Religious News From Around the Web October 18, 2021

Did Columbus’s Fear of Islam Affect Treatment of Indigenous People? What the Media Doesn’t Get About Religion; Pope Begins Two-Year Conference on Church Future; Employers Caught in Religious Vaccine Exemption Question; Apple Removes Quran App After Chinese Complaint

Did Columbus’s Fear of Islam Affect Treatment of Indigenous People?
Columbus PixabayA fear and hatred of Islam shaped how white Europeans engaged with the “New World” and its native peoples, and affected how today’s Americans understand the world. Columbus saw the power of Islam in the Aegean and in North Africa and when he arrived in the Caribbean, he saw Islam there too, where it so very clearly did not exist.

What the Media Doesn’t Get About Religion
media pixabayThere are so few in the media who seem to truly understand these theological nuances of religion, and particularly Christianity, which is why there is “absolutely” a bias against faith among many in the mainstream media. In the Western world, there is a push toward pluralism that suggests all religions are the same. Many reporters operate from that false premise.

Employers Caught in Religious Vaccine Exemption Question
New York Ends Measles Religious Exemption VaccineUnder current precedent, employers could make a successful case against offering any religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. However, few company leaders have taken this approach, at least in part because doing so would break political and business norms. Many employers and governments alike have been reluctant to challenge religious exemption claims,

Pope Begins Two-Year Conference on Church Future
Pope pixabayPope Francis recently launched a two-year worldwide consultative process that could change the way the Roman Catholic Church makes decisions and leave its mark long after his pontificate is over. Proponents see the initiative called “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission” as an opportunity to change the Church’s power dynamics and give a greater voice to lay Catholics, including women, and people on the margins of society. Opponents say the three-stage process is a waste of time, may erode the hierarchical structure of the 1.3 billion member Church and in the long run could dilute traditional doctrine.

Apple Removes Quran App After Chinese Complaint
Muslim girl with phone unsplashApple has taken down one of the world’s most popular Quran apps in China, following a request from government officials. Quran Majeed is available across the world on the App Store – and has nearly 150,000 reviews. It is used by millions of Muslims. The app was removed, said the BBC, for “hosting illegal religious texts.”