Prophet Muhammad cartoon sparks massive fallout at UK Grammar School
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4137703572983137
Location: Batley, UK
Catholic Church lobbied against a suicide prevention hotline in the US
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4148634488556712
Location: US
U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4147350258685135
Location: Washington, DC
Rapper Lil Nas X Releases “Satan Shoes” With Human Blood
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4145793252174169
Location: US
LGBTQ student file class-action lawsuit against Department of Education
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4147188092034685
Location: Oregon
Indonesia Church Bombing Wounds 20 On Palm Sunday
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4148943911859103
Location: Makassar, Indonesia
Houthis expel the last of Yemeni Jews
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4141288315957996
Location: Sana’a, Yemen
Argentinian Ex-Priest Disavows Decree Against Blessing Same-Sex Unions
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4127832680636893
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Pakistani Man Was Axed to Death Over Allegations of Blasphemy
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4137841472969347
Location: Jhang District, Pakistan
Atheist Republic receives strike on YouTube for fighting misinformation!?
Video Descriptions:
Prophet Muhammad cartoon sparks massive fallout at UK Grammar School
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4137703572983137
Location: Batley, UK
On March 22, a teacher at Batley Grammer School in the UK sparked protests by showing pupils an "inappropriate" cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. Several videos available online showed dozens of people protesting outside the school on March 25th. Some were demanding that the teacher should be fired. Headmaster Gary Kibble apologized and mentioned that the teacher had been suspended pending an investigation. He noted that lessons regarding faiths and beliefs must be done in a sensitive manner. The Department for Education spokesperson stated that "It is never acceptable to threaten or intimidate teachers." A resident who was protesting mentioned that "There's a line you can't cross." Some parents who were not a part of the protest found the protest "quite scary and intimidating." West Yorkshire Police said that no arrests were made and no fixed penalty notices had been issued.
Catholic Church lobbied against a suicide prevention hotline in the US
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4148634488556712
Location: US
Recently, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) went against the 2021 Equality Act, which increases protections for LGBTQ+ people from workplace discrimination. However, this is not the first time the USCCB rejected legislation that supported the rights of LGBTQ+ people. In 2019, they lobbied against the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which would generate a national suicide prevention hotline, because it included LGBTQ+ support. Similarly, in 2013, the USCCB used the same logic to oppose the 2013 Violence Against Women Act, which increased funding to protect women affected by domestic violence. According to a statement, the organization stood against the policy supported across party lines and by President Joe Biden because their support for transgender rights is dismissing sexual differences and falsely presenting 'gender' as only a social construct. The USCCB considered the bill "well-intentioned but ultimately misguided.”
U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4147350258685135
Location: Washington, DC
According to a Gallup poll, Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline in 2020, dropping below 50%. When the Gallup first measured U.S. church membership in 1937, 73% of Americans were attending churches. Currently, a higher number of Americans express no religious preference. The percentage of U.S. citizens who do not identify with any religion has grown to 21% over the past three years. Church membership is correlated with age, as 66% of U.S. adults born before 1946 belong to a church, contrasted with 58% of baby boomers, 50% of those in Generation X, and 36% of millennials. The Gallup data also shows a 20-point decline in church membership among all major subgroups of the U.S. population. The U.S. remains a religious nation, with more than 70% of the population affiliating with some organized religion. However, the continued decline of religiosity in future decades seems inevitable.
Rapper Lil Nas X Releases “Satan Shoes” With Human Blood
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4145793252174169
Location: US
Montero Lamar Hill, aka Rapper “Lil Nas X” has caused controversy by releasing a Satanic-themed music video and custom sneakers. The satan-inspired sneakers are Nike Air Max 97s, but the air bubble is filled with red ink and a drop of human blood. There will be a limited edition release of 666 pairs. His video, “Montero,” depicts a Garden of Eden-like world where Lil Nas makes out with a half-man/half-snake, then nearly ascends to heaven, but instead slides down a stripper pole straight to hell. Lil Nas X then continues giving a lap dance to Satan. In the end, he kills the Devil by snapping his neck, putting Lucifer's crown on his head. The music video received a lot of blowback. Nas defended his music video by pointing out that his video is incapable of damaging society when mass shootings occur every week, while our government does nothing to stop them.
