(ANALYSIS) As a scholar of global Islam, I teach an introduction to Islam course and include a discussion about Al-Aqsa as part of the syllabus. That’s because Al-Aqsa has deep religious significance for Muslims around the world. But it is also important to highlight its remarkable political relevance for Palestinians.
Read More(REVIEW) Now, Angel Studios is trying to stake its claim in the documentary space with this year’s “After Death” and its upcoming adaptation of the book “Live Not By Lies.” “After Death” is a rewarding — if imperfect — exploration of near-death experiences for the faithful and the curious, and a hopeful step forward for faith-based documentaries.
Read MorePope Francis led a prayer vigil at the Vatican to recall the plight of migrants and refugees, saying everyone is “called to be neighbors.” The service took place during the Synod on Synodality, a gathering of bishops and laypeople, and comes as large numbers of people have been forced to flee the Global South to places like the U.S. and Europe.
Read MoreThe heated discourse about the deadly rocket explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza is rooted in the centuries-old religious hatred underlying the current war in Gaza. Immediately after the blast, journalists accepted Hamas’ account blaming the Israel Defense Forces for the deadly attack.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Particularly in the West, people tend to think about religion in terms of belief in a higher power, such as God. For many nones, however, spirituality does not need a god or the supernatural to address questions of purpose, meaning, belonging and well-being. While abandoning mainstream religious affiliation, many turn to alternative expressions, including secular, atheist and psychedelic churches.
Read More(OPINION) The most urgent action needed is the return of the hostages and the provision of assistance to all those affected. It is also crucial to protect civilians from further harm. Furthermore, justice and accountability are key. This raises the question in relation to the involvement of the International Criminal Court.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Many in the media continue to get this story wrong. For many, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is treated like a political story. It was a story about land. It was about colonization. It was about human rights. It may be about all those things, depending on whom you ask, but it’s also a story about Jews, Muslims and sacred sites in the Holy Lands. In other words, it’s a religion story.
Read More(OPINION) During the 1990s, legions of kids could quote chapter and verse from “The X-Files,” the adventures of FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Scully was the skeptic who put her faith in science, while Mulder plunged headfirst into the supernatural. But in one case, Scully experienced mysterious visions that helped her save a life. Stunned, she returned to church. Confessing to a priest, she asked why she witnessed a miracle but her partner did not.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What with Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine raging unabated and now Israel’s retaliation after extensive Hamas terror attacks from Gaza, it’s understandable that journalists, their audiences and politicians have paid little attention to a massive ongoing humanitarian crisis in interior Asia, where Western media lack observers on the ground.
Read MoreNetivyah serves a network of Messianic Jewish congregations, one of which lost the son of its minister in the fighting, said Joseph Shulam, Netivyah’s founder. In a video posted from Nashville, Shulam and his son, Barry, asked for prayers and for support. In addition to its feeding programs and “Houses for Healing,” Netivyah supplies Israeli soldiers with headlamps, cell phone chargers and utility kits.
Read More(OPINION) The savagery of Hamas terrorists this past week stands in sharp contrast to the snowflakes at Harvard.
Read MoreThe Palestinian community that lives just outside of Chicago remains in mourning a day after a funeral service was held for 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume. Crowds gathered in Bridgeview — home to a large Palestinian community — to say goodbye to the boy killed in what authorities have called a hate crime fueled by the Israel-Hamas war.
Read More(OPINION) As an artist and as a person of faith, Clara Maria Goldstein is difficult to pigeonhole. Raised as a Roman Catholic in her native Nicaragua, she moved to the United States with a 1 year-old daughter, Alejandra, in the 1980s at age 21.
Read More(OPINION) In the midst of the horrors of the last week, it’s important to remember that Hamas has never wanted peace with Israel. Instead, the express goal of Hamas since its inception was the destruction of Israel. As stated in its first charter, published in 1988, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” It was — and is — the mission of Hamas to obliterate Israel, not make peace with Israel.
Read MoreHaving weathered the pandemic, during which no tourists were admitted to Israel, the Custodians of the Holy Land now face the grim challenge of administering to their flock during the current war in Gaza. Once again, Christian pilgrims cannot reach or visit holy sites. Formerly crowded with pilgrims, churches remain open for now — but largely empty.
Read MoreAs Israeli forces mount a ground invasion of Gaza following last week’s Hamas attack on thousands of civilians, Christians across the Holy Land called for both sides to “de-escalate this war” and end this “new cycle of violence.” Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant leaders said the violence following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 8 that killed 1,300 Israelis should come to an end.
Read More(REVIEW) It’s deeply fitting and gratifying that the Catholic director’s career-long struggle with God would lead to possibly his best and most Christian film to date. Hopefully his work will inspire others to wrestle with God and imagine the world as well as he does.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I wanted to explore that gender gap on marriage a bit. But also I wanted to see how all of that related back to religion. I think it goes without saying that lots of people have found their current spouse at a house of worship. But is being single driving women further away from religion than unmarried men? These are questions worth some analysis and reflection.
Read More(OPINION) Is Ukraine a “just war”? The good news for Russia’s Vladimir Putin: A significant national leader announces that his invasion of Ukraine is a “just fight” that will end with “a great victory in the sacred struggle.” The bad news: The speaker is North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, so what’s “just” is defined by probably the most despised despot on the planet and what’s “sacred” by an atheist who works to exterminate all religion.
Read MoreSurvivalist and author Bear Grylls got baptized in the Jordan River, he posted on social media this Monday. “It had always been a dream of mine to get in the water that Jesus was baptized in by my hero John the Baptist,” the 49-year-old shared on X, formerly Twitter.
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