Alternative Faiths
New Japan law aims at Unification Church fundraising abuses
By Mari Yamaguchi — December 13, 2022
TOKYO (AP) — The new law allows believers, other donors and their families to seek the return of their money and prohibits religious groups and other organizations from soliciting funds by coercion or linking donations to spiritual salvation.
Native Hawaiians believe volcanoes are alive and should be treated like people, with distinct rights and responsibilities
By Richard W Stoffle — December 9, 2022
(The Conversation) — The eruption of Mauna Loa is a profound spiritual experience for many Native Hawaiians. An anthropologist explains Native American beliefs on the living Earth and volcanic lava.
As their World Cup team advances, Argentines call on folk saints for help
By Eduardo Campos Lima — December 9, 2022
SÃO PAULO, Brazil (RNS) — One expert said that while official Catholic saints tend to be invoked in church, ‘folk saints tend to be more visible in public spaces, including soccer fields.’
Why magical thinking is so widespread – a look at the psychological roots of common superstitions
By Dimitris Xygalatas — December 7, 2022
(The Conversation) — An anthropologist explains why we all have some irrational beliefs and the reason they give us comfort.
Starz’s hit series ‘P-Valley’ finds sacred community in a strip club
By Amethyst Holmes — December 2, 2022
(RNS) — The drama series by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall shows how profane places can be sacred — and how formal sacred places can be made profane.
Mistrial after jury deadlock in Danny Masterson rape case
By Brian Melley and Andrew Dalton — December 1, 2022
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge declared a mistrial after jurors, who were leaning strongly toward acquitting the “That ’70s Show” actor, deadlocked following the monthlong trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role.
Across the US, Native Americans are fighting to preserve sacred land
By Alejandra Molina and Emily McFarlan Miller — November 29, 2022
(RNS) — ‘It’s important that we unify, and we work together, and share the teachings to protect our sacred areas because once God, once our sacred and holy places are gone, we will no longer exist. Our religion will be gone forever,’ said one Native American activist.
In ‘Stealing My Religion,’ Liz Bucar takes on murky forms of appropriation
By Kathryn Post — November 18, 2022
(RNS) — Bucar invites readers to 'interrogate the stance that we are entitled to take religious practices from others for our own needs.'
RNS holiday gift guide 2022: Ideas for the kids, adults and Pastafarians on your list
By Emily McFarlan Miller — November 18, 2022
(RNS) — Because not everybody celebrates a religious holiday in December, but everybody loves presents.
From atheist churches to finding healing in the ‘sacred flower of cannabis,’ spiritual but not religious Americans are finding new ways of pursuing meaning
By Morgan Shipley — November 10, 2022
(The Conversation) — America’s religious landscape is getting more diverse as people find new ways of expressing spirituality.
Anime is packed with spirituality and gaining popularity among Gen Z
By Josh Packard and Kaitlyn Ugoretz — October 31, 2022
(RNS) — Anime, filled with Japanese spirituality, is part of a massive boom in the popularity of East Asian media.
A modern witch celebrates the cycle of life and death at the confluence of cultures
By Heather Greene — October 28, 2022
(RNS) — This time of year, a bruja, or witch, practices central Mexican Indigenous rituals and modern pagan ones, both honoring the Earth and “us as individuals as part of nature.” But the holidays of the Day of the Dead and Samhain are not the same.
No, they do not worship the devil, and other myths dispelled in new book on satanism
By Heather Greene — October 21, 2022
(RNS) — Satanism appeals to people who feel marginalized in some way, said La Carmina, whose "Little Book of Satanism" attempts to curb some of the misinformation on satanists and their organizations.
When it comes to Halloween, pastors have opinions, according to new survey
By Emily McFarlan Miller — October 18, 2022
(RNS) — More than 90% of pastors encourage their congregations to observe Oct. 31 in a particular way, but that ranges from avoiding Halloween completely to inviting people to Halloween-adjacent events at their churches.
‘Animism’ recognizes how animals, places and plants have power over humans – and it’s finding renewed interest around the world
By Justine Buck Quijada — October 17, 2022
(The Conversation) — Animism describes religions in which humans are connected to the landscape around them but do not dominate it.