LGBTQ students file class-action lawsuit against Department of Education
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4147188092034685
Location: Oregon
On March 29th, 33 LGBTQ students sued the Department of Education in a class-action lawsuit. Lucas Wilson, now 30 years old, is one of those students. From 2008 to 2012, Lucas received conversion therapy from a student club called the Band of Brothers at Liberty University during his undergraduate years. The students allege that they suffered bigotry at 25 Christian colleges and universities in 18 states. Wilson said that Liberty University is "thoroughly homophobic" where students are taught about "the evils of the homosexual lifestyle." The Religious Exemption Accountability Project, or REAP, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Oregon on behalf of the 33 former and current students. Many Christian colleges and universities are allowed to enforce policies that prohibit same-sex relationships on campus because the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination contains an exemption for religious entities. The students' lawsuit asserts that the religious exemption is unconstitutional.
Indonesia Church Bombing Wounds 20 On Palm Sunday
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4148943911859103
Location: Makassar, Indonesia
On March 28th, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, Indonesia, was attacked by two suicide bombers. The attack happened at 10:30 am, injuring 20 people. Both the bombers were killed in the blast, while none of the churchgoers died. Indonesian President Joko Widodo denounced the attack as an "act of terrorism." Joko asked the Indonesian people to remain calm and said the state guarantees religious people's safety to worship without fear. Indonesia is home to around 13% of the world's Muslim population, making it the world's largest Muslim-majority country. So far, no terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the church attack. In recent years, religious extremism has been on the rise in Indonesia. A number of suicide bombings targeting churches and a police post killed dozens of people in the port city of Surabaya in 2018. Police had blamed ISIS-affiliated group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah for the attacks.
Houthis expel the last of Yemeni Jews
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4141288315957996
Location: Sana’a, Yemen
Houthis, an Islamist political and armed movement that emerged in northern Yemen, have deported the remainder of Yemeni Jews by sending 13 members of three different families away from their homes in Sana'a. The last Yemeni Jews were forced to leave their motherland after withstanding years of pressure from the Houthis. Their departure was a condition in the release of Levi Salem Marhabi, a Jew who was captured by the Iran-backed group's intelligence around six years ago. Houthis did not maintain their own court's ruling as they refused to release Marhabi even after the last few Jewish citizens were forced out by military action. So far, the remaining Jews were forced to move out of Sana'a, Sa'dah, and Amran's territories. Marhabi, while held in a prison cell in Sana'a, has been tortured and left partially paralyzed by a stroke.
Argentinian Ex-Priest Disavows Decree Against Blessing Same-Sex Unions
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4127832680636893
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
A former priest and LGBTQ activist, Andrés Gioeni, is leaving the Roman Catholic Church after the Vatican issued a pronouncement that priests may not reside over same-sex unions. Gioeni has blessed same-sex unions in Pope Francis' home country, Argentina, at least four times. Like other LGBTQ Catholics, Gioeni was shocked by the Church's argument that clergy members cannot bless same-sex unions because they "cannot bless sin." Gioeni mentioned that he was homophobic throughout the seminary as an act of defense. His superiors came to know about his sexual identity in 2003 when he appeared nude on the cover of a gay magazine. Subsequently, he was barred from exercising priestly ministry.
Pakistani Man Was Axed to Death Over Allegations of Blasphemy
https://www.facebook.com/130148817071986/posts/4137841472969347
Location: Jhang District, Pakistan
Taqi Shah, a religious scholar from the Pakistani Shia community, was axed to death on March 24th over allegations of blasphemy in Punjab's Jhang district. Taqi was attacked when he was on a motorcycle. The murder occurred after he lost his balance, at which time the attacker struck, and axed him to death. Taqi's friend Hasnain was unharmed in the incident and is serving as a witness in the case. Sarfraz Virk, a Jhang District Police Officer, told Dawn that Taqi was facing charges of committing blasphemy, in addition to previous charges raised against him in 2019. Shorkot City Police Station has registered a murder case against three suspects, including one identified man and two unidentified persons. A senior officer stated that the suspect had killed Taqi after accusing him of committing blasphemy against companions of the Holy Prophet. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) provided data that shows that up to 80 people are currently imprisoned in Pakistan on blasphemy charges. Half of these prisoners face life in prison or the death penalty.
Atheist Republic receives strike on YouTube for fighting misinformation!?
On Atheist Republic News episode #161, the Atheist Republic (AR) team discussed the Lousianna Archdiocese giving their followers some extremely poor advice regarding the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The team covered this news item and then emphasized to the audience to not rely on claims from non-authoritative bodies, and instead, they should appeal to the knowledge of scientific experts. In this attempt to fight misinformation, AR received a strike from YouTube for spreading misinformation! Atheist Republic submitted an appeal, explaining that the team was fighting misinformation, not spreading it. The appeal was rejected almost instantly, too quickly for an actual human to have reviewed the submission. If you have any contacts who work at YouTube, please reach out to us at Info@AtheistRepublic.com. Other YouTubers have had great success in addressing problems with their channel when they were put in touch with employees at YouTube.
