The Columbian

Churches & Religion

FILE - A gay Pride rainbow flag flies with the U.S. flag in front of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village, Kan., on Friday, April 19, 2019. As of June 2023, more than 6,000 United Methodist congregations -- a fifth of the U.S. total -- have now received permission to leave the denomination amid a schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination.

United Methodists lose one-fifth of U.S. churches in schism driven by growing defiance of LGBTQ bans

July 8, 2023, 6:12am Churches & Religion

More than 6,000 United Methodist congregations — a fifth of the U.S. total — have now received permission to leave the denomination amid a schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination. Read story

Sunlight filters in through stained glass windows in a guest room June 19 at the Martin's Patershof hotel in the center of Mechelen, Belgium.

Sacred structures repurposed, given new lives

July 1, 2023, 6:02am Churches & Religion

The confessionals where generations of Belgians admitted their sins stood stacked in a corner of what was once Sacred Heart Church, proof the stalls — as well as the Roman Catholic house of worship — had outlived their purpose. Read story

A sign for the Church of Peace & Quiet at Neil Foreman's home in Tarrant County near Mansfield, Texas.

People turn to God over fireworks

July 1, 2023, 5:39am Churches & Religion

Along a once-rural stretch of road, a small white sign nailed to an old tree greets churchgoers. Read story

FILE - A view of the Palm Sunday's mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican on April 2, 2023. The Vatican on Friday, June 30, 2023 reported a doubling of income from its key Peter's Pence charitable fund last year, to 107 million euros, even as donations from the rank and file faithful dipped slightly following years of scandal over financial mismanagement at the Holy See.

Vatican reports income boost in charitable fund, even as donations dip following financial scandals

June 30, 2023, 7:41am Churches & Religion

The Vatican on Friday reported that a key charitable fund, Peter’s Pence, doubled its income in 2022 to 107 million euros, or more than $166 million, even as donations from the faithful dipped slightly following years of scandal over financial mismanagement at the Holy See. Read story

FILE - Gerald Groff, a former postal worker whose case will be argued before the Supreme Court, stands near a mail van outside the United States Post Office in Holtwood, Pa., Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The Supreme Court on Thursday, June 29, used the case of a Christian mailman who didn't want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who are religious. In a unanimous decision the justices made clear that workers who ask for religious accommodations, such as taking the Sabbath off, should get them unless their employers show doing so would result in "substantial increased costs" to the business.

Supreme Court solidifies protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations

June 29, 2023, 8:26am Churches & Religion

The Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mailman who didn't want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations. Read story

Muslim worshippers pray at Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia mosque during the first day of Eid al-Adha in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha by sacrificing animals to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim's faith in being willing to sacrifice his son.

Indonesia’s Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha with feasts after disease last year disrupted rituals

June 29, 2023, 8:07am Churches & Religion

Muslims across Indonesia on Thursday were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of the biggest holidays in the Islamic calendar, with full meat-based feasts after fears of last year’s foot-and-mouth disease outbreak waned. Read story

Imam delivers sermon as Muslims gather for prayers to celebrate Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, that commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's faith, in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Eid al-Adha marks the end of hajj.

What is the Hajj pilgrimage and what does it mean for Muslims?

June 28, 2023, 8:48am Churches & Religion

Over 1.8 million Muslims are taking part in this week’s Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, as one of the world’s largest religious gatherings returns to capacity following years of coronavirus restrictions. Read story

Muslims gather for prayers to celebrate Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, that commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's faith, in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Eid al-Adha marks the end of hajj.

Muslims at Hajj pilgrimage brave intense heat to cast stones at pillars representing the devil

June 28, 2023, 8:45am Churches & Religion

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday braved intense heat to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Read story

Water mist is sprayed on Muslim pilgrims as they pray on the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Around two million pilgrims are converging on Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca for the largest Hajj since the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed access to one of Islam's five pillars.

‘The Hajj is not Mecca’: Why prayers at Mount Arafat are the spiritual peak of Islamic pilgrimage

June 27, 2023, 8:22am Churches & Religion

They came in the dark of night, in the thousands, to clamber up the rocky hill called Mount Arafat. Read story

‘On the border of terrorism’: Spokane Valley church’s Pride display vandalized with diesel

June 27, 2023, 8:06am Churches & Religion

Preparing for her Sunday morning message didn’t go as planned this week for the Rev. Gen Heywood, who arrived at Veradale United Church of Christ to a strong odor of diesel fuel and the absence of the colorful pride flags that had graced the church’s entryway hours before. Read story