A group of atheists who tried to gain tax benefits by calling themselves a “church” lost in a Canadian court last week when three judges unanimously ruled that atheism is not a religion.

The Church of Atheism of Central Canada previously had been denied charitable tax status as a religion by Canada’s Minister of National Revenue. The Church of Atheism then appealed, claiming a violation of their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Canada’s version of the Bill of Rights. 

A three-judge panel of the federal Court of Appeal ruled against the atheists and sided with the government.

“A review of the jurisprudence shows that fundamental characteristics of religion include that the followers have a faith in a higher power such as God, entity, or Supreme Being; that followers worship this higher power; and that the religion consists of a particular and comprehensive system of faith and worship,” Justice Marianne Rivoalen wrote in the decision. 

Rivoalen acknowledged that not all religions worship a Supreme Being – Buddhism, for example – but said the Church of Atheism’s reliance on science fails the test in determining whether it is a religion. Further, she wrote, the group’s “Ten Commandments of Energy” are not a valid sacred text. 

“Mainstream science is neither particularly specific nor precise,” Rivoalen wrote, agreeing with the…

A 14-year-old Christian girl was abducted from her home outside of Karachi Pakistan, forced to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim man, according to her parents who have been pressing authorities for her return.

According to several published reports, three men staked out the Zia Colony home of teenager Huma Younus, waiting for her parents to leave before forcibly dragging her from the residence, neighbors said. The eighth-grader was then taken 370 miles away to Dera Gazi Khan, in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

Although the kidnapping happened in mid-October, it only recently attracted media coverage.

“Our daughters are insecure and abused in this country,” Nagina, Huma’s mother, told International Christian Concern(ICC). “They are not safe anywhere. We leave them at schools or home but they are kidnapped, raped, humiliated, and forced to convert to Islam.”

Huma’s parents tried to file a report with police the day of the kidnapping, but authorities refused to take action. After repeated attempts by the family, police finally filed a complaint two days later.

Several days after the kidnapping, Huma’s parents received several documents, including a marriage certificate and papers saying the teen had converted to Islam. The man listed on the marriage certificate was Abdul Jabar, according to Asia News.

“The religious conversion documents are fake,”…

CAIRO (RNS) — In the early hours of Nov. 23, seven plainclothes police officers arrived at the home of Ramy Kamel, a 33-year-old tailor and civil rights advocate for the Coptic community in Egypt.

At 1:45 a.m., a squad from Egypt’s Homeland Security — which has arrested hundreds of community activists, street demonstrators and independent journalists in recent months — confiscated Kamel’s books, laptop computer, digital camera and mobile phone.

Egyptian and international human rights groups say the security officers beat Kamel and proceeded to interrogate him without his lawyer present.

The following day, the Coptic activist known for advocating for Egypt’s urban poor and rural peasants was charged with joining and financing a terrorist group and disrupting public peace.  

According to the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, a nonprofit that monitors the compliance of international human rights law throughout the Arab region, the Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement neighborhood also charged Kamel with inciting public opinion against the state and using social media to exacerbate tensions between Muslims and Christians.

The Coptic community, thought to number at least 15 million in a nation of 110 million, is outraged and worried.

“Ramy Kamel has been the voice of the weakest, most marginalized group in our society, especially in…

50,000 lights illuminated President’s Park in Washington, D.C. Thursday night as President Trump and the First Lady helped light the National Christmas Tree.

After counting down from five, First Lady Melania Trump pressed the ceremonial button illuminating the Nation Christmas Tree, Thursday night. 

The tree was planted and decorated by employees of the National Parks Service and the Department of the Interior. 30 feet tall, the tree was covered by 50,000 warm white lights and 450 giant white star ornaments, the Associated Press reports.

After lighting the tree aglow, President Trump shared the birth story of Jesus Christ. 

He said, “More than 2,000 years ago, a brilliant star shone in the east. Wise men traveled far, far afield – they were a long distance away – and they came and stood … under the star where they found the Holy Family in Bethlehem.”

He continued, “As the Bible tells us, when the wise men had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and [they] fell down and worshiped him. Christians give thanks that the Son of God came into the world to save humanity.

“Jesus Christ inspires us to love one another with hearts full of generosity and grace,” the President said as he concluded the telling of Christ’s birth. 

Joining the President in celebrating the 97^th year of the National Tree lighting, was the U.S. Marine Core band, the Tucson,…

A pastor who was arrested while observing protests for a library’s Drag Queen Story Hour won in court Thursday when a judge dismissed the charge, ruling the pastor was not threatening or jeopardizing anyone at the event.

The case began when Pastor Afshin Yaghtin went to a public library in Spokane, Wash., Father’s Day weekend to observe Drag Queen Story Hour. Police had set up locations for protesters and counter-protesters on opposing sides of the street, but Yaghtin – not speaking or carrying a sign – stood on a strip of grass in the library parking lot. Although Yaghtin opposed the Story House, he was not protesting. 

When Yaghtin refused to join either group, he was arrested for obstructing a law enforcement officer.

Judge Tracy A. Stabb ruled Thursday that the police’s orders were not “narrowly tailored” to protect constitutionally protected speech.  

“While the City’s interest in protecting public safety is significant, there is no evidence that Mr. Yaghtin’s mere presence on public property was in any way jeopardizing the City’s interest,” Stabb wrote. “Mr. Yaghtin had every right to be standing on public property. He was not blocking traffic and was not conveying any kind of message that might incite a response. He was not being disorderly, disruptive, or aggressive.”

Further, “the grass strip where Mr. Yaghtin was standing was not closed to the public in…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — On Thursday (Dec. 5), the Vatican hosted a Christmas tree lighting ceremony ahead of the holidays, but it was the Nativity scene that stole the show.

Almost entirely made from wood, the Nativity scene ticks every box of Pope Francis’ pontificate. The plight of immigrants and refugees is depicted by the statue of a man carrying his belongings as he approaches the manger, which is the picture of poverty and humility, while the pope’s environmental message is underlined by the fact that the creche is entirely plastic-free.

In a private audience with the masons and artisans from Italy’s northern Trento region who created the creche, Pope Francis said the scene “is a genuine way of communicating the gospel, in a world that sometimes seems to be afraid of remembering what Christmas really is and eliminates Christian symbols, only to retain those drawn from a banal, commercial imagination.”

About 25 life-size characters populate this year’s scene, which depicts everyday life in the 19th century, from cheese-making to cleaning and cooking.

At its center, Mary and Joseph surround the empty manger that will host a likeness of baby Jesus on Christmas Day.

The Nativity scene is set under an almost 85-foot-tall spruce that is decorated and lit with the Vatican’s traditionally spare ornaments. During his meeting with those who donated the tree, Francis…