Religious News From Around the Web Nov. 2, 2020

Scientology Thoughts on International Religious Freedom Day, A Uighur’s Story of Chinese Prison Camps, More Buddhist Temples Demolished in China, Watch Fulton v City of Philadelphia, Muhammad Cartoon Backlash, Italian Teen Beatified

Scientology Thoughts on International Religious Freedom Day

“For the last hundred years or so religion has been beset with a relentless attack. You have been told it’s the ‘opiate of the masses,’ that it’s unscientific, that it is primitive; in short, that it is a delusion. But beneath all these attacks on organized religion there was a more fundamental target: the spirituality of Man, your own basic spiritual nature, self-respect and peace of mind.” – L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology Religion

A Uighur’s Story of China’s Concentration Camps
An interview with Ӧmir Bekali, an Uighur Muslim recounts his imprisonment, torture and indoctrination at the hands of the Chinese state. Chinese officials claim the camps, such as the one where Bekali was held for nearly a year, are for “vocational training.”

Buddhist Temples Demolished Across Hebei Province
The Shuyuan Temple in Hebei Province was recently demolished by Chinese authorities who claimed the temple, built during the Ming Dynasty, was “unlicensed and illegal.” The temple was destroyed during the Chinese Cultural revolution then rebuilt in 2016. Numerous attempts to save the temple were thwarted.

Watch Fulton v City of Philadelphia
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Nov. 4 online in the case of Fulton v City of Philadelphia, a clash of religious rights vs. LGBT rights. The court’s decision in the case could have a significant impact for state and local governments that use private companies to provide services to their residents – if the justices decide to reach the broader issues presented by the case.

Muhammad Cartoon Backlash

French journalists recently republished cartoons critical of Muhammad to mark the beginning of the trials of those accused of terrorist attacks in 2015 which killed 17 people thought responsible for publishing them. The cartoons which are offensive to Muslims were republished and in response, terrorists killed three people in Nice, France. French President Macron said that freedom of speech will not be stopped by terrorism.

Italian Teen Could be First Saint This Millennium

Carlo Acutis, a young Italian boy who died of leukemia at the age of 15, was beatified at a special mass in Assisi, and several miracles have been attributed to him. As such, he is one step from sainthood.