RELIGION HEADLINES – SAT 5-9-26

(SRN NEWS)  Latin American voters see a role for religion in government.  There are several presidential elections taking place in Central and South America this year, and a new poll from the Pew Research Center indicates that in each of those nations, about two-thirds of voters say they want a president who will defend their religious beliefs.  A similar percentage in each country also say they believe the Bible should be the basis for their laws and even half of non-religious people tell Pew that they feel the same way.  Other polls indicate that religion is more important to Latin Americans, even as its influence wanes around the rest of the world.

(  )  The Public Religion Research Institute has released a new snapshot of America’s LGBT population.  It finds that people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender make up about ten percent of the U.S. population.  That’s the highest percentage ever recorded in this country since the question first started being asked.  Of that group, young adults ages 18-to-29 are most likely to identify.  LGBT Americans are far more likely to vote Democrat and describe themselves as politically liberal.  The PRRI poll also finds that 51 percent of the LGBT community is religiously unaffiliated.

(  )  Despite some of the worst persecution in the world, the underground church in Iran is growing by leaps and bounds.  A new report from International Christian Concern reveals that there are more believers in Iran now than there were before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought with it an unprecedented wave of persecution.  ICC says “Some estimates point to a million or more Iranian converts to Christianity.  These converts come from all sectors of society — from street vendors and taxi drivers to intellectuals, artists, and public servants.”  House churches have sprung up all over Iran from big cities to small villages. 

(  )  A wide-ranging Australian inquiry examining anti-Semitism in the country began this week with testimony from Jews who say escalating hatred has left them fearful and vulnerable.  The investigation was launched after 15 people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in December.  The Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion, the highest form of inquiry in Australia, will sit for two weeks.  It will scrutinize the nature and prevalence of anti-Semitism in Australia’s institutions and society.  Further hearings this year will examine other topics before the commission publishes its final report.