(ANALYSIS) Sadly, France has barred its athletes from wearing a hijab while taking part in the Paris-based Olympic and Para-Olympic games. In so doing it continues its radical campaign to ban religion from anything other than the most private matters. This ban does not apply to athletes from other countries, and many women participants from the Muslim world will have still their heads covered, even though their own country, unlike France, might not require it.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Wednesday marked the fourth time that Prime Minister Netanyahu has addressed a joint session of Congress, the most of any world leader in history. His staunchest critics have claimed that the real reason for his visit to the States was “to enlist domestic American support to keep waging the war” rather than to end the war and bring home the hostages.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Mamaw was a lifelong Democrat who distrusted organized religion, including “holy rollers” and snake handlers, cursed like a sailor and, when she died, her house contained 19 loaded handguns. But the soft heart and steel spine of the family’s “hillbilly terminator” provided stability when needed.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On the morning of Aug. 3, 2014, the Islamic State group launched a ruthless and swift campaign in Sinjar, in northwestern Iraq. The target was Yezidis: a monotheistic religious group whose members have long been persecuted. What explains the ferocity of this genocidal campaign?
Read More(ANALYSIS) The first question battery was focused on the family circumstances of those who were currently nonreligious. I wanted to break this down by age to see if younger nones were more likely to be raised in a nonreligious household compared to older nones.
Read MoreDespite endless efforts to unite Muslims, the UMSC has continued to grapple with political interference and internal power struggles. In the years following the overthrow of Amin, the UMSC faced intense persecution and violence with many senior leaders who had supported Amin going into hiding or fleeing into exile. The roots of these internal conflicts trace back to the very foundation of UMSC.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Spirituality and religion, while often overlapping, have distinct differences. Spirituality is primarily about an individual's personal connection to a higher power, the universe or a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life. It is flexible and subjective, allowing for a wide range of beliefs and practices tailored to personal needs and experiences. In contrast, religion typically involves organized institutions with established doctrines.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As a specialist in medieval Christianity, I know that Catholic views on the morality of killing have evolved over time. And while Christianity eventually came to defend the idea of warfare for self-defense and the common good, it has also emphasized the value of forgiveness of enemies.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Sixty-five years ago, Billie Holiday died. The 44-year-old singer arrived after being turned away from a nearby charity hospital on evidence of drug use, then lay for hours on a stretcher in the hallway, unrecognized and unattended. Her estate amounted to 70 cents in the bank. Today, Holiday is revered as one of the most influential musical artists of all time.
Read MoreDoes God Almighty want President Joe Biden to exit the race? Does God Almighty want a second term for former President Donald Trump? America’s presidential candidates keep invoking a higher power in the 2024 campaign.
Read MoreI don’t have solid poll data backing me up on the following. But, in my experience, if you walked up to lots of church-going, scripture-quoting evangelical Protestants and Pentecostals and said you were trying to think of a Bible verse defined by “6:11” many, if not most, would immediately say, “You mean Ephesians 6:11?”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Republican Jews at their party’s national convention this week describe their enthusiasm for Trump as more robust than it has ever been. “Trump is not only going to unite America, he’s going to bring together Jews in the Republican Party in a way that has never happened before,” Florida’s Paul Packer said.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On June 26, Trial Chamber X of the International Criminal Court (ICC), by a majority, convicted Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud (Al Hassan), a Malian Islamist militant, of some of the charges brought against him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between April 2, 2012, and Jan. 29, 2013.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Carl Gustav Jung’s exploration of UFOs as modern myths reveals his deep commitment to understanding the human psyche in all its complexity. By examining how these phenomena mirrored religious experiences and served similar psychological functions, Jung provided a framework for interpreting the inexplicable within the context of human consciousness.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The lavish over-use of capital letters in the 2024 Republican Party platform, set for approval at this week’s Milwaukee convention, demonstrates that this is wholly a Donald Trump production. So does the Trumpublicans’ softened stance on abortion, which has dominated the news coverage.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With politicians from both Labour and Conservative parties visiting Hindu temples and endorsing Hindu manifesto prepared by divisive Hindutva forces, the question is, has the Hindutva identity now intensified in the U.K.? And the bigger question is, will these elected members of Parliament who endorsed the document now allow sectarianism to flourish?
Read More(ANALYSIS) I am in Iran. The president has died. And they think I did it. Or at least that is what it felt like on the evening of May 20, when news came that Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter was forced to make a “hard landing” in the rugged mountains near Tabriz.
Read MoreDuring this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, host Todd Wilken and I discussed whether these trends might have something to do with the contents of a recent New York Times news feature.
Read MoreWhile religion in public schools keeps making national headlines, “released time” Bible classes are less well known. But they, too, have gained legislative attention in several states recently.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the sporting world and fans await the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Paralympic Games, eight Catholic dioceses in Greater Paris have already ignited their own Olympic flame by organizing the “Holy Games.” The project is a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Paris and the French Bishops Conference.
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