(ANALYSIS) Here’s a religion and politics story from the 2024 election that I hadn’t really thought about until recently: J.D. Vance, Trump’s pick for vice president, converted to Catholicism in 2019.
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(REVIEW) “Shadow of God” is stuck between several different possible movies and doesn’t commit to any of them effectively. It could have been an entertainingly self-aware exorcism movie, but it has too few scenes where it embraces that winking glee for the cliches. It could have subverted the cliches with its own original ideas. Even if its ideas weren’t original it could have made up for it with thoughtful and nuanced dialogue to explore familiar ground.
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(ANALYSIS) Truth is, many parishes in Europe are growing. But others are dying. As one theologian noted in a 1969 German radio interview, Catholicism was entering a time of painful decline in the modern world. But that was not the end of the story. Easter follows Good Friday.
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(ANALYSIS) As a medievalist, I appreciate Francis’ contrasting approach: A religious leader who embraces history and scholarship, and encourages others to do the same — even as book bans and threats to academic freedom mount.
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While we were recording the podcast this week, I told Lutheran Public Radio listeners that I was well aware that much of the information I was sharing was rather complex, if not downright confusing. That was kind of the point. When it comes to statistical trends in religion, we live in a very, very confusing age.
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(ANALYSIS) If she were still alive, March 25 would mark Flannery O’Connor’s 100th birthday. This milestone invites us to explore the many ways in which her Catholic faith shaped her literary genius. O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, where Protestantism was the norm. Her decision to follow Catholicism wasn’t just a personal faith choice, but a key part of her identity and a driving force in her writing.
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(ANALYSIS) The recent trends of religious conversion have not rattled Kosovo’s politicians. Kosovo has been long seeking membership into the European Union, selling itself to the world as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious place. These conversions are building a political premise for them to prove that Kosovo is closer to Europe by trying to establish Catholicism as central to their identity given Europe’s strained relationship with Islam.
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(ANALYSIS) One of the most impactful cultural changes in 21st-century America has been the steady decline in Christian vitality, as measured by membership, baptisms versus funerals, worship attendance, practices, and perceptions. Two major new social science surveys suggest that this decline may have bottomed out — though statistics about secularizing youth give believers ample reason to worry about the future.
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When a pope is ill, resigns or passes away, who steps in? And who else helps lead the Holy See?
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(REVIEW) “Daredevil: Born Again” picks up years after the original show ended and a year after blind lawyer Matt Murdock stopped his activities as the masked vigilante "Daredevil" due to a tragic incident. Murdock continues his fight for justice as a lawyer while former crime boss Wilson Fisk is elected mayor of New York, putting the pair on a collision course. Some of the magic is definitely back.
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An original aspect of “Believe” is Douthat’s suggestions about how to pick a path among so many faith options. He proposes that quests focus on tried-and-true religions that attract the most adherents, in order of size, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism. (Judaism, far smaller, broadly fits the Christian outlook). That’s a notably open-minded approach coming from Zondervan, an evangelical publisher.
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(ANALYSIS) Easily the biggest religious controversy at this year’s Academy Awards is with the movie “Conclave.” The film, based on the best-selling novel by Robert Harris and starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow, follows a cardinal named Lawrence who’s been tasked with running the selection of a new pope. But Lawrence’s faith is challenged when he uncovers secrets at the Vatican.
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(ANALYSIS) With the transgender policies among President Trump’s blizzard of new executive orders, further explanation is needed on the cultural reality of deep-seated religious concepts. In particular, the resolutely “binary” Bible depicts humans as either male or female and underlies 2,000 years of Jewish and Christian teaching. Similarly with the Quran and Muslims. How should that heritage affect secular society and policy?
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In an era of secularism, where discussions often center around the decline of religious belief, going on a pilgrimage may seem outdated. However, the reality is quite the opposite. The appeal of religious tourism attracts people of all ages. As many make plans for the coming summer, this type of tourism has become big business in a post-pandemic world.
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(ANALYSIS) The news cycle hasn’t been kind to “Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.” The film made headlines as the lowest-grossing (and worst-reviewed) entry in the Peter Jackson series. The film made $5 million on its opening weekend, finishing fifth at the box office and earning a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. But none of it really matters because the point of this movie was never this movie. Let me explain.
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(ANALYSIS) Year after year, Juan Diego's tilma is viewed by an estimated 20 million pilgrims, with more than 10 million visiting the basilica close to Dec. 12 — the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico and the Americas. Around the world, throngs march in parades and sacred processions behind copies of this iconic Marian image.
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(ANALYSIS) As a Catholic philosopher and avid student of Thomas Aquinas, I am always fielding questions about whether this medieval saint is “still worth” reading today, nearly 800 years after his birth. Aquinas is a giant of Western philosophy and theology. As a Catholic philosopher and avid student of Aquinas, I am always fielding questions about whether this saint is “still worth” reading today.
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(ANALYSIS) Few questions have intrigued humanity more than the mystery of free will. Are we truly in control of our lives or are we following a script written by something greater? The debate over free will has raged for centuries, touching philosophy, science and religion. Which brings us to another age-old question: Can a belief in free will coexist with religious doctrine?
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“He loved them to the end.” While this Biblical verse found in John 13:1 is in reference to Jesus, it also sums up the life of John Bradburne, the British-born missionary martyred in Zimbabwe more than four decades ago that many are hopeful will become the country’s first Catholic saint.
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(REVIEW) “Conclave,” the fictional thriller that outlines the Catholic process of selecting a new pope, does the audience the service of stating its intended message outright. In a controversial homily that begins the proceedings, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence declares that “certainty is the great enemy of unity.” The movie also goes on to demonstrate that lesson in a variety of ways, as conspiracy abounds and tension grows.
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