Welcome back to Faithful Friday! This week we've done something a bit unusual and have gathered several stories about the irreligious, rather than the faithful. Follow below to read about the rising number of atheist politicians, the blow dealt to lawmakers concerned with religious law by Obergefell v. Hodges, and the impact of "nones" (the religiously unaffiliated) on the modern Republican Party of the United States. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

As a general rule, atheist politicians are more or less invisible in public. But could that be changing? According to a recent poll 58% of Americans say they would consider voting for an atheist candidate and the trend skews younger, suggesting popular support for atheist candidates will only rise further. RNS has more after the link.

This week Pope Francis visited South America, his home continent, a move meant to reaffirm the connections between the Catholic Church and the peoples of Latin America, who generally hold favorable views of the Pope. But not everyone was happy about the visit and practitioners of indigenous magic were particularly tense, as The Huffington Post explains.

The recent decision by the Supreme Court to recognize same-sex marriage throughout the entire United States has had an impact in many ways. But what are its ramifications for attempts to drive policy from a religious standpoint? Religion & Politics takes a look at what they're calling "the end of religious lawmaking."

When you think of a Buddhist monk, typically you likely imagine a nonviolent, friendly, and inoffensive man devoted to peace and serenity. But is that image always accurate? This article from The Washington Post examines the case of Ashin Wirathu, a Burmese monk who is accused of inciting much of the ethno-religious violence and persecution against Burma's Rohingya minority.

One of the most swiftly growing religious groups in the United States are the so-called "nones," people who claim no religious affiliation at all (including atheism). Generally unconcerned with or even repelled by religious labels the nones have the potential to become a major force in American culture. So what does that mean for the religious right (or even the left for that matter)? NPR discusses.

Top image by BDEngler