#RNS

(The Conversation) — Hostility toward Hindu worship practices draws on a long history of prejudice portraying the faith’s followers as idolaters, argues a scholar of Hindu studies.

(The Conversation) — With fewer people to care for their ancestors’ graves, many in Japan are looking for innovative solutions.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A new Vatican document welcomes rising baptisms as signs of hope but warns against triumphalism, urging Catholic communities to help converts build lasting faith.

(RNS) — A new study of multi-site churches has found that such congregations have become commonplace, found in almost every state in the nation. Many of the 1,800 multisite churches have started a new location by merging with another church.

(AP) — The decision arose from a meeting he had with Denver Archbishop James Golka, who asked the Catholic priest to consider taking the break.

HURST, Texas (AP) — This summer, Texas began rolling out $1 billion in public funding that eligible families can put toward private education expenses.

(AP) — The Associated Press interviewed more than 30 ACCS leaders and parents, as well as more than a dozen other experts and advocates. The reporting was done from Washington, D.C., inside schools in Texas and at the group’s annual conference in Atlanta.

ROME (AP) — The Catholic universities are promoting the games as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage.

(RNS) — In some key races, AI has been used in campaign ads to depict candidates’ religious views and convey religious messaging, ranging from highly realistic to provocative and eccentric.

What do we lose when our churches become another space for optimizing efficiency?

(RNS) — In the absence of strong outreach from the Democratic Party, it’s an open question whether Hispanic evangelicals defecting from Trump will hold their nose to vote for Democrats or Republicans — or whether they’ll sit the race out altogether.