Travel

Caodaist beliefs and practices are a similar blend — although these seem to be skewed more towards traditionally Asian spiritualities. Reincarnation, karma, ancestor worship and divination are all central elements, while the most apparent contribution of the Abrahamic religions is monotheism.

It turns out what happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay there. In fact, sin is everywhere — from beer-loving Milwaukee to decadent New Orleans — meaning that the U.S. is filled with people behaving badly, a new study finds. The report compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 37 key indicators and seven sinful behaviors, including greed, lust, vanity and laziness.

Along the Hudson River, about an hour north of New York, is a church perched atop a hill in a village called Sleepy Hollow. When Washington Irving immortalized the Old Dutch Church with its Headless Horseman in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” it became a literary mainstay. For 300 years, the ghost who haunts the churchyard has frightened people. These days, a new force distresses the locals.

The city is preparing for a jubilee year, a time when the Catholic Church invites pilgrims to Rome. The events, which will officially began on Christmas Eve this year and end on Dec. 28, 2025, constitute a special time dedicated to prayer and pilgrimage. Italy’s capital, which already draws an estimated 25 million visitors each year, could see that number increase to 32 million in 2025.

(ANALYSIS) When Jack Kerouac penned “On the Road,” he immortalized the American road trip as a quest for meaning, a journey that was almost existential in nature. His words sparked a generation's wanderlust, fueling a search for adventure, self-discovery, and — dare I say — even a higher power.

(ESSAY) In one theme of this summer's travels, the history of Japanese Christianity, I found a different issue. This is the ignorance not only amongst foreigners but also amongst Japanese themselves of that history, particularly the long history of persecution. Some of this, especially the dire persecutions of the early seventeenth century, is better known through Shusako Endo's gripping 1966 novel “Silence.”

(REVIEW) Adventurous, dangerous, fabulous, redemptive and revolting: Medieval travel was all of this and more, as Bale describes, drawing upon a host of period narratives to paint a vivid picture of the experience during an era dominated in the West by pilgrimage. The reasons that pilgrims embarked for places like Canterbury, Santiago de Compostela, Rome and Jerusalem (the holiest and most desirable of all) were manifold.

Kosovo is a region in the heart of Europe that offers visitors an amazing journey through nature, history and religion. Despite its rich history and beautiful views, tourists had avoided Kosovo for years because of the ethnic conflict between Albanians and Serbs.

(TRAVEL) The path to the Beatles Ashram, once the tranquil retreat of the famous British band, is now overgrown with lush plants reclaiming the crumbling structures. Tucked away in the Himalayan foothills, this abandoned Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram was a brief escape for the Beatles from their hectic lives in the spotlight. Decades later, fans find this site a place they must visit.

The soaring spires and towers of cathedrals across the U.K. have become homes to countless pairs of breeding falcons. Each spring, the patter of tiny claws is eagerly awaited by millions of people watching the activities of parent birds and their offspring via webcams set up for such situations.  

(ANALYSIS) After the 1966 fire, St. Michael's was rebuilt with concrete, steel and other fire-resistant materials, using 1961 drawings from the Historic American Buildings Survey for reference. Today, there are leaks along joints in the church's domes, and the wooden floors squeak from water damage.

(TRAVEL) Sitting snugly at the start of the escarpment taking visitors up from the floor of the Great Rift Valley, not far from Kenya’s capitol Nairobi, is Mai Mahiu Catholic Church, otherwise known as the “Travelers’ Chapel.” Older generations call the place as “Msikiti,” which means mosque. One of Africa’s smallest churches, in fact, dates back to World War II when it was built by Italian prisoners of war.

During a recent small-ship cruise up Alaska’s Inland Passage from Sitka to Juneau, my wife and I saw many totem poles, both old and fairly new. Since we were voyaging through Tlingit territory, we paid special attention to those witnessing to Tlingit culture. Fortunately, we had a Tlingit as our guide.

(TRAVEL) In addition to its charming architecture, close proximity to nature and signature miniature canals, the city is known for the well-respected University of Freiburg. During my exchange program, I spent quite a bit of time in the university’s energy-efficient, futuristic-looking library.

