Hundreds of Christians from various churches in South Africa came together recently to march to Union Building, the seat of the national government, to protest the establishment of a statutory regulatory body that they say is a violation of their right to freedom of religion. It came after the government passed a law regulating the activities of churches.
Read MoreIt’s been occupied twice by military forces; it’s been expanded to house Franciscan friars, and these days, it’s part museum, part sacred space. The Church of San Francisco’s building tells the history of its host city, La Paz. Founded in 1549, the church is best known by the name of the founder of the Franciscans, which was one of the first orders to arrive with the Spanish conquerors.
Read MoreLa Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, fundados en el siglo XVI, son un símbolo fundamental de la identidad paceña. Reconstruida tras el colapso de su primera estructura, la actual iglesia barroca mestiza se erigió entre 1743 y 1800. A lo largo de la historia, el complejo fue ocupado por fuerzas independentistas y remodelado varias veces, siendo declarado monumento nacional en 1967.
Read More(OPINION) Among humanity, the opportunities for offense are endless. But if you don’t want to get trapped in this habit of spreading bile, you don’t have to. Pastor Paul Prather gives practical tips to have more peaceful, loving relationships.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In the most talked-about film from the final year of the 20th century, “The Matrix,” a computer hacker named Neo finds that the world he lives and works in isn’t real. It’s a virtual reality, created by artificial intelligence.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Every fall I anticipate the winter holidays with almost childlike joy. I look forward to familiar traditions with friends and family, eggnog in my coffee, and the sense that everyone is feeling a little lighter and more connected.
Read MoreIn the early 1960s, Ron Bever paid 50 cents — roughly $5.34 in today’s dollars — for an old religious book at an estate sale. A rare books enthusiast, even Bever didn’t realize at first what a treasure he’d acquired.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It would be a mistake to assume that everyone in these movements adheres to one viewpoint, or is interested only in stopping abortion. In reality, there are many motivations that lead to people using the phrase “pro-life.” When reporters asked Pope Leo, he said, “It’s important to look at many issues that are related to the teachings of the church.”
Read MoreThe United States Mint pressed its final penny — ending more than two centuries of production for the humble one cent coin that also bore one of the country’s most enduring spiritual mottos: “In God We Trust.” The decision closes a chapter of American history in which faith, national identity and economics mixed on a copper surface.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Trying to combine Christian faith with serious rock music created a dilemma when Keaggy entered what record-industry pros have long called CCM — Contemporary Christian Music. Most of his over 55 albums were first sold in Christian bookstores instead of mainstream music chains.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Around me, bodies pressed together. Sweat mixed with tears as the chant intensified: “Allah ... Allah ...” What I experienced that evening mirrors a broader phenomenon in Morocco: Some young, educated urbanites are returning to Sufism, Islam's mystical tradition, seeking spiritual depth in an age of digital distraction and ideological exhaustion.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Oversight Board, a body making precedent-setting content moderation decisions on the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads, issued a decision calling on Meta to mitigate information asymmetries in armed conflicts. The Oversight Board is a body examining whether Meta’s decisions are in line with its policies, values and human rights commitments.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Some cannabis proponents baptize modern drug culture in ancient authority. This isn’t the first effort to combine cannabis with Christianity — and it won’t be the last. Proverbs warns again and again: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler.” And Ephesians drives the point home: “Do not get drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Trump recently designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act. Like most of his acts, this ignited major controversy, much of it reflecting longstanding and now renewed disputes about what is really happening in that country.
Read MoreIn the last decade, more than a dozen coups have shaken West Africa and the Sahel. Amid this turmoil, religious leaders are emerging as stabilizers who are guiding dialogue and providing a moral compass in societies caught between soldiers and fractured civilian states.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In recent years, litigation on certain types of religious freedom lawsuits have been practically run of the mill: prayer on school premises, for example, and government funding for students at faith-based schools.
Read MoreTwo soccer teams — each comprised of eight Muslims and eight Christians — faced off as a mixed crowd cheered. Only months earlier, 52 people were killed in yet another religious massacre nearby. Some of the players on the field had lost relatives in that attack. Yet, they chose sports over revenge.
Read More(ANALYSIS) My assumption was that religious folks — especially those from more conservative backgrounds — wouldn’t feel very positively about tattoos. But it’s also clear that the overall stigma around tattoos has faded tremendously over the last couple of decades.
Read MoreWhen other boys his age were trading Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards, Eric Lavin was collecting saints’ relics. In seventh grade, Lavin began writing to other dioceses to request relics, and now, more than 16 years later, Lavin has grown one New Jersey church’s collection from 20 to more than 600 relics.
Read MoreThe bottom line: There have been important, newsworthy trends taking place on the “religious left” as well as the “secular left.”
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