RELIGION HEADLINES

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(SRN NEWS) – Another anti-Semitic incident in Australia.  Vandals have torched a car and sprayed graffiti with anti-Israel slogans in a Sydney suburb.  This attack comes just days after federal police established a task force to investigate increasing incidents of such crimes across the country.  Authorities say the town where this latest attack took place is home to Australia’s largest Jewish community.  Last week’s arson at a Melbourne synagogue marked an escalation in anti-Semitism dating back to the Hamas attack on Israel in October of last year.

A federal judge is considering the constitutionality of a Minnesota law that bans religious tests for colleges that participate in a state program allowing high school students to take college courses for credit.  The measure targets two conservative Christian colleges that require students to sign statements of faith — Crown College and the University of Northwestern. A group of parents and students is suing to overturn the law, saying it violates their freedom to choose schools that reflect their values.  Northwestern is one of the largest providers of classes to high schoolers.

New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy has signed a law to prohibit book bans in the state and enshrine protections against civil and criminal charges for librarians.  New Jersey becomes the latest Democrat-led state to enact a law designed to keep parents from removing pornographic material from the children’s section of their school library or public library.  Illinois and Minnesota have already done so.  Under the New Jersey statute, libraries cannot exclude books because of the views of the material or of its authors. 

A clergyman is trying to keep the tiny Greek village of Fortuna alive.  Orthodox Priest Constantine Dousikos (doo-SEEK-ohs) is raising money to attract families to the village which could disappear due to its aging population.  The grassroots effort is attracting national attention in Greece, where the birthrate has plummeted.  The Orthodox Church argues that incentives being offered by the government are welcome but insufficient to reverse the dire demographic trends. The church is pleading with Greeks to restore their traditional faith in family.

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