Most religious mythologies reflect how various peoples experience the world. Mesopotamia had really bad weather and tribal warfare, so its people tended to portray the gods as deeply chaotic and unreliable. Meanwhile, their Egyptian neighbors had stable weather and an equally stable government. As a result, their gods were largely stable and benevolent as well.
Read MoreWhen a legend invites you to the Big House, you go. The story of how our columnist ended up at a Michigan Wolverines game with basketball coach Garth Pleasant, who won 720 games and four small-college national championships.
Read MoreHere’s the big idea in the podcast: Elite newsrooms allowing reporters to live in the heartland offer opportunities for reporters to interact with voices and points of view that they would not have encountered otherwise. In the end, however, a newsroom is only as diverse as the worldviews and source lists found in the work of its editors and superstars.
Read MoreA new report finds that a majority of Indian American Muslims living in the United States said they have experienced discrimination due to the rise of Hindu nationalism, an ideology that has fostered “an environment of intolerance” in and outside of India. The survey revealed the trend, tying it to the ideology of Hindu nationalism among Indian immigrants.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The nones just aren’t a coherent “thing” like Catholics or evangelicals. They are united by what they are not. They don’t have regular worship services. I think it’s fair to say that there isn’t a dominant worldview among the nonreligious. But now, we can have an unprecedented view into the differences in organized nones versus nones in general.
Read More(OPINION) Ethiopia — with its rich historical heritage and 84 ethnolinguistic groups — faces ongoing challenges despite its democratic aspirations. The nation has struggled with cycles of political violence and persistent poverty, shaped by the 1974 Marxist military revolution and the 1991 rise of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front. Peace remains elusive amid continuing conflicts and economic difficulties.
Read MoreA report issued on Tuesday found that religious beliefs aren’t motivated by politics and that a series of “misconceptions” has left Americans polarized. More in Common, a nonpartisan research organization, released the report where more than 6,000 Americans were polled just two months before the presidential election.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Audience members may walk away from the first two movies in the “X” trilogy believing they’re meant to have picked up on a meaning. Maybe something about purity culture, womanhood or aging; maybe a warning about the perils of chasing stardom. But even the intended message is unclear.
Read MoreThe enduring presence and contribution of Christian schools across India, a majority Hindu nation, highlights their pivotal role in shaping the nation’s educational landscape. Despite facing challenges and opposition, these institutions continue to provide quality education to students from diverse backgrounds. Here's a look at the history of these schools and their enduring legacy to Indian society.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Numerous high-profile sporting stars talk openly about the importance of religion to their careers, including England soccer stars Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka. World heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury credits his Catholic faith with bringing him back from addiction. It is sports, and its “gods” like Fury, that attracts far greater devotion among much of the public.
Read MoreA Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is leaving the Wall Street Journal for the National Catholic Reporter. Why this is a surprise — and why it's not.
Read MoreThis brings us to megastar Taylor Swift and her decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House race, which was the hook for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast. Legions of “Swifties” from in America (and around the world) received this news via Instagram (Swift has 280+ million followers), where her much-anticipated post triggered celebratory mainstream media coverage.
Read MoreA coalition of civil society groups, activists, social media influencers and ordinary citizens launched a multi-faith protest movement earlier this summer against what they described as the #EndBadGovernance to address Nigeria’s rising inflation, unemployment and insecurity. The result has also resulted in an unprecedented cooperation between Christians and Muslims.
Read More(OPINION) Politics are very important. Politics played a role in the abolition of slavery and segregation and in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Conversely, it was because of a political vote that Hitler came into power, resulting in the deaths of multiplied tens of millions of lives.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It was the kind of quote that, when said by the right person under the right conditions, would inspire bold headlines. “Your country ... has families with three, four or five children,” Pope Francis told President Joko Widodo of Indonesia. “Keep it up, you’re an example for everyone, for all the countries that maybe ... these families prefer to have a cat or a little dog instead of a child.”
Read More(REVIEW) “The Front Room” tries to say something important about faith, but its social commentary is too silly to take seriously and the thrills aren’t good enough to be silly fun. In a post-Christian society, it’s inevitable that movies will increasingly find creative ways to reflect and wrestle with this religious change. Hopefully, more of them will do so in a more intelligent (or at least entertaining) way than “The Front Room.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) So let me visualize how the two major parties have diverged on these metrics over the last couple of decades. Let’s start with belief in God, a question that has been included in the General Social Survey with regularity since the early 1990s.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For many Americans, it’s a challenge to focus on much news beyond the raucous national and local political campaigns till November 5. But late this year or early in 2025 we’ll get something completely different and fascinating — a batch of new findings from the Global Flourishing Study. Through 2026, this unprecedented academic project is investigating what factors create human happiness, well-being and life satisfaction in 22 widely varied countries, based upon surveys with 240,000 people.
Read MoreSOF Missions helps veterans who — like retired Air Force Lt. Col. Damon Friedman — struggle with PTSD and other challenges from military service. At the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, many of those who served their country overseas still fight a war at home. “I’m telling you, I was going to become a statistic,” Friedman said.
Read More(OPINION) For men and women alike, choosing to remain childless used to be a decision frowned upon by the larger culture. Now, childlessness is rapidly becoming our culture. Look, I get it. Yet I don’t get it. Having kids might be only a choice, but it’s a choice I can’t imagine having forgone.
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