RELIGION HEADLINES MON 8-11-25

Audio By Carbonatix

(SRN NEWS)-(  )  The Air Force will deny early retirement options for transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of service.  Instead, they are being separated without retirement benefits.  This decision means transgender service members must choose between a lump-sum separation payment or leaving the service without benefits.   An Air Force spokesman confirms that no exceptions to this policy were approved.  All transgender members are being separated under the Trump administration’s policies designed to get the federal government out of the business of promoting transgenderism and the LGBT lifestyle.

(  )  A historic synagogue in the Ukrainian city of Odessa has been badly damaged by a Russian drone strike.  The synagogue was built in 1898 but had not been actively used by the local Jewish community since the Soviets shut it down in the 1920s.  Rabbi Moshe Azman says “This sacred building served as a place of prayer, hope and spiritual strength for the Jews of Odessa.  Once again we witness how war affects not only people but also holy sites and our historical memory.”  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war has resulted in the devastation of a number of synagogues and churches across the country.

(  )  A review by the AP shows that many of President Trump’s nominees to the federal courts have revealed pro-life views, been associated with pro-life groups or defended pro-life laws.  Some of the nominees have also helped defend their state’s abortion restrictions in court and some have been involved in cases with national impact, including on access to abortifacient drugs.  While Mr. Trump disappointed some pro-lifers by saying that abortion should be left to the states, his judicial  nominees will be in position to protect the unborn long after he leaves the White House.

(  )  While the Sunday streets of the borough of churches still vibrate with gospel chords, many of Brooklyn’s storied black churches are shrinking.  Music leaders at such historic congregations as Concord Baptist, Berean Baptist and Bedford Central Presbyterian say online worship, shrinking music programs and falling membership are eroding their ranks.  According to research published by covidreligionresearch.org, black Protestants attended church on Zoom more than other denominations during the pandemic, and they have been the slowest to return to in-person worship.