Some free churches in Sweden may be showing the way toward growth: Engagement with young families, engagement with seniors, engagement with neighbors and the world. The Church of Sweden hasn’t completely given up on this kind of engagement either. 

(TRAVEL) Many tourists coming to Turkey visit Ephesus, the sprawling archeological site where, according to the Book of Acts, Paul lived, worked and preached for nearly three years. Yet, there are numerous other fascinating sites associated with Paul that are more off the beaten path.

Patheos, a website focused on religion and spirituality, recently launched the Sacred Spaces Initiative, which explores the 100 most holy sites on earth, providing valuable insights about each site.

Some Muslims, Jews and other religious minorities in Thessaloniki also believe the city has found harmony between Abrahamic faiths in the past and can do so again. And one such olive branch toward religious understanding is taking root at the School of Theology in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which is the first Greek university to implement an academic program on Islamic studies.

(TRAVEL) It's a city of contrasts, where vestiges from the colonial era are juxtaposed with cutting-edge technological advancements. Amid this dynamic backdrop, Bangalore’s churches stand out as remarkable symbols of the city’s diverse cultural and religious tapestry. Each church tells a distinct story of architectural splendor intertwined with a deep spiritual heritage.

Millions of pilgrims honor the 45 Catholic and Anglican men who were sentenced to death by Kabaka Mwanga II of the Buganda Kingdom. Ugandan reporter Deborah Laker walks in the footsteps of the 22 Catholic martyrs and unearths the tale of religious devotion, complex relationships and colonial oppression.

(PHOTO STORY) On Nyepi, which is the most special day of the year in the Balinese Saka Calendar, the island of Bali turns off all lights and sounds, stops all traffic, renounces all worldly activities, and meditates while silence and serenity reign over the entire island.

(TRAVEL) In the beginning of Revelation, John issues letters of encouragement, admonition and warning that he says Jesus instructed him to write to seven church communities in the Roman province of Asia Minor, which is now Turkey. The churches were: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.Remnants of these cities from the New Testament can still be found on Turkey’s Western coast, hundreds of miles across the country from where the devastating earthquake occurred in February.

Lutefisk is a tradition I found out, but it’s reserved for the late fall and early winter celebrations. You cannot get it over July 4th weekend, sorry to say. Nevertheless, I pressed on to learn about the culture of lutefisk, Lutheranism and other elements of the faith-inflected Scandinavian ways of the upper Midwest.

From Addis Ababa to Tehran, Daniel Herszberg visited synagogues, schools, cemeteries and Sabbath services in hospitable homes. In Suriname and Poland, in Pakistan and Sudan, Barbados and Brazil, Herszberg not only discovered cherished archives and legacies but connected with locals who shared their stories — both lived and long forgotten. In some instances, he was the first person to have visited Jewish heritage sites in decades.

In Cambodia, the three days of celebration are centered on religious observances. The vast majority of Cambodians are Theravada Buddhists, and during this time they visit temples to complete various rituals. These include merit-making activities, such as praying and offering food to monks in exchange for a blessing. They also build sand hills on the temple grounds. These symbolize the heavenly “stupa” where relics of the Buddha’s earthly remains are believed to be kept.

The world's largest mud-brick structure is one of the most iconic structures in both Islamic and African architectural history. The community of Djenne, home to approximately 40,000 residents, sits near the Ban River. That river allowed the grand mosque to be built from a resource that is both local and sustainable: calcite-rich mud. 

Egypt is developing the Holy Family Trail — a pilgrimage of sites from Jesus’ infancy to his wandering in the desert — hoping to revive its tourist industry battered by two years of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

(PERSONAL ESSAY) I’d arrived in the United Kingdom for a five-week summer study-abroad program with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. My short adventure would begin, and part of my quest was to learn more about a couple of my literary heroes along the way, all while studying environmental policy and scientific history.

We visited one of the first churches in downtown Honolulu — Kawaiahao Church — that was made from white corral and dedicated in 1842. Nicknamed the “Westminster Abbey of the Pacific,” the church offers services in Hawaiian and English each Sunday. Unfortunately, my trip was from a Monday to Saturday, which meant I wouldn’t be able to visit a service. Everywhere we went in downtown and on the outskirts of Honolulu seemed infused with Houses of Worship and spiritual meaning.