Attacking Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s comment, he made in an interview to a private TV news channel, defending Congress Government during 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom, the Shiromani Akali Dal called it a ‘hogwash’. “Rahul Gandhi says that Narendra Modi was responsible for the 2002 violence in Gujarat because he was the Chief Minister. Then what about his father who was the Prime Minister when the carnage against Sikhs took place in Delhi,” SAD leader Naresh Gujral said in New Delhi.
— Niti Central

Pope, Hollande discuss positive role of religion in society
During Pope Francis’ meeting with French president Francois Hollande on Friday, the two discussed an array of topics concerning human dignity, centering the meeting on the role of religion in society. In a Jan. 24 statement released regarding the meeting earlier that morning, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi revealed that the “cordial” discussion primarily focused on “the contribution that religion makes to the common good.”
— Catholic News Agency

Hindus want to see pogromists punished
Teachers and students of different universities yesterday demanded passage of a special law with the provision of the capital punishment to try the perpetrators of violence against Hindus. Joining a human chain in front of the capital’s Jatiya Press Club to protest the post-election atrocities, they said Hindus were living like “aliens” in their own homeland.
— The Daily Star

‘Yeezianity’ Religion Founder Revealed; Says Kanye West Is ‘a Stepping Stone to Jesus’
The founder of “Yeezianity,” a religion inspired by Kanye West, revealed his identity after anonymously beginning the cult movement through social media last month. Brian Liebman, 23, of Westchester, N.Y., recently sat with U.K.-based The Daily Mail and described the motivation behind founding the religion, whose members believe West is a “divine being sent by God to usher in a new age of humanity.
— The Christian Post

The U.S. Puts ‘Moderate’ Restrictions on Religious Freedom
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This is the first line of the first amendment in the United States Constitution; religious freedom was clearly a legal priority of the men who drafted the Bill of Rights. Yet, 225 years later, the Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project has said the United States places a “moderate” level of restrictions on religious practice compared to the other countries in the world. According to Pew, the U.S. saw a marked increase in hostility toward religion starting in 2009, and this level remained consistent in the following years.
— The Atlantic

Brains, Spirituality, and Depression
Recently a number of heavy-hitting psychiatry journals have published articles about a lower risk of depression in people who are religious or spiritual. The studies have not been without controversy, with an editorial asking: “How does one conceive of measuring such a nebulous topic as religion or spirituality?” And: “Should studies that explore the association of religion or spirituality with health even be fielded and reported in the empirical scientific literature?”
— Psychology Today