Some interesting law & religion stories from around the web this week:
- Starting later this year, Dutch bankers will have to swear an oath that they will do their “utmost to maintain and promote confidence in the financial-services industry. So help me God.” The oath is part of a major attempt by regulators and banks to clean up after the financial crisis of 2008
- On Thursday, Belgian lawmakers passed a bill that extends the “right to die” to those under the age of 18, subject to certain strict conditions and consent of parents or guardians
- Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced a new policy aimed at ensuring rights under federal law to same-sex couples
- On Tuesday, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee declared a moratorium on the death penalty, citing concerns about unequal application of justice in determining who is executed
- As part of a settlement offer, Penguin Books India has agreed to withdraw from sale all copies of a book that takes an unorthodox view of Hinduism
- The dispute among United Methodists over the recognition of same-sex couples betrays a deep schism within the church
- The LDS Church may eliminate the one-year waiting period between a civil marriage ceremony and a temple wedding for members in the U.S. and Canada
- Amending a decades-old law, Spain says it will now allow foreign Sephardim Jews who become nationals to keep their original citizenship
- U.N. High Commissioner said “ethnic-religious cleansing” is tearing apart the Central African Republic, and called on the international community to help restore order