Covering the world of religion. https://rns.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtn35egtme2lQUSRA, West Bank (AP) — The siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers comes as violence in the West Bank has soared in recent months. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/palestinian-american-returns-to-west-bank-to-defend-his-home-under-siege-by-israeli-settlers/22 Aug 2026 01:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtn35egtme2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmxrxlery2jOPINION: (RNS) — Hind Rajab was killed while pleading for help in a car with her six dead relatives. On Wednesday (Aug. 19), the Israeli military acknowledged for the first time its firing on the car. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/hind-rajab-the-5-year-old-killed-in-gaza-should-have-been-enough/22 Aug 2026 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmxrxlery2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmugtalpp2o(RNS) — A machine may reproduce words, images or melodies. But Sikh practice, many argue, remains rooted in intention, consciousness and connection. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/as-ai-enters-sikh-life-old-debates-on-technology-and-tradition-continue/21 Aug 2026 23:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmugtalpp2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmr3gbmjv2oWASHINGTON (AP) — In a Supreme Court brief filed by Texas families, their attorneys argue that the law violates basic First Amendment principles governing the separation of church and state. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/supreme-court-asked-to-review-texas-law-requiring-the-ten-commandments-in-public-schools/21 Aug 2026 22:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmr3gbmjv2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmnqa4j5l22KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.N. mission known as UNAMA also called for an investigation to establish the circumstances of the explosion. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/a-grenade-blast-near-a-school-complex-in-the-afghan-capital-wounds-at-least-42-children-the-un-says/21 Aug 2026 21:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmnqa4j5l22https://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmkevnlml26VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Drawing on Africa’s experience of apartheid, genocide and war, Cardinal Stephen Brislin and nine other Catholic clergy say Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide — and argue silence is no longer an option. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/21/cardinal-brislin-joins-african-clergy-in-calling-israels-actions-in-gaza-genocide/21 Aug 2026 20:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmkevnlml26https://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmgzjjxhy2yOPINION: (RNS) — Amid our hyper-polarized politics, it helps to have religious communities that do not align with either side. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/wouldnt-it-be-more-catholic-of-ross-douthat-not-to-pick-a-side/21 Aug 2026 19:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmgzjjxhy2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmdoir3ta22BEIJING (AP) — Imperial cuisine encompasses the meals emperors ate daily and the feasts their courts held throughout the year. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/21/once-shaped-by-court-rituals-chinas-imperial-cuisine-lives-on-today/21 Aug 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmdoir3ta22https://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtmad6qxrp2aOPINION: (The Conversation) — Two political scientists explain why Christian nationalist beliefs endure. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/21/christian-nationalists-professed-support-for-religious-pluralism-is-often-drowned-out-by-perceptions-that-christians-are-under-threat/21 Aug 2026 17:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmad6qxrp2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtm4xkfged2d(RNS) — Religious groups now argue that the government has committed ‘multiple egregious violations’ of a preliminary injunction handed down in their case back in February. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/11-faith-groups-accuse-trump-administration-of-violating-court-order-while-spying-on-churches/21 Aug 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtm4xkfged2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtlzmrnt4x2sOPINION: (RNS) — Wrestling — with the divine, with morality — might well be America’s most sustained pastime. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/21/new-book-a-nation-wrestles-with-god-traces-religious-dialogue-through-our-history/21 Aug 2026 15:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlzmrnt4x2shttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtlwbbumdr2oOPINION: (RNS) — White supremacy does not distinguish between the communities it seeks to intimidate. Our resistance shouldn’t distinguish between them, either. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/21/a-muslim-educator-and-a-rabbi-one-ideology-threatens-us-both/21 Aug 2026 14:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlwbbumdr2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtlsvw3m462lOPINION: (The Conversation) — More than 100 Black churches across the South were targeted from the 1950s-70s. Another wave of violence followed in the ‘90s – and there have been attacks in recent years, too. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/birmingham-church-bombing-wasnt-an-isolated-act-of-terrorism-there-were-dozens-of-attacks-on-black-houses-of-worship-during-the-civil-rights-movement/21 Aug 2026 13:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlsvw3m462lhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtlpkrtrp224(RNS) — ‘It's the perfect song for someone sort of looking back over their career, looking back over life, and realizing God has been faithful all this time,’ Patty said in an interview. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/21/at-70-sandi-patty-sings-the-voice-i-have-now-plans-new-album/21 Aug 2026 12:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlpkrtrp224https://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtlm7k6k6s2aOPINION: (The Conversation) — A scholar of India explores how two 19th-century memoirs portray a land where different religious identities coexist. