RELIGION HEADLINES

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(SRN NEWS) – The lower house of Russia’s parliament has given overwhelming approval to the first reading of a proposed law to prohibit the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal. The measure needs to pass two more readings in the Duma before being sent to the upper house and then to President Vladimir Putin. It follows a series of other laws and rulings designed to curb the LGBT agenda in Russia.  Duma speaker Vyacheslav (vee-ACH-uh-slav) Volodin says the bill is aimed at “protecting childhood and traditional values.”

Democrats in the House are urging the IRS to reject tax exempt status for Christian ministries unless they can specifically be defined as a church.  Liberals expressed outrage recently when the Family Research Council was granted the right to be treated as an association of churches by the IRS.  However, Congress has already passed laws granting churches and “conventions or associations of churches” special protections, in order to uphold freedom of religion under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

International rights groups say Nicaragua is sliding into authoritarianism as the government shuts down more than 1,500 nonprofits — about half of which are churches and ministries.  The August closures were the latest in a long-running crackdown on religious groups — some of the last influential, independent organizations in the country. That same month, the government revoked the tax-exempt status of all houses of worship.  Over the past few years, many churches have also seen their bank accounts frozen.

Abortion activists are courting Latino voters through door-knocking and Spanish-language ads. They say the fast-growing group could determine the outcome of abortion ballot measures across the U.S., particularly in states such as Arizona and Florida with large Hispanic populations. A recent poll indicates that despite their allegiance to the Catholic Church, a majority of Latinos want abortion to be legal in all or most cases.  According to the Pew Research Center, Hispanic adults make up 15 percent of all eligible voters.

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