“In the first formal declaration of vice and virtue laws in Afghanistan since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban says it is mandatory for Afghan women to conceal their voices and faces in public.”

“The laws were issued Wednesday after they were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, a government spokesman said. The Taliban had set up a ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice” after seizing power in 2021.

“The ministry published its vice and virtue laws on Wednesday that cover aspects of everyday life like public transportation, music, shaving and celebrations.

“They are set out in a 114-page, 35-article document seen by The Associated Press and are the first formal declaration of vice and virtue laws in Afghanistan since the takeover.

“‘Inshallah we assure you that this Islamic law will be of great help in the promotion of virtue and the elimination of vice,’ said ministry spokesman Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq on Thursday.”

“Article 13 relates to women. It says it is mandatory for a woman to veil her body at all times in public and that a face covering is essential to avoid temptation and tempting others. Clothing should not be thin, tight or short.

“Women should veil themselves in front of all male strangers, including Muslims, and in front of all non-Muslims to avoid being corrupted. A woman’s voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public. It is forbidden for women to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.

“Article 17 bans the publication of images of living beings, threatening an already fragile Afghan media landscape.

“Article 19 bans the playing of music, the transportation of solo female travelers, and the mixing of men and women who are not related to each other. The law also obliges passengers and drivers to perform prayers at designated times.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-vice-virtue-laws-women-9626c24d8d5450d52d36356ebff20c83

The Texas Public Schools are proposing requiring the teaching of the Bible as truth, regardless of the religion of the teacher or the students. This is in the public school curriculum proposed for August 2025. Schools will be incentivized with up to $60 per student in additional funding.

In this short video, the Texas Education Commissioner is asked some questions about the curriculum, getting to the heart of the problem.

Example: The 3rd Grade curriculum requires teaching that “Jesus rose from the dead.”

And there is not really any representation of other faith traditions and religions.

This clearly violates the Establishment Clause regarding establishing a religion. So much so, that the bill specifically includes IMMUNITY for teachers for violating the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

Source: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/30/texas-public-schools-religion-curriculum/

Source: https://youtu.be/IiR-VQ-I2kk?si=CUblJYhtKMR2xycn

In 1972, when the GSS first began asking Americans, “What is your religious preference?” 90% identified as Christian and 5% were religiously unaffiliated. In the next two decades, the share of “nones” crept up slowly, reaching 9% in 1993.

“But then disaffiliation started speeding up – in 1996, the share of unaffiliated Americans jumped to 12%, and two years later it was 14%. This growth has continued, and 29% of Americans now tell the GSS they have “no religion.”

“Pew Research Center has been measuring religious identity since 2007 using a slightly different question wording – “What is your present religion, if any?” – as well as a different set of response options. Since 2007, the percentage of adults who say they are atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” in the Center’s surveys has grown from 16% to 29%. During this time, the share of U.S. adults who identify as Christian has fallen from 78% to 63%.

“There are many theories on why disaffiliation sped up so much in the 1990s and how long this trend might continue. For example, some scholars contend that secularization is the result of increasing “existential security” – as societal conditions improve and scientific advances allow people to live longer lives with fewer worries about meeting basic needs, they have less need for religion to cope with insecurity (or so the theory goes).

“Others say that in the U.S., an association of Christianity with conservative politics has driven many liberals away from the faith. Still other theories involve declining trust in religious institutions, clergy scandals, rising rates of religious intermarriage, smaller families, and so on.”

A deeper look and analysis is at the Pew Research website:
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/how-u-s-religious-composition-has-changed-in-recent-decades/