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/a-hindu-soldier-and-a-muslim-poet-show-how-religious-identities-overlapped-in-19th-century-india/21 Aug 2026 11:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlm7k6k6s2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtkkq3rvkw2yWASHINGTON (AP) — The complaint alleges that the investigations into some of the nation's most prestigious academic institutions were designed to strong-arm the schools into cutting deals for political purposes. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/whistleblower-alleges-political-pressure-lack-of-evidence-in-antisemitism-probes-targeting-schools/21 Aug 2026 01:01 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtkkq3rvkw2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtkheqz5kk24QUSRA, West Bank (AP) — The siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers comes as violence in the West Bank has soared in recent months. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/palestinian-american-returns-to-west-bank-to-defend-his-home-under-siege-by-israeli-settlers/21 Aug 2026 00:01 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtkheqz5kk24https://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtkdyh67te2vOPINION: (RNS) — Hind Rajab was killed while pleading for help in a car with her six dead relatives. On Wednesday (Aug. 19), the Israeli military acknowledged for the first time its firing on the car. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/hind-rajab-the-5-year-old-killed-in-gaza-should-have-been-enough/20 Aug 2026 23:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtkdyh67te2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtkamikcjt2h(RNS) — A machine may reproduce words, images or melodies. But Sikh practice, many argue, remains rooted in intention, consciousness and connection. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/as-ai-enters-sikh-life-old-debates-on-technology-and-tradition-continue/20 Aug 2026 22:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtkamikcjt2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtk5b74zgk2eWASHINGTON (AP) — In a Supreme Court brief filed by Texas families, their attorneys argue that the law violates basic First Amendment principles governing the separation of church and state. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/supreme-court-asked-to-review-texas-law-requiring-the-ten-commandments-in-public-schools/20 Aug 2026 21:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtk5b74zgk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjzvy3vdb2vKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.N. mission known as UNAMA also called for an investigation to establish the circumstances of the explosion. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/a-grenade-blast-near-a-school-complex-in-the-afghan-capital-wounds-at-least-42-children-the-un-says/20 Aug 2026 20:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjzvy3vdb2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjwkpvp5b2oSAN QUENTIN, Calif. (RNS) — 'I’m making a promise to never return to bloodshed or drugs,' one said. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/19/the-men-who-celebrated-a-bar-mitzvah-in-prison/20 Aug 2026 19:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjwkpvp5b2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjt7ghesj22VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The pope linked war, environmental destruction and inequality to the same crisis of the human heart, calling for a spiritual and ecological transformation. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/pope-leo-war-fuels-a-vicious-cycle-of-environmental-destruction/20 Aug 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjt7ghesj22https://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjpui3umc2fOPINION: (RNS) — Most former Mormons don't officially resign, but they're not coming back to the LDS Church. They're also not likely to join another religion. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/20/do-former-mormons-join-another-religion/20 Aug 2026 17:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjpui3umc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjmird2ad2e(RNS) — The New Testatment scholar has had a lifelong fascination with all things Catholic and has devoted her life's work to understanding Jesus as a first-century Jew. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/14/amy-jill-levine-elected-first-jewish-president-of-catholic-biblical-association/20 Aug 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjmird2ad2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjj5hamvs2tFORT WORTH, Texas (RNS) — As anti-Muslim rhetoric rises in Texas, Muslim pitmasters are winning over diners and reshaping one of the state's most iconic culinary traditions. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/14/halal-bbq/20 Aug 2026 15:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjj5hamvs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjfs7veu22v(RNS) — When 40,000-odd White Sox fans pop on pope hats, pass the peace and keep faith through extra innings, Chicago shows just how close the church of baseball can come to high church. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/17/high-church-on-chicagos-south-side/20 Aug 2026 14:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjfs7veu22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtjcgzzc7g2tOPINION: (RNS) — The hatreds are, oddly, the same. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/17/from-nyc-to-jerusalem-what-two-synagogue-attacks-reveal-about-hatred-of-judaism/20 Aug 2026 13:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjcgzzc7g2thttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtj73pu5lc2nOPINION: (RNS) — In talking to the Canaanite woman, Jesus sounds like Donald Trump and JD Vance. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/17/we-should-treat-foreigners-like-jesus-did/20 Aug 2026 12:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtj73pu5lc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/rns.org/post/3mtj3qdpnvo2hSPRINGFIELD, Ohio (RNS) — In Springfield, Ohio, ICE shifts tactics to stealth raids and ankle monitors. Churches are responding by helping Haitian parents line up temporary caregivers, preparing for the worst. https://religionnews.com/2026/08/17/as-ice-closes-in-ohio-churches-line-up-families-to-care-for-haitian-kids-left-behind/20 Aug 2026 11:00 +0000at://did:plc:mjwatbcziskf47sa54xyo7oj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtj3qdpnvo2h