RELIGION HEADLINES SAT 9-13-25

Audio By Carbonatix

(SRN NEWS)  As America becomes less religious, a growing number of people are turning to pagan practices to find assurance.  Roughly 25 percent of adults say they believe in astrology, according to a recent Gallup survey.  A May 2025 Pew Research poll found that close to one-third of Americans say they’ve consulted horoscopes or similar tools.  In a new study published in the sociology journal Social Currents, researchers reveal that women, younger adults and LGBT people were especially likely to look to the stars for guidance.  Many of those who use astrology say that they do so because they are worried about the uncertain times the world finds itself in. 

(  )  Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has written a new book entitled “Listening to the Law”.  She was one of the five justices who voted to overturn Roe versus Wade and in the book, she explains her reasoning.  Barrett says when it comes to abortion, “The Court must leave the matter to the democratic process, which requires citizens to persuade one another rather than a handful of Supreme Court justices.”  Along with other justices she received death threats following the court’s decision on Roe in 2022.  Barrett says she wrote the book to make the nation’s highest court accessible to non-lawyers.
 

(  )  The Ukrainian government has declared that a branch of the Orthodox Church has failed to sever all ties with Moscow and could soon be banned.  The Ukrainian Orthodox Church disputes the government’s assertion that it has not fully broken off its historic relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.  The looming ban would affect one of two rival branches of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, underscoring the turbulent role of religion as Ukraine fends off the Russian invasion.  Orthodoxy is the majority religion in both Russia and Ukraine and has served as a cultural and spiritual battleground in tandem with the wider war.

(  )  As disputes rage on over religion’s place in public schools, the 10 Commandments have become a focal point.  At least a dozen states have considered proposals that would require classrooms to post the Decalogue, and three adopted measures mandating their display in 2024-2025:  Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas.  All three laws have been at least partially blocked by the federal courts — the Texas law most recently.  Most legal experts believe one or more of these cases will eventually reach the Supreme Court.   The question of whether or not the Commandments can be posted in schools first surfaced 45 years ago.