Hinduism

Threat from climate change to some of India’s sacred pilgrimage sites is reshaping religious beliefs
By David L. Haberman — August 15, 2023
(The Conversation) — At the pilgrimage site of Kedarnath in northern India, disastrous flooding has led many to ask whether the gods are getting angry about human behavior.

Parliament of the World’s Religions hopes to harness faith to address world’s ills
By Bob Smietana — August 14, 2023
CHICAGO (RNS) — More than 6,500 religious leaders from 95 countries had registered for the gathering, which returns to Chicago for the first time since the 1990s.

How India’s religious violence is becoming a problem for American politicians
By Richa Karmarkar — August 9, 2023
(RNS) — US politicians are under increasing pressure to account for their courtship of Indian Prime Minister Modi, the leader of a strategically important ally and the world's largest democracy.

Vivek Ramaswamy and the limits of ‘God talk’
By Khyati Y. Joshi — August 7, 2023
(RNS) — Evangelical attacks on the Hindu candidate show that in politics, 'religious' still means 'Christian.'

How a mysterious Indian religious figure united Hindus and Muslims
By Murali Balaji — August 4, 2023
(RNS) — The life and words of Shirdi Sai Baba could prove to be an inspiration to those seeking to rebuild the bridges between followers of both faiths.

Shaligrams, the sacred fossils that have been worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists for over 2,000 years, are becoming rarer because of climate change
By Holly Walters — August 4, 2023
(The Conversation) — Many Hindus, Buddhists and people who follow the shamanic religion of Bon undertake a pilgrimage each year to northern Nepal to look for Shaligrams, believed to be a manifestation of Lord Vishnu.

Indian court allows survey of a 17th-century mosque to see if it was built over a Hindu temple
By Biswajeet Banerjee — August 3, 2023
LUCKNOW, India (AP) —The dispute over land ownership had been one of India’s most heated issues between India’s 80% majority Hindu community and Muslim minority.

India’s northern Haryana state tense after 5 killed in communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims
By Piyush Nagpal — August 2, 2023
NUH, India (AP) — The violence began Monday afternoon when Hindus and Muslims clashed with each other in Haryana’s Nuh district during a religious procession by a Hindu nationalist group.

Vivek Ramaswamy and the Christian language of Hinduism
By Richa Karmarkar — July 28, 2023
(RNS) — Like many Republican candidates for president, Vivek Ramaswamy has been outspoken about religion on the campaign trail. But his Hindu faith has caused controversy among some evangelicals who view non-Christian religions with skepticism.

The abuse of Christian women in Manipur tells a tragic story of the new India
By Joseph D'Souza — July 24, 2023
(RNS) — Indian authorities are ignoring attacks by radicalized Hindus on Christians.

The Hindus fighting against ‘caste consciousness’
By Richa Karmarkar — July 17, 2023
(RNS) — An ongoing fight in the California Legislature and the courts focuses not on caste discrimination itself but whether efforts to end it only make it worse.

California’s compromise ‘caste’ bill promotes democracy in more ways than one
By Suhag Shukla — July 14, 2023
(RNS) — The fight to retool the bill brought thousands of South Asians into the political process.

The Bhagavad Gita, the bomb and the dharma of Robert Oppenheimer
By Syama Allard — July 12, 2023
(RNS) — How did the atomic physicist’s fascination with the Gita influence his feelings about the making of the bomb?

Modi’s gift of ’10 danas’ – the 10 donations – to Biden reflects ancient Hindu wisdom and carries a deep symbolism
By Jeffery D. Long — July 11, 2023
(The Conversation) — One of the gifts that Prime Minister Modi gave to President Biden symbolizes the recipient’s having seen 1,000 full moons, implying a long and auspicious life.

California’s caste discrimination bill is a vote for all civil rights
By Nirvair Singh — July 6, 2023
(RNS) — In the fight for equal treatment under the law, one instance of discrimination is too many.