RELIGION HEADLINES

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(SRN NEWS) – Anti-Semitism rears its head in Canada.  Authorities in Montreal say someone painted a swastika on a synagogue over the past weekend.  Members of Temple Emanuel Beth Sholom found the graffiti when they arrived for activities.  There has been a spike in anti-Semitic attacks in Montreal over the past year.  In December one synagogue was firebombed for the second time.  Shots were also fired at a Jewish school in the city.  Anti-Semitism has been on the rise in many countries around the world lately and Canada has not been spared. 

The Chinese government is warning Christian churches that they must toe the line or face the consequences.  A recent statement by a Communist Party leader says, “Comprehensive and strict governance of religion must continue, improving self-education, management, and discipline within religious circles.”  The government wants all expressions of faith to be “sinicized” (SIN-ih-sized), meaning they must be brought into line with traditional Chinese culture and made subservient to Beijing.  Persecution of Christians in China is on the rise. 

Fear is changing the way Jewish people in the United States go about their daily lives.  According to a new poll from the American Jewish Committee, 56 percent of Jews say they have abandoned certain behaviors and dropped certain activities for fear of anti-Semitism.  That’s up from 46 percent who were doing so a year ago.  The most common thing poll respondents say they do is avoid wearing any apparel that would identify them as being Jewish.  Anti-Semitism has spiked all around the world ever since Hamas launched its October attack on Israel in 2023. 

Bad news for Christians in Nicaragua.  The legislature has approved a new constitution that makes President Manuel Ortega a virtual dictator and gives his wife similar powers.  Ortega, whose Communist Sandinista Party took control in Nicaragua in the 1980’s, would specifically be able to override all guarantees of freedom of religion.  Lately Ortega has been campaigning against clergymen who criticize his policies.  Some church leaders are wary of the president’s wife, Rosario, who is a prominent advocate of witchcraft and the occult.