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Michael Harrington
Religion in the News Editor
The governor of Virginia will defend homeschooling
The governor of Virginia will defend homeschooling
A new report on persecution of Christians in Egypt
A new report on persecution of Christians in Egypt
VERBATIM: It comes from Coptic Solidarity and it reveals that Muslim radicals are expanding their program of kidnapping Christian women and girls and subjecting them to forced marriages. The report states that “Many hundreds of Coptic women have been forcibly disappeared in the last decades in Egypt, but government officials and legislators in the West have been hesitant to speak out.” Egyptian law enforcement has also been turning a blind eye to the problem. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadThe Pew Research Center asks the world about religion
The Pew Research Center asks the world about religion
VERBATIM: The question is simple: Does religious faith HELP or HURT society? And the answer is — it HELPS. Most people in most of the 36 countries surveyed say religion is a GOOD thing for their society. 72% of Americans believe that, as do 78% of the people in Mexico and 91% of those in Kenya. However, less than half of adults living in Western Europe say that religion has been a help to their societies. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadA major religious freedom case north of the border
A major religious freedom case north of the border
VERBATIM: The Canadian Supreme Court will consider a 2019 Quebec law that forbids government workers from wearing religious symbols while on the job. That means no yarmulkes, no cross necklaces, no hijabs — nothing. Critics say the measure is a clear violation of religious freedom, but that argument failed in the Quebec Supreme Court. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that citizens can “express their religious beliefs through prayer, clothing, and other means.” MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadA hard-fought victory for a pair of pro-lifers
A hard-fought victory for a pair of pro-lifers
VERBATIM: The state of California has dropped its case against David Daleiden and Sandra Merrit after they used undercover videos to reveal Planned Parenthood’s trafficking in the body parts of aborted babies. The two defendants, who work for the pro-life Center for Medical Progress, have been in court for 10 years as the state tried to punish them for making the recordings. Daleiden says “Taking this case off the board will allow me to focus fully on our investigative reporting.” MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadPepsiCo is making some changes
PepsiCo is making some changes
VERBATIM: The giant soft drink maker, which also owns such brands as Quaker Oats, Doritos and Rice-a-Roni, says it is adopting a “viewpoint neutral advertising policy with respect to political or religious status or views.” Pressure had been mounting amongst shareholders for the company to quit the Global Alliance for Responsible Media — a left-wing group that pushes big corporations to support the LGBT agenda and steer away from anything conservative or Christian. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadTarget abandons the LGBT agenda
Target abandons the LGBT agenda
VERBATIM: Some say the giant retailer really got the ball rolling on what has become known as “woke capitalism” when it announced in 2014 that it would allow men who are living as women to use women’s restrooms and changing rooms. Today, with the winds of change blowing in the country, Target has announced that it is joining a growing number of major companies who are pledging to quit pushing the LGBT agenda on customers and supporting left-wing causes. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadA legal victory for a whistleblowing doctor from Texas
A legal victory for a whistleblowing doctor from Texas
VERBATIM: Ethan Haim thought the public ought to know that Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston had been carrying out sex-change operations on children, even after officials there said they had stopped. The doctor leaked documents to journalist Christopher Rufo and was sued by the hospital. A judge has now dismissed the case against Haim with prejudice, meaning that he cannot be sued again on the same charges. He could have been sentenced to 10 years in jail. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadThe prosperity gospel is out of fashion with America’s pastors
The prosperity gospel is out of fashion with America’s pastors
VERBATIM: A new poll from Life Way Research finds only 18% of Protestant clergymen are teaching their parishioners that God will bring them prosperity if they tithe more money to the church. The people in the pews are a different matter, however, the survey reveals that 45% of Protestant churchgoers believe that to receive material blessings from God they have to do something for God. That’s about twice as many as believed that a decade ago. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadThings are getting worse for Christians in Iran
Things are getting worse for Christians in Iran
VERBATIM: Article 18 and three other international religious
Another poll about transgenderism
Another poll about transgenderism
VERBATIM: This one comes from the New York Times and Ipsos and it reveals that 49% of Americans believe that society has gone TOO FAR in accommodating people who are trying to live as the opposite sex. 21% think we haven’t gone far enough. When it comes to men playing against women in sports, 79% say NO and that includes majorities of Republicans, Democrats and Independents. 71% say NO to puberty-blocking drugs for minors. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadA new Muslim terrorist group is operating in Nigeria
