Category: religious freedom

Colorado Graphic Designer Fears for Her Life as Freedom of Speech Case Heads to Supreme Court

Lorie Smith left the corporate world in 2012 to form her own website design firm, 303 Creative, which soon flourished. But in 2016 she was asked to create a design conveying a same-sex marriage message that flatly violated her deeply held Christian faith. Smith declined to do so and when it became clear a Colorado…


4,000 Join New York City Parade Marking 30 Years Since Introduction of Falun Gong

NEW YORK—Around this time every year, thousands from New York and around the world would flood some of Manhattan’s busiest streets to celebrate a day they hold dear to their hearts. And this year is no exception. Although the pandemic has cut down travel, around 4,000 Falun Gong adherents from New York and elsewhere gathered…


Over 100 Canadian Officials Send Greetings, Issue Proclamations in Celebration of Falun Dafa’s 30th Anniversary

Over 100 Canadian officials, including federal and provincial parliamentarians as well as mayors and councillors, sent greetings or issued proclamations in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Falun Dafa this week. A total of 34 MPs from the Liberal, Conservative, and Green parties sent well-wishes to adherents of Falun Dafa via the Falun Dafa Association…


30 Years of Falun Gong: Adherents Find Inner Peace, Moral Uplift Through Spiritual Practice

It was November 2020, nine months after 24-year-old Carolina Avendano began living by herself, and eight months after her city Calgary, Canada, entered into a lockdown that shut schools and most businesses. She was utterly alone. The pandemic restrictions meant she couldn’t visit her sister despite living in the same city. The prolonged isolation had…


A 30 Year Revival of Traditional Culture: Falun Gong Adherents See Moral Uplift Through Spiritual Practice

It was November 2020, nine months after 24-year-old Carolina Avendano began living by herself, and eight months after her city Calgary, Canada, entered into a lockdown that shut schools and most businesses. She was utterly alone. The pandemic restrictions meant she couldn’t visit her sister despite living in the same city. The prolonged isolation had…


Falun Gong Adherents See Moral Uplift Through Spiritual Practice

It was November 2020, nine months after 24-year-old Carolina Avendano began living by herself, and eight months after her city Calgary, Canada, entered into a lockdown that shut schools and most businesses. She was utterly alone. The pandemic restrictions meant she couldn’t visit her sister despite living in the same city. The prolonged isolation had…


Hong Kong Police Arrest 90-Year-Old Cardinal Joseph Zen Under National Security Law

Hong Kong police on May 11 arrested 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen, along with four other pro-democracy figures allegedly linked to a fund supporting Hong Kong protesters, according to local media reports. The arrests were made under a draconian Beijing-imposed national security law used to quash dissent in the city. Hong Kong National Security Police Unit…


Is Australia Pointing a Sword at Religious Freedom With ‘Disinformation’ Laws

Commentary In Australia, announced government laws to police “disinformation” on the internet are so expansive that they threaten religious freedom. Regulatory powers that are proposed to be given to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) give the power to compel the removal of “harmful” speech from the internet. The extension of such powers is a…


Hundreds of New Yorkers Brave Rain to Mark World Falun Dafa Day

NEW YORK—The soaking rain and bitter wind would have been enough reason for anyone to stay indoors, but not for the hundreds who steadily held up at lower Manhattan’s Foley Square since the morning of May 7. They had a special reason for being there, with a message of health, hope, and resilience to share….


Chinese Embassy Pressures Local Officials to Block Shen Yun Performances in Mexico

A New York-based performing arts company whose mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture on the world stage has continued to find itself the target of the regime’s long-arm interference campaign. Over the years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has orchestrated a range of ploys in a bid to thwart or sabotage the annual world…