RELIGION HEADLINES

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(SRN NEWS) – China is moving to bar all missionaries.  International Christian Concern reports that new laws going into effect on May 1st will make it a crime for any foreigner to share their faith inside China or establish any kind of “religious organization”.  The Communist Party says its ban on missionaries is necessary for preserving state security.  In fact, China is in the midst of a multi-year crackdown on Christianity that is designed to bring the faith under the control of the Communist Party.  Despite the persecution, the ranks of Christians in China are growing. 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is warning that persecution of Christians and other religious minorities is reaching crisis levels in India.  A new report by the Commission finds that “vigilante violence, targeted and arbitrary killings and demolition of property and places of worship” are spreading widely.  The Commission blames harsh rhetoric by Hindu nationalist leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Religious freedom advocates want the U.S. to formally designate India as a Country of Particular Concern. 

Some Democratic-led states and cities are pushing back on a Trump administration threat to cut education funding over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.  Those programs, which promote the LGBT agenda, amongst other things, are a prime target of the administration.  State leaders in Minnesota and New York say they will not comply with the DEI rollback, as have authorities in California and Vermont.  The mayor of Chicago has promised to sue over any funding cuts. The school system in Puerto Rico is the first to comply with the president’s demands. 

America’s insular Amish communities are attracting attention for their ability to respond more quickly to natural disasters than government agencies.  After a tornado struck an Amish community in Michigan recently, the work was underway so quickly that when the National Weather Service came to assess the damage two days later, most of the buildings had been repaired.  Earlier this year a group of Amish men swiftly built 12 tiny homes for a hurricane-stricken community in North Carolina which was still waiting for help from the Biden administration.