RELIGION HEADLINES SAT 1-10-26

(SRN NEWS)  Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority nation in the world, has a new penal code  It replaces a Dutch-era criminal law that had governed the country for more than 80 years and marks a major shift in its legal landscape.  Under the amended code, sex outside marriage is punishable by up to one year in prison, while cohabitation carries a six-month sentence. However, adultery cases can only proceed following a complaint by a spouse, parents or children — a safeguard the government says prevents arbitrary enforcement, including against tourists.  The new code also expands an existing blasphemy law. 

(  )  Christian influencers are reaching hundreds of thousands of young people online.  They share podcasts and videos with biblical advice on tough questions that aren’t always answered in Sunday sermons.  Followers say they relate more to these influencers — many of whom are women — than traditional pastors.  However, while some influencers have theological training, others don’t.  And experts worry that they aren’t equipped to teach such large audiences and threaten to replace church with podcasts.  Other observers hope that the new brand of Christian influencers will galvanize young people who are interested in the gospel. 

(  )  Next week the Supreme Court will hear a case over state restrictions on which school sports teams transgender students can join.  The justices will review lower court rulings that overturned laws in Idaho and West Virginia that bar males from competing against females in school sports.  The fight over this issue is a national one, playing out at both the state and federal levels.  More than two dozen states have enacted laws designed to keep males off female teams and a number of these statutes have been challenged in court.  At the federal level, the Trump administration has filed lawsuits to protect female athletes. 

(  )  The Trump administration faces a legal complaint from government employees over a new policy eliminating coverage for sex-change operations in federal health insurance programs.  The Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBT advocacy group, has filed the complaint challenging the Office of Personnel Management’s decision to stop covering such procedures.  The complaint argues that this is sex-based discrimination and seeks to reverse the policy.  The Trump administration has taken other steps to restrict sex-change operations for transgender Americans, particularly children.