Protesters showed up during the September 26 screening of the film Benedetta at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, where the 59th New York Film Festival premiered the film. Armed with megaphones, banners, and placards, members of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property branded Benedetta as a “blasphemous lesbian movie.”
In 2013, two British comedians "wanted to do something that was like church but totally secular." Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans were on their way to a gig when they discussed the idea. On January 6, 2013, the first-ever meeting of the Sunday Assembly took place in The Nave, a pub in the boroughs of London. The Sunday Assembly has since spread all over, mainly in the UK and in the US.
There were about 70 independent congregations. Ever since the pandemic hit, more than half have gone dormant or completely closed.
Egypt’s former Culture Minister, Gaber Asfour, has vocally expressed his support in removing the religious identity section from Egypt’s National ID. Responding to a question on the public opinion program, Rai Aam, Asfour asked, “Do you have to specify in the card that you are a civilian Muslim or a Salafi Muslim? This no longer happens; we are not in the time of the Taliban.”
Lars Gardfeldt, a 56-year old priest of the Church of Sweden, has found a way to make his point heard, even to the highest officials of his church. He plans to use conscientious objections to justify his refusal to marry opposite-sex couples. It is the same method that other priests use to deny marriage to same-sex couples.
On September 9, 2021, participants clad in leather outfits attended the Classic Meets Fetish held at the Twelve Apostles Evangelical Church in Berlin's Schoneberg district. Classic Meets Fetish is a for-charity classical music concert with a twist; all attendees and performers wear leather outfits, including leather masks, braces, and vests.
In an attempt to promote her book about climate change, British actress-turned-activist Lily Cole, came under fire on Instagram. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Cole was wearing a blue burka, and next to it was an image of herself with the burka pulled up, revealing her face.
On July 24, a group of Saamidyas was alleged to have eaten human flesh during an annual festival in the Sakthi Pothi Sudalai Madasamy Temple. Fourteen individuals were questioned regarding the incident. Only eight people were arrested in relation to the consumption of human flesh and alleged grave robbing. The detained individuals are part of a community called “Samiyadi.”
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The video below contains graphic images.
On July 6, the 14th and current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, turned 86. As the Dalai Lama grows older, the pressure for his succession has become more mounting. Tibet, China, India, and the rest of the world prepare for the plunge when the Dalai Lama has no choice. He will either name a successor or leave the world behind, especially Tibet, more vulnerable to China's aggression.
Fantasies on 5th, a strip club in Anchorage, Alaska, was plagued by wage issues and the Supreme Court of Alaska blocking its liquor permit renewal had to give way to a new establishment. In October 2020, amidst the global pandemic, the Open Door Baptist Church opened in the same building where the strip club used to be.
On July 6, Naz Shah — Bradford Labour MP (UK) — delivered an impassioned speech in Parliament during a discussion for the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts (PCSC) Bill . In her speech, Shah has directly compared the “emotional harm” of the cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad and the destruction of status. She also asked if there is a “hierarchy of sentiments” since the British Government is planning to impose prison sentences of up to 10 years and none for drawing cartoons of Muhammad.
