Faith
From goddesses and rabbits to theology and ‘Superstar’: 4 essential reads on Easter’s surprisingly complicated history
By Molly Jackson — April 6, 2023
(The Conversation) — Like Halloween and Christmas, today’s Easter traditions are a blend of Christian and non-Christian influences.
Indigenous activists share mixed feelings on Vatican repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery
By Emily McFarlan Miller — April 5, 2023
(RNS) — ‘They haven’t even begun to come to terms with the true nature of what we’re actually talking about,’ Steven Newcomb said.
Thai police say Chinese church members to be deported soon
By Jintamas Saksornchai — April 5, 2023
BANGKOK (AP) — More than 60 self-exiled members of a Chinese Christian church who were detained in Thailand after receiving U.N. refugee status will be deported by next week, probably to a third country, officials said Wednesday.
Looking for Easter
By Phyllis Zagano — April 5, 2023
(RNS) — Where is the hope, the joy? Where is the Jesus everyone is singing about?
Report details ‘staggering’ church sex abuse in Maryland
By Lea Skene, Brian Witte, and Sarah Brumfield — April 5, 2023
BALTIMORE (AP) — More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused more than 600 children over 80 years, according to a report released Wednesday.
Amid Israel protests, ‘Passover table is the new Thanksgiving table’
By Henrietta McFarlane and Laura Esposito — April 5, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — As Israelis continue to protest in unprecedented numbers against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed overhaul of the judicial system, political tensions arise within Jewish families during Passover.
Rare medieval Easter cipher is up for grabs this Holy Week
By Kathryn Post — April 5, 2023
(RNS) — When decoded, the 15th-century cipher helped calculate the date for Easter.
How Hanuman guided me as a son and father
By Murali Balaji — April 5, 2023
(RNS) — Once a fan of the Hindu deity’s superhero image, I came to understand him as a true model of devotion.
Activists’ network in Mexico helps U.S. women get abortions
By MarÍa Teresa HernÁndez — April 5, 2023
CHIHUAHUA, Mexico (AP) — Marea Verde Chihuahua has created a nationwide network that has secured abortion access for Mexican and foreign women, whether or not abortion is legal where they live.
When Ramadan means an escalation of Israeli occupation violence
By Omar Suleiman — April 5, 2023
(RNS) — To end the now annual attacks on Muslims during Ramadan, we must end the Israeli occupation.
Ex-principal of Jewish school found guilty of sexual abuse
By Associated Press — April 5, 2023
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Malka Leifer, 56, a Tel Aviv-born mother of eight, was convicted on 18 counts, including rape, and acquitted of nine other charges.
Holy Week starts off with lots of palms – but Palm Sunday’s donkey is just as important to the story
By Joanne M. Pierce — April 5, 2023
(The Conversation) — Donkeys and palm leaves are both associated with Christianity’s Palm Sunday – but their symbolism couldn’t be more different.
MLK’s vision of social justice included religious pluralism – a house of many faiths
By Roy Whitaker — April 5, 2023
(The Conversation) — Religious pluralism and social justice were at the core of King’s campaigns – a vision shaped by influences as diverse as Gandhi, the Black church, Greek classics and Buddhism.
Why is Passover different from all other nights? 3 essential reads on the Jewish holiday
By Molly Jackson — April 5, 2023
(The Conversation) — The Passover Seder has tradition and remembrance at its core, but has also evolved throughout the centuries in Jewish communities around the world.
Pilgrimage and revolution: How Cesar Chavez married faith and ideology in landmark farmworkers’ march
By Lloyd Daniel Barba — April 5, 2023
(The Conversation) — A scholar of religion looks at how faith helped guide the labor rights icon in his organizing endeavors.
