Specter of censorship

National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), an association of Christian media organizations, announced May 18 it had joined a lawsuit seeking to block a new California social media law. The law, AB 587, signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last September, requires social media companies to publish their policies for removing objectionable speech. But the plaintiffs worry it could cause social media censorship.

The law says social media companies like Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) and Twitter must disclose their methods of removing “hate speech,” “disinformation,” “extremism,” and other related violations of their terms of service. NRB argues the law infringes on First Amendment free speech rights because Christian beliefs, particularly about gender and sexuality, are increasingly censored as hateful or extremist. NRB worries the law could restrict its members’ speech and force them to “become agents of the state for First Amendment suppression.”

Christian humor site The Babylon Bee, along with podcaster Tim Pool and Minds Inc., are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Faith inside the Fortune 500

Intel is the most faith-friendly Fortune 500 company, according to this year’s Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Index. The index, released May 22 by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, ranks companies based on 10 different categories, including whether they offer religious accommodations or spiritual care for employees and whether they address religion in training. Intel received a perfect score, followed closely behind by American Airlines and Equinix.

Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, told Religion News Service that Fortune 500 companies are warming to the idea that faith in the workplace is an asset, not a threat—a contrast to attitudes in previous years. His organization’s yearly conference drew only five companies in 2016. But the 2023 conference boasts leaders from over 25 top companies, including Dell, Ford, and Google. —E.R.

Skepticism eroding in Britain?

A study released last month by the World Values Survey found that in the largely irreligious United Kingdom, Generation Z and millennials are surprisingly more likely to believe in hell than older generations. Thirty-two percent of survey respondents under about age 40 expressed belief in hell, compared with 18 percent of baby boomers. Younger people were also more likely to believe in life after death. —E.R.