A Surge of British Jews Affected by Holocaust are Trying to Move to Germany

Religious News from around the web October 19, 2020

Same-Sex Marriage Going Away? Washington’s Lt. Gov Becoming a Priest, Orthodox Jews Defy COVID restrictions, She Became a Jew and Discovered Anti-Semitism, Why Amy Coney Barrett Might Surprise Everyone, Presbyterian Congregations and COVID

Thomas, Alioto – Right to Same-Sex Marriage Going Away?
Catholic Songwriter Composes A Song for Pride MonthWith the controversy over seating Any Coney Barrett on the U.S. Supreme Court, and the court possibly tipping conservative, Justices Thomas and Alioto suggested that the landmark Obergefell decision – that legalize same-sex marriage across the country – might be in question. A joint statement from the two said the right for same-sex couples to marry is found nowhere in the Constitution.

Washington State’s Lt. Gov Becoming a Priest
Cyrus Habib, the lieutenant governor of Washington State is on unpaid leave for training to become a Jesuit priest. Habib, the only Iranian American to hold statewide public office, has survived three bouts of cancer and is blind. He does not plan to return to his office before his term is up in January, according to his office and the office of Gov. Jay Inslee. Habib said “I have felt a calling to dedicate my life in a more direct and personal way to serving the marginalized, empowering the vulnerable and healing those who suffer from spiritual wounds.”

She Thought Anti-Semitism Was Gone, Then She Became a Jew
A Surge of British Jews Affected by Holocaust are Trying to Move to GermanyThe Anti-Defamation League says that last year saw more anti-Semitic incident than in the last 40 years. But people who do not show their religion with religious clothing, turbans etc. may not realize the extent of discrimination. A woman who had never experienced such bigotry converted to Judaism and was surprised at what happened.

Why Any Coney Barrett Might Surprise Everyone
“Hippie Christians” wanted God to be a living presence in their life. “When they prayed, they looked for the voice in their thoughts that did not feel like theirs. They came to believe that their prayers had power because God was acting through them. Many of these young Christians, guided by older pastors or elders, set up communities loosely modeled on the idea that they were like the early Christians, living communally, praying communally, changing the world. People of Praise was one such community.”

Six Month into COVID, Presbyterian Congregations Assessed

By Generic1139 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
By Generic1139 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0],
via Wikimedia Commons
Presbytery leaders across the country are seeing everything from exhaustion and worry to collaboration and new energy, according to a nationwide information survey. The situation depends partly on local regulations and how hard the pandemic has hit that particular region.

Orthodox Jews Defy COVID restrictions to Celebrate Last of High Holidays

London Jewish Schools Have Removed Images of Women from Reading Books
By Itzuvit (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via
Wikimedia Commons
New York city and state governments have failed to get the Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox Jewish community to forego prayer gatherings of more than 10 for the last days of the High Holidays this year. Health experts fear that gatherings could seed a second wave of COVID-19 cases across the wider New York City region.