Hinduism
Indian state passes uniform marriage legislation opposed by Muslims as a Hindu code applied to all
By Ashok Sharma and Biswajeet Banerjee — February 8, 2024
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Muslims accuse Modi’s right-wing nationalist party of pursuing a Hindu agenda that discriminates against them and directly imposes laws interfering with their faith.
Every week is World Interfaith Harmony Week for devotees of Swami Vivekananda
By Richa Karmarkar — February 7, 2024
(RNS) — As religious conflict and disharmony rage on elsewhere in the world, the interfaith teachings of Swami Vivekananda are evergreen to these devotees.
How Hindu temples can become community pillars in a changing America
By Murali Balaji — February 5, 2024
(RNS) — Temples need to offer more to younger Hindus, whose practice values philosophy and spirituality over ritual.
At National Prayer Breakfast, Biden speaks of praying, working for peace
By Adelle M. Banks — February 1, 2024
(RNS) — ‘We're all blessed to live in a nation where we can practice our many faiths and practice them freely,’ Biden said at the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
The opening of India’s new Rama temple made waves – but here’s what the central ritual actually meant
By Vasudha Narayanan — January 31, 2024
(The Conversation) — A scholar of Hinduism explains the importance of the consecration ritual, which is believed to bring the presence of the divine into the temple.
These three candidates for Congress are running on (Hindu) values
By Richa Karmarkar — January 26, 2024
(RNS) — Hindu Americans are making inroads into the political space like never before.
The Ram Mandir may offer a way forward for India and South Asia
By Murali Balaji — January 22, 2024
(RNS) — India's prime minister could use the popularity of the mandir to heal the wounds of the past few decades.
In India’s new Ram temple, some American Hindus see a new beginning
By Richa Karmarkar — January 19, 2024
(RNS) — For many Hindus in the diaspora, the temple opening signifies a new beginning — one that has the power to strengthen the roots of the global Hindu ecosystem.
A celebrated temple in India is also a symbol of the country’s anti-Muslim campaign
By Safa Ahmed — January 19, 2024
(RNS) — Behind the inauguration festivities for a temple in India lurks a Hindu nationalist desire to eradicate Muslims.
Modi’s promised Ram temple is set to open and resonate with Hindus ahead of India’s election
By Biswajeet Banerjee and Sheikh Saaliq — January 18, 2024
NEW DELHI (AP) — Some top leaders from India's main opposition Congress party have turned down invitations to attend, with many opposition lawmakers calling the temple a political project.
On Vivekananda’s 160th birthday, female monastics venerate the ‘mother’ of his movement
By Richa Karmarkar — January 12, 2024
PUNE, India (RNS) — The female monks at Sri Sarada Math in Pune, India, celebrated Sarada Devi’s birth anniversary on Jan. 3, in accordance with the Hindu auspicious calendar.
In new temple to Lord Ram, the Indian city of Ayodhya hopes to shed a disturbing history
By Richa Karmarkar and Yashraj Sharma — January 12, 2024
AYODHYA, India (RNS) — Once a quaint town, this 2,500-year-old city will soon complete a transformation into a global pilgrimage site that will outstrip its renown as a center of Hindu nationalist violence.
Recent incidents of temple vandalism leave American Hindus worried about a larger trend
By Richa Karmarkar — January 8, 2024
(RNS) — These instances point to a clear trend, say Hindu American advocates, of anti-Hindu hate crimes on the rise.
RNS reporters look ahead to the big religion stories they expect in 2024
By RNS staff — December 30, 2023
(RNS) — From papal reforms to psychedelics to presidential elections, here are the big religion stories RNS reporters anticipate this coming year.
The top religion stories of 2023
By Paul O'Donnell — December 29, 2023
(RNS) — Some of the year's most dramatic global events had religion at their center.