A new Muslim terrorist group is operating in Nigeria
VERBATIM: The African country is already beset with TWO such organizations — Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen — and now Lakurawa has arrived. It’s not actually a new group — it has been terrorizing neighboring Mali and Niger for a number of years. But now Lakurawa has set its sights on Nigeria, killing numerous Christians in the country’s troubled northern region. Tens-of-thousands of believers have died at the hands Islamic terrorists over the last decade. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadNo more Gay Pride flags at U.S. embassies
No more Gay Pride flags at U.S. embassies
VERBATIM: New Secretary of State Marco Rubio has forbidden staff at any American outpost in a foreign country from flying the LGBT pride banner or anything OTHER than the Stars and Stripes. In a statement Rubio says “ “The flag of the United States of America unites all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy. These values, which are the bedrock of our great country, are shared by all American citizens, past and present.” MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadIndia has been creeping up the World Watch List
India has been creeping up the World Watch List
VERBATIM: Every year Open Doors US puts out a ranking of the countries where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian and every year India comes in higher and higher. In 2025 the giant nation just missed the top 10 worst, placing 11th on the list. This is significant because India is a key ally of the United States, which sees India as a critical counter balance to China. But that makes it harder for Washington to take New Delhi to task for persecuting Christians. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadAnother warning about America’s birth rate
Another warning about America’s birth rate
President Trump pulls out of the Paris Climate Agreement
President Trump pulls out of the Paris Climate Agreement
VERBATIM: An executive order allows the U.S. to quit, which has made a lot of people happy — especially pro-life advocates. You might think the PCA has nothing to do with abortion, but in fact the lengthy accord includes much promotion of abortion and contraception as a means of reducing global population — despite growing alarm over the fact that the birthrates of many industrialized countries are plummeting. President Trump is also withdrawing from the World Health Organization. MHNSRN NEWS
Listen DownloadYoung people want restrictions on abortion
Young people want restrictions on abortion
VERBATIM: Democrats predict that America will become more liberal on the issue as Millennials and Generation Z begin to take power, but a new poll suggests otherwise. The numbers come from a YouGov, Survey USA study and they reveal that nearly 70% of 20 and 30-somethings favor limitations on abortion. Only nine percent say the procedure should be completely unfettered. Meanwhile other polls indicate that people become gradually MORE pro-life as they age. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadSamaritan’s Purse continues to provide hurricane relief in North Carolina
Samaritan’s Purse continues to provide hurricane relief in North Carolina
Aborted babies will be remembered this week
Aborted babies will be remembered this week
The latest numbers on persecution of Christians are disturbing
The latest numbers on persecution of Christians are disturbing
VERBATIM: Open Doors US has produced its annual report and it concludes that more than 380 million believers suffer high levels of persecution for their faith and tens-of-millions more see their religious freedom restricted in lesser ways. That means one in seven Christians around the globe is persecuted, including one in five in Africa and two in five in Asia. Muslim radicals are the primary culprits, though India has a problem with radical Hindus and Communism is a problem elsewhere. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadThe Speaker of the House goes to the Bible
The Speaker of the House goes to the Bible
VERBATIM: Mike Johnson says the reason the lower chamber passed a bill that bars males from competing against females in sports can be found in the book of Genesis. Talking to reporters he said ““We know that men are men and women are women and men cannot become women.” When asked HOW we can know that, Johnson replied ““It goes back to Genesis. Male and female He made them.” The ban now goes to the Senate. MH SRN NEWS.
Listen DownloadChaplains are on the ground in the L.A. fire zone
Chaplains are on the ground in the L.A. fire zone
VERBATIM: They work for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and they are in the shelters where fire victims are living, ministering to them even as the crisis unfolds. Ministry spokesman Josh Holland says “The images coming out of California look like scenes out of a Hollywood movie—yet they show the real-life horror that the people of the Los Angeles area are experiencing today.” Other Christian ministries are also rushing help to the city. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadThe Supreme Court will hear another religious freedom case
The Supreme Court will hear another religious freedom case
A new report on religious violence in Nigeria
A new report on religious violence in Nigeria
VERBATIM: It’s pretty shocking. 10,000 Christians murdered over the course of two years. Global Christian Relief has been adding up the numbers in Nigeria from November of 2022 through November of 2024 and it’s worse than ever. Two Muslim terror groups are active in Nigeria and they have made it their explicit goal to kill every Christian in the country or drive them all out — ushering in a Sharia state. The government is apparently unable or unwilling to stop the violence. MH SRN NEWS
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