13th Annual Report on International Religious Freedom

On September 13, the US State Department issued its 13th Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. This report, which is required by an act of Congress:

documents major developments with respect to religious freedom in 198 countries and territories from July-December 2010. The report reflects a broad understanding of universal religious freedom, one that includes the rights to hold private beliefs, including agnosticism or atheism, as well as the right to communal religious expression and education (quoted from the Executive Summary).

One of the most interesting things to look for whenever the report comes out is its identification of the most egregious violators of religious freedom. They are named in the Executive Summary, which is a good section to read to get a good sense of the entire report.

Drive-in Church

As reported at WFAA.com out of Dallas:

Without ever getting outside of their cars, parishioners drive to their favorite spot and sit behind the wheel for a worship service that includes all the familiar music, prayers and a full sermon.

This is the third such church set up by the pastor.

Examples of the Ongoing Adjustments in Religious Regulations

One theme of our class is that religious regulations vary widely around the world. It is also true that these regulations are in a continual process of adjustment. Here is a recent sampling.

• The Pew Foundation recently released an important report showing that restrictions on religious practice have increased for a third of the world's population.
  
• The Chinese government and Catholic leaders in the Vatican are currently disputing who has the right to ordain Catholic bishops.
• A woman challenges Belgium's new burqa ban in court.
• A woman in India is tortured after being branded a witch.
• The USCIRF asked Secretary of State Clinton to identify Pakistan as a "country of particular concern."
• Hungary adopted what one author called "Europe's Most Restrictive Religious Law" that strips three hundred religious organizations of their religious status. Only fourteen groups retained their status; all others must undertake a costly re-register process without guarantee of success.
• A proposed law in Tajikistan would prevent many children from participating in religious activities until they are eighteen years of age.
  
• Even the U.S. is not immune to the adjustment: a lawsuit alleges that a Dallas Church is really a sex club, causes the courts to determine just what sorts of organizations can claim to be religious.
  

Apple: A Twenty-first Century Religion?

From the CNN Write-up (read the lengthier story at the BBC web site):

The neuroscientists ran a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on an Apple fanatic and discovered that images of the technology company's gadgets lit up the same parts of the brain as images of a deity do for religious people...

Question: Does this finding improve the credibility of our economic approach to religion?

The Department of Secular Studies

The formation of a Department of Secular Studies at Pitzer College shows how the very study of secularization can become institutionalized.

James Richardson on the Word "Cult"

Professor Richardson has long studied new religious movements and offers some perspective on the word "cult."

France's Burka Ban Takes Effect

France's new ban on Muslim women wearing the full body covering burka and the face covering niqab took effect earlier this month. Some women wearing veils in protest were arrested. The penalty is to pay up to $215 (US) or attend special citizenship classes. Here's a write-up on the first woman arrested.

Religion Apps from Lecture

In case you wanted to learn more about the apps we discussed in class:

• Confession: A Roman Catholic App. You can also read about it at CNN's Belief Blog here.
  
• iChristian.
  
• New Valley Church.
  
• Catholic Mass Times Church Directory.
  
• iPhone Bible App.
  
• On The Ministry.
  
• Religious Collection.
• Dance Praise.
  
• Zen Timer.