Syria

Christians In Middle East Oppose Syria Strike, Military Intervention. There is major consensus amongst the Christian leaders in this region that any military intervention would have a detrimental effect … on Christians in Syria,” wrote Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary general/CEO of World Evangelical Alliance, in a letter to the State Department, the White House and the United Nation’s Security Council. Tunnicliffe was attending a meeting of Christian leaders in neighboring Jordan. The group, convened by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, met with about 70 Middle Eastern Christians to discuss the challenges facing Arab Christians (Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Religion News Service)

United Kingdom

Permission given for plea wearing face-covering on condition female police officer attested to woman's identity in private — Judge allows Muslim woman to wear niqab in London court (Peter Walker, The Guardian)

A new chief rabbi, a national centre boasting appearances by some of the country's most admired cultural figures, and a BBC2 history of the Jews by Simon Schama – the Jewish community is celebrating New Year in good heart. Ned Temko surveys the huge changes of recent years — Britain's Jews fall in number but grow in self-confidence (Ned Temko, The Guardian)

USA

Atheists Lose Battle To Have ‘In God We Trust’ Removed From U.S. Currency. Atheists suing to have the "In God We Trust" phrase removed from U.S. currency were smacked down on Thursday, when a federal judge dismissed their lawsuit. Congress first approved the inclusion of "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins during Civil War in 1864. In 1956, Congress passed a resolution to recognize the words officially as the national motto, replacing the de facto phrase, “E Pluribus Unum.” A year later, it began being printed on paper money (Nick Wing, Huffington Post)

Dana Perino Is ‘Tired Of Atheists’; Fox News Host Says ‘They Don’t Have To Live Here’. Freedom of belief doesn't appear to be important to Fox News host Dana Perino, who suggested that if atheists don't like having "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, well, "they don't have to live here. "Massachusetts' highest court is currently hearing a case against the Pledge brought by atheist parents, who feel that due to its religious wording, atheist children "are denied meaningful participation in this patriotic exercise." The case specifically involves the phrase, "under God," which was not actually a part of the original phrasing of the Pledge. Perino served as President G.W. Bush’s last White House Press Secretary (Yasmine Hafiz, Huffington Post)

Protestantisme

Tous les protestants européens peuvent randonner d'un même pas depuis que le sentier « Sur les pas des huguenots » relie deux de leurs bastions historiques, Poët-Laval dans la Drôme et Bad Karlshafen en Allemagne. Long de 1.600 kilomètres, ce chemin suit le tracé de l'exil des protestants français vers l'Allemagne et la Suisse après la révocation en 1685 par Louis XIV de l'édit de Nantes. Ce dernier leur garantissait depuis 1598 la liberté d'exercer leur religion — Le "Compostelle" des protestants (Linda Caille, Fait religieux)

Eglise catholique

Des hommes mariés qui sont aussi prêtres ? Cette question fait depuis longtemps débat dans l’Église catholique. En exclusivité, La Vie a rencontré le premier francophone ordonné par l’Église catholique, le 25 juin 2005, à Namur — Patrick, marié et prêtre catholique (Jean Mercier, La Vie)

La question du célibat est si délicate qu’elle pourrait provoquer un schisme dans les rangs catholiques — Édito - Prêtres mariés : le ballon d’essai avant le débat (Christian Laporte, La Libre Belgique)

Exorcism

Teenage Exorcists Slam ‘Harry Potter’ On London Visit Because Magic Comes ‘From Satan’. Brynne Larson, 18, Tess Sherkenback, 18, and her sister Savannah, 21, have been performing exorcisms since high school under the leadership of Brynne's father Rev. Bob Larson, who claims to have performed over 15,000 exorcisms. They have a target in their sights as they arrive in London to battle demons – Harry Potter. BBC3's clip of the upcoming documentary "Teen Exorcists," shows the poised and photogenic trio earnestly talking to filmmaker Dan Murdoch about why they consider London a "center of witchcraft." The Arizona girls headed to London as part of their first international tour with Rev. Larson, and they believe that J.K. Rowling's beloved Harry Potter series is responsible for an upsurge of occult activity in the U.K. (Yasmine Hafiz, Huffington Post)

Société

Jouer la provocation sur les symboles religieux, c'est une recette de plus en plus utilisée dans la publicité. Régulièrement, des campagnes de pub font scandale. Cette fois-ci, c'est la marque de jeans Diesel qui mêle religion et publicité — Focus: quand la pub se sert de signes religieux (RTBF)

Opinion

La Charte de la laïcité, affichée depuis le début de la semaine dans les établissements scolaires, a fait l'objet d'un vrai consensus politique, malgré quelques nuances d'usage — Grandeur ou décadence de la laïcité (Roger-Pol Droit, Les Echos)