Episode Details

It’s Tuesday, September 8th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)

By Kevin Swanson, Timothy Reed, and Adam McManus

New Pakistani law prohibits marriage to girls under 18

The Lahore High Court in Pakistan has ruled that anybody living in a marital relationship with a girl under 18 will constitute child abuse even if the minor offers so-called “consent.”

The ruling is intended to protect minority girls, especially Christians, from forced religious conversions and sexual abuse in forced marriages to Muslim men.

The decision comes after the passage of the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026. This is a welcome decision after court proceedings with Maria Shahbaz — a 13-year-old Christian girl who was kidnapped in Lahore a year ago, and was forcibly married to a 30-year-old Muslim man. 

According to Open Doors, Pakistan is the 8th most dangerous country worldwide for Christians.

Orthodox U.S. Jew harassed for hosting prayer group in home

Here in the United States there’s another religious persecution case.

Back in 2021, Daniel Grand, an Orthodox Jewish homeowner in Cleveland, Ohio, emailed a group of friends, inviting them to his home on Saturdays for prayer.

Apparently, he didn’t want to walk to the local synagogue since Orthodox Jews are not allowed to drive on the Sabbath. Somehow Daniel's email made it to a city official, and he was told to “cease and desist,” unless he first obtained a “special use permit.” The city officials dubbed his home “an illegal synagogue.” Thankfully, Alliance Defending Freedom has taken up the case.

Incredibly, the attorneys noted that, according to the city, “The only way for Daniel Grand to pray with friends at his home [is] to convert his home to a commercial space and move his family.”

Conservative German party won 44 percent of seats in local election

The Alternative for Germany Party won 44 percent of the seats in their local election in the state of Saxony-Anholt over the weekend, reports CBS News. That’s the first time a nationalist, anti-immigration party has gained this much political ground since World War II.