A (very belated) congratulations, Josh! Thanks for doing us proud! 🫡

Music sensation and ordained minister Lucy Dacus has been performing weddings on stage throughout her recent tour, culminating with 4 simultaneous live weddings on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Her whirlwind efforts amounted to 155 weddings this summer... that's gotta be a record!

The ruling represented a huge win for religious freedom advocates, and signaled a changing Supreme Court that holds much greater sympathy for religious views than previous iterations.

Eventually, the Court ruled that the coach's rights had been violated and that he should be offered his old job back.

The story echoes a similar case from Washington state that made it all the way to the Supreme Court. There, a high school football coach was fired for praying on the field with students.

“If this man had been Muslim and engaged in teaching Muslim religious teachings, these people would be going out of their minds,” said Ian Smith, staff attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church & State.

But critics say not all religions are being treated equally, and there is an obvious double standard.

Among them is Tres Wittum, a candidate for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, who voiced his full-throated support for the coach.

"I make it very clear: we need God in America, and we should make it widely available."

A high school football coach in Tennessee was asked to leave the team for bringing a Bible to a game.

Now, public officials are speaking out in his defense.

New Commandment just dropped!?

A Carpenter Named Jesus is Facing Deportation A carpenter named Jesus has been arrested by ICE. Now his church community is fighting to keep him from being deported. Will they succeed?

Read the full story in our latest blog:

www.themonastery.org/blog/a-carpe...

Stop us if you've heard this one before:

A carpenter named Jesus has been detained by authorities and faces prosecution.

Now his church community is rallying to his aid. But will they be able to prevent him from being deported?

The ruling is especially head scratching, the Apache people say, given the Supreme Court's recent focus on expanding religious rights for Christians.

They ask: do those same rights not extend to other faiths?

The Supreme Court has rejected a plea from the Apache tribe to block a proposed copper mine in Arizona that tribal members say will destroy a sacred religious site.

In an exceedingly rare move, the bishop of the San Bernardino diocese has excused undocumented immigrants from attending mass if they are worried about being detained in an ICE raid.

Florida is set to break a record for executions this year.

Now, a group of faith leaders is pleading with the governor to put a moratorium on capital punishment.

After the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that parents have the right to remove their children from class if LGBTQ+ books are being discussed, the author of one book at the center of the case reacts to the news.

What Does “Ayatollah” Mean? Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been in the spotlight. What exactly does the title “Ayatollah” mean? Who earns it, and why is it so important?

www.themonastery.org/blog/what-do...

The word "Ayatollah" has been in the news a lot recently.

But who, or what, is the Ayatollah?

In our latest blog post, we break down the fascinating history of the title and why it matters.

Do you know the whole story? Link to post is below.

The church's pastor said he's been emailing with the man to discuss his views and would rather start a dialogue than try to press charges.

Afterwards, the perpetrator – who identifies as a recent convert to Catholicism – emailed the parish anonymously, confessing to the burning and denouncing the church’s support for the LGBTQ+ community.

The thief later set the original flag ablaze, church officials said. He left the American flag, which had been flying above the Pride flag, at half-staff.

Someone removed the Pride flag from the flagpole outside All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Syracuse, NY, earlier this month.

Not to be deterred, over the weekend the church held a "flag day" to re-raise a new Pride flag.

ULC Files Lawsuit Against Virginia Officials to Defend Rights of Ministers The ULC has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against Virginia officials who have been discriminating against Universal Life Church ministers.

Here's the post on our blog with more info:

www.themonastery.org/blog/ulc-fil...

We will not be a silent witness to the disenfranchisement of any group, and we will not rest until our ministers and members are able to enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all citizens, not just in Virginia but around the world.

The lawsuit alleges that VA officials have improperly denied the rights of ULC ministers to legally solemnize religious weddings while granting those same privileges to ministers of other faiths.

We believe this is a blatant violation of the First and Fourteenth amendments to the Constitution.

Marriage is indeed a sacred institution, and the state has cruelly decided to limit who may participate in that sacred rite to a select few.

We have some important news to share: we have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against Virginia officials who have been discriminating against Universal Life Church ministers and denying them the right to perform wedding ceremonies.

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Do you agree? What is your take on the matter?