In China, people celebrate Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, but there are at least three holidays and cultural traditions centered on romantic love. A figure that ties together these other holidays is the Old Man Under the Moon — Yuexia Laoren in Mandarin, or Yuelao for short — who is believed to be a divine matchmaker.
Read More(ANALYSIS) If punk music is about being countercultural, then religious punk is, perhaps, the most punk of all. In an increasingly secular world, to deviate from secularism is to embrace the outcast mentality. The rebels of today, it seems, are those pitting themselves against a purely material reality.
Read MoreValentine’s Day often revives attention on romantic themes in literature. Stories are cited in media with the aim of helping people navigate the demands of the human heart on a day that has become intimately associated with romantic love. One literary tradition rarely highlighted is that of Hindu “bhakti” or ecstatic devotion, which birthed some of the most stirring mystical poetry composed in the world.
Read MoreAuthorities said a woman opened fire with an AR-15 on celebrity televangelist Joel Osteen’s Texas megachurch — one of the largest in the country — before two-off duty police officers shot and killed the suspect. The officers’ actions, police said, averted what could have been a bigger tragedy.
Read MoreHere’s another matter seemingly unrelated to religion. Why care about a pending bill in Congress deals with electromagnetic fields in hybrid and electric vehicles?
Read More(OPINION) Few issues in religion have been as remarked upon and puzzled over lately as the rapid rise of “nones,” those who claim no religious affiliation. I’ve written about this before, I realize, but it’s a news story that just keeps developing.
Read MoreForget celebrating Valentines Day with cards, red roses and chocolates, the eastern English country of Norfolk has a very different custom dating back centuries. This mysterious, sometimes mischievous, character placed little gifts on doorsteps, knocked and then disappeared before the door was opened. Enter Jack Valentine.
Read More(REVIEW) The series deserves applause for dealing with difficult social and theological topics and for the ways it gets them right. But its agonizing repetitiveness and its social and theological missteps need to be noted as well so that we make sure we can actually solve the problems it is so eager to critique.
Read MoreThis month, a troupe of these pro-Trump “prophets” are headlining seven election-year live events called FlashPoint LIVE to spread the above gospel and “rescue America,” according to ads for the tour. The personalities and themes of the tour are borrowed from “FlashPoint,” a Christian current-events program that appears on the VICTORY television channel, owned by controversial Texas televangelist Kenneth Copeland.
Read MoreA modern farming campaign launched six years ago by the Anglican Church of Uganda to transform lives affected by the the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda has started paying off. As a result, farmers have received quality seeds and hybrid animals such as pigs and cattle to rear.
Read MoreAmong China’s traditional holidays and celebrations, none ranks higher in importance than the Lunar New Year (農曆新年). Also known as the Spring Festival (春節), or simply Chinese New Year, it marks the beginning of the year according to the traditional lunar calendar.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Armenian quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City is facing its biggest crisis in a long time. A Jewish businessman with connections to the radical settler movement is poised to develop a quarter of the neighborhood’s territory, with plans to build a luxury hotel. If this goes ahead, it will significantly change part of the Old City.
Read MoreAhead of the Super Bowl, this week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the rise of sports betting and people of faith’s stance on it. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreIt was a New York Times headline that created tremors online: “As Kids, They Thought They Were Trans. They No Longer Do.” But here’s the question that was at the heart of this week’s “Crossroads” podcast: Why was this Pamela Paul essay in the opinion section, as opposed to being a hard-news report out front?
Read MoreInspired by a variety of religious and mystical traditions, the artist Marina Abramović has spent the last 50 years pushing her body and mind to their limits in performances that have captivated audiences around the world. This spring, one of the largest retrospectives of the artist’s work opens at The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Read MoreSuper Bowl ads are not all secular. Religious organizations have often used the annual big game as a platform to spread their message. On other occasions, religious themes have been used in a funny way to sell products. Here’s a closer look at five that stood out.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What’s important to grasp off the bat is his immense importance as a public figure, as theartistic representative of the post-conciliar, Novus Ordo regime. His images are the gold standard for “iconic,” officially promoted, VaticanTwoist aesthetics. As such he is a celebrity in the NovusOrdoist world.
Read MoreAn alliance of civil organizations — known as the “Team BBM 2022 Coalition” — has rebranded in recent weeks into what’s known as the BLESSED Movement. Known by its acronym BLESSED under the leadership of Chairman Herbert Antonio Martinez, this group has transcended political affiliations in an effort to becoming a quasi-religious unifying force that brings together people from diverse backgrounds across the country.
Read MoreNot everyone will be enjoying chocolate this Valentine’s Day. For the first time since 2018, Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day. In fact, this rare occurrence is taking place once again in less than a week. It has happened three times in the last century — 1923, 1934 and 1945 — and will happen again in 2029.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With its lilting pop melody and sweet God talk, “On Eagle's Wings” is the hymn that conservative Catholics love to hate and Catholic progressives often wave like a red flag. President Joe Biden loves it.
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