to structure each episode, and welcoming the Bible Timeline creator Jeff Cavins onto the podcast for special guest appearances.

Fr. Mike is well-known for his YouTube videos on “Ascension Presents,” the second-largest Catholic YouTube platform in English. He is also a nationally recognized author and speaker who has given keynote addresses at many top Catholic events.

Fr. Mike explains the vision for the new podcast: “A while back, I had this longing placed on my heart to help Catholics encounter God’s Word in a deeper and more consistent way. I thought, ‘what if someone could just click “play” and allow the Word of God to wash over them—allow the Word of God to shape their lens, the lens through which they look at their entire world?’”

The show is being produced by Ascension, the leader in Catholic faith formation, and the publisher of many books, Bible studies, and other products which use the Bible Timeline Learning System to help believers approach the Scriptures from a Catholic perspective.

“We have this phenomenal resource in Jeff Cavins’ Bible Timeline,” comments Fr. Mike. “Jeff Cavins unpacks the story of salvation—the story of God’s love for his people. We’re basing our reading plan for the podcast on this program because in my life, The Bible Timeline is probably the most significant Bible study that I’ve ever been a part of.”

To “get ready” for the show, listeners should visit Ascension’s website and sign up for the free reading plan to be sent to their email.

The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast is available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Hallow, the Catholic Prayer and Meditation App. Pre-launch bonus episodes are already posted in those locations, and daily episodes will begin to drop on January 1, 2021.

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Contact

Lauren Joyce
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.