(ESSAY) Beliefs and expectations shape our reality. Maybe nothing really spooky happened to either of us. We were just trying to explain the world with what we knew. For both of us, that knowledge was informed by Taiwanese culture, religion and superstition. Our reactions told us something about the world around us — but maybe even more so, they said something about ourselves.
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a planned Pentagon livestream of the execution of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan illustrates the competing pressures that can shape his approach to controversial questions of punishment, national security and public morality. Although Trump supported broadcasting the execution, he reversed course after widespread criticism.
Read MoreWell over half, 58 percent, of white evangelical Protestants said they approve of Trump’s job performance, with 40 percent voicing disapproval. But Trump’s approval has fallen among white evangelical Protestants since his term began, when 78 percent approved.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For hundreds of years, people from different religious traditions across South Asia have retold the “Ramayana” through dramas, narrative poems, shadow puppet plays, pageants, folk songs, comics, television shows and many other mediums. Director Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming “Ramayana” film is the latest retelling of this epic tradition.
Read More(REVIEW) “Fjord” explores the tensions between religious freedom and secular society through the story of a Romanian Christian family facing accusations of child abuse in Norway. With nuanced storytelling and stark cinematography, the film challenges viewers on tolerance, cultural conflict and competing moral values without offering easy answers or choosing sides outright.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With barely two weeks remaining before Israel’s Oct. 27 election, the country has been consumed by an extraordinary confrontation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior former aides over what he knew before the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, what he did with that knowledge and whether his office subsequently sought to rewrite the historical record.
Read MoreLong before scientists began tracking ocean temperatures with satellites, buoys and computer models, fishermen along the Pacific coast as far back as the 1600s were watching the seas for signs of change. They noticed that every few years, waters that were normally cool would become unusually warm.
Read MoreA Lifeway Research study found 93% of U.S. Protestant pastors say they don’t plan to endorse candidates for public office during a worship service, despite the IRS saying it will allow churches to do so without losing their tax-exempt status.
Read MorePope Leo XIV underwent surgery on Tuesday in Rome that confirmed he has lung cancer. Doctor’s removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung after tests confirmed the diagnosis. A Vatican statement made no mention of treatment going forward. The Vatican, however, said doctors were not currently speaking of chemotherapy or other therapies.
Read MoreDefying all odds, the man who has done arguably the most convincing work in proving the scientific viability of reincarnation was an American psychiatrist who died in 2007. On this week’s podcast: A look back at the life and work of Dr. Ian Stevenson.
Read MoreLeaders across the religious spectrum have condemned U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, warning that the decision risks turning state-sanctioned killing into public entertainment.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It’s a fact that surprises people who don't follow the data and history very closely: Throughout the 1990s and even in the 2000 presidential election, a majority of Muslim Americans voted Republican. But now, most lean Democrat. Can the Democrats hold on to their new base in the 2026 elections?
Read More(ANALYSIS) In those texts, the conquest and colonization of the Western Hemisphere were inseparable from religious conversion. His actions echoed in subsequent generations, evident in other Europeans’ efforts to spread Christianity in the Americas.
Read MoreThe Houthis are both an armed political movement and a governing authority in parts of Yemen, as well as an organization designated as terrorist by the United States. Understanding these different dimensions is essential to assessing the movement and its impact on the Middle East. This weekend’s attack on Saudi Arabia sheds a spotlight on the militant group terrorizing the region.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pope Leo XIV has spent his papacy carrying the enormous responsibilities of leading the Catholic Church, addressing a world troubled by conflict and division and offering spiritual guidance to millions of faithful. The 71-year-old pontiff now faces a personal challenge: Surgery to remove a small nodule discovered in his lung.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Perhaps the most famous religious fraud of the 20th century was the Jim and Tammy Bakker/PTL scandal. The PTL (“Praise The Lord”) scandal, though it happened more than 50 years ago, has become emblematic of faith-based fraud, and no discussion of the subject is complete without an examination of what happened in the Bible Belt city of Charlotte.
Read MoreLegislation introduced in the Senate could allow students pursuing theological training for a religious vocation to receive federal tuition assistance. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) filed the Religious Education Fairness Act.
Read MoreParents struggling with abusive and rebellious children are finding hope through “Rising Stars Generations,” a South African Christian camp founded by Prince Motlou. Grounded in Bible-based teaching and military-style discipline, the camp aims to restore respect, strengthen families and steer troubled youth away from crime, drugs and violence.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Two scholars decided to make a pilgrimage along the Kumano Kodō trail — an ancient route in Japan connecting Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples — guided by an artificial intelligence assistant. The two — Wayne E. Arnold and John A. Shultz — trained an AI companion to suit their travel needs. They were also curious to see how AI would shape their pilgrimage experience.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Whenever you think about the very largest churches in the United States, what denominations come to mind? I think that most of you, if you’ve been following along with this newsletter for any amount of time, would think of non-denominationalism. Maybe a Southern Baptist church. And the data says that this is largely the case.
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