Other Faiths

Church-state separationist Barry Lynn recounts his legal arguments in new memoirs

By Adelle M. Banks — April 3, 2023
(RNS) — 'It is people who are hurting, people who are outcasts, that appealed to me,' Lynn said.

From Senate subcommittee to Easter sermon: Raphael Warnock on life as a pastor-politician

By Adelle M. Banks — March 31, 2023
WASHINGTON (RNS) — ‘My life is a sermon, that I get to preach on Sunday and embody and make come alive in my work in the Senate,’ said the Georgia senator.

White supremacist propaganda scaled new heights in 2022, ADL report finds

By Yonat Shimron — March 9, 2023
(RNS) — The Patriot Front, based in Texas, was responsible for 80% of propaganda distributions in 2022, the ADL report concluded.

‘Resistance’ is not just a buzzword in Kaitlin Curtice’s new book

By Emily McFarlan Miller — March 7, 2023
(RNS) — In ‘Living Resistance,’ Curtice shares essays about what resistance can look like, touching on topics such as prayer and protecting the land and even child care.

Poll: Support for abortion rights is strong, even among most religious groups

By Yonat Shimron — February 23, 2023
(RNS) — The outliers are white evangelicals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter-day Saints and Hispanic Protestants.

Library of Congress to highlight Muslim slave and scholar with $2.5 million grant

By Adelle M. Banks — February 14, 2023
(RNS) — The project, which will aid other library programs, is one of 16 to receive grants from the Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.

King scholar applies his philosophies of truth to a ‘post-truth age’

By Adelle M. Banks — January 13, 2023
(RNS) — ‘Dr. King argued that no religion has a monopoly on truth,’ said Lewis V. Baldwin, emeritus professor of religious studies at Vanderbilt University.

As smudging goes mainstream, concerns rise over appropriation, overharvesting

By Emily McFarlan Miller — January 12, 2023
(RNS) — Along with the popularity of white sage comes concern about cultural appropriation, as well as overharvesting.

PHOTO GALLERY: The history and diversity of African American religious rituals

By Adelle M. Banks — January 10, 2023
(RNS) — A new photo book from the National Museum of African American History and Culture explores Black history through its range of spiritual traditions.

Witchcraft isn’t scary on stereotype-busting ‘Comfy Cozy Witch Podcast’

By Emily McFarlan Miller — January 4, 2023
(RNS) — Jennie Blonde says her message of comfort and coziness appears to be resonating not just with other witches, but with all people ‘who want to find a little bit more magick in their everyday.’

Remembering faith leaders who died in 2022: preachers, writers and interpreters of faith

By Adelle M. Banks — December 28, 2022
(RNS) — In this year we lost people who were known for their political office but for whom religion played roles expectedly and unexpectedly.

Witches and wise men and ‘old magic’: A look at the spookier origins of Christmas lore

By Emily McFarlan Miller — December 20, 2022
(RNS) — Pagans and Christians alike can rediscover the ‘reason for the season’ in the old stories and deepen their own beliefs.

Japan’s Laughing Buddha Hotei is merging into Santa Claus — both are roly-poly sacred figures with a bag of gifts

By Megan Bryson — December 14, 2022
(The Conversation) — Hotei, a Japanese god who carries a large sack, has come to be identified with Santa Claus – except that he brings the goodies on New Year’s Day instead of Christmas.

Monsters, meditation and Marie Kondo: the religious roots of Japan’s ‘waste not’ ethic

By Kevin C. Taylor — December 6, 2022
(The Conversation) — The impact of centuries-old Shinto and Buddhist rituals and stories continues today.

The US House passed another resolution on Iran. Here’s why it’s the right thing to do.

By James Samimi Farr — December 2, 2022
(RNS) — We often overlook the social cost of persecution and the power of international pressure.
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