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A Catholic church in Massachusetts is stirring controversy this Christmas season after unveiling a Nativity scene with an empty manger and a sign reading, “ICE was here.” The display, outside St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, replaces the traditional Holy Family with a message referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and provides contact information for a…

Phil Phaneuf / Facebook
A Methodist pastor in Rochester, New York, surprised churchgoers during a recent Sunday service by announcing plans to transition from male to female. Rev. Phillip Phaneuf of North Chili United Methodist Church made a personal announcement from the pulpit on Nov. 23, while wearing a rainbow stole, sharing that the decision had come after years…

Left: samantha_fulnecky / Instagram | Right: OUDeptPsych / Facebook
What seemed to be a simple 650-word college essay assignment quickly blew up into a religious discrimination complaint. Samantha Fulnecky, a junior at the University of Oklahoma (UO) who is majoring in psychology, was assigned a 650-word “reaction paper” in her “Lifespan Development” class. Fulnecky responded to an article that discussed the idea of gender…

Left: Pixabay | Right: Sgt. Devin Nichols / dvidshub.net
Ryan Burge believes the US military is becoming more religious, even as the American public is becoming more secular. Burge’s study was inspired after reflections from the popular 2001 series “Band of Brothers,” which depicted the grueling every day experiences of Easy Company after the D-Day invasions at Normandy. “Religion was woven in and out…

TheGuardian / Instagram
Four hundred years ago, a painting by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens’s disappeared. The painting had been displayed to the public in 1613 but disappeared soon after, falling into obscurity and was not seen again for over 400 years. Auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat rediscovered it in September 2024 while doing a routine inspection of a house…

Dave Killen TheOregonian / Instagram
A recent Portland, Oregon tree lighting at Pioneer Courthouse Square ceremony sparked outrage after the city completely removed the word “Christmas” from the event. City council member Candace Avalos celebrated the city’s 41st annual tree-lighting ceremony by singing “holiday songs” while the beautifully lit Christmas tree had a sign that referred to it simply as “the…

The White House
First Lady Melania Trump has unveiled this year’s White House Christmas decorations, with the theme “Home is Where the Heart Is.” A video revealed Trump walking the White House corridors amongst a sea of white bedecked Christmas trees. Hints of blue accent the scene, with red drapes outlining the silhouette. The décor also included a…

Left: Public Domain | Right: X
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used a mock-up of a children’s book last week to try to deflect criticism from his alleged orders in September to kill the survivors of a strike on a purported drug smuggling boat. Understandably, the publisher of the “real” Franklin books has objected. But the problems with Hegseth’s attempt at…

Left: The White House | Right: Aftyn for Congress / Facebook
Former President Donald Trump is calling on voters in Tennessee to reject the Democratic candidate in a special congressional election, claiming she “hates Christianity.” The race, which could slightly shift the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives, is drawing national attention as polling shows a dead heat between Republican Matt Van Epps…

Flinga / commons.wikimedia.org
A New Jersey spa must allow biological men into women-only spaces according to a recent ruling from a judge. King Spa in Palisades Park was sued by a transgender woman, Alexandra Goebert, a biological man, when it refused to serve him in female-only facilities in 2022.  According to court documents, Goebert still has male anatomy.…
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