Hinduism
How Hindu chaplains went from anomaly to necessity
By Kathryn Post — September 24, 2021
(RNS) — In 2008, Princeton University's full-time Hindu chaplain was not just the only one at any place of higher learning at the time; he was the first in the United States ever to fill the role.
‘Burning karma’: The Jains’ late summer holy season focuses on purifying the soul
By Kalpana Jain — September 16, 2021
(RNS) — Who are the Jains and what do they believe?
Hinduphobia is a smokescreen for Hindu nationalists
By Feminist Critical Hindu Studies Collective — September 10, 2021
(RNS) — Hindus do experience racism, but co-opting the term to critique a conference on Hindu nationalism doesn't help.
An American Jew turned Hindu holy woman tells her story
By Yonat Shimron — September 9, 2021
(RNS) — Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati quit her Ph.D. program, divorced her husband, moved to India and became a Hindu renunciate. In her new memoir she reveals a past life of sex abuse and bulimia.
What two 9/11 anniversaries can teach us about the role of religion
By Eboo Patel — September 7, 2021
(RNS) — More than 100 years ago, Swami Vivekananda had a vision of faith as a bridge of cooperation.
Hindutva’s threat to academic freedom
By Ananya Chakravarti, Purnima Dhavan, Manan Ahmed, Supriya Gandhi, Dheepa Sundaram, Audrey Truschke, and Simran Jeet Singh — July 7, 2021
(RNS) — The Hindu right has attacked U.S.-based scholars for the past few decades, attempting to dissuade and discredit academic research.
Will yoga classes in public school lead kids to convert?
By Yonat Shimron — June 11, 2021
(RNS) — Indiana University Professor of Religious Studies Candy Gunther Brown says parents should worry less about where yoga comes from and more about how it's being taught.
As COVID-19 swamps India, decision to allow Kumbh Mela’s crowds is scrutinized
By Bhavya Dore — May 3, 2021
MUMBAI (RNS) — As COVID-19 infections rise, the local and national governments' decision to allow the Kumbh Mela is being scrutinized as a sign of the BJP-led government favoring Hindu beliefs over safety.
Alabama lifts ban on yoga in schools. Sort of.
By Mat McDermott — March 18, 2021
(RNS) — Alabama avoids constitutional entanglements but falls squarely into the mouth of cultural appropriation.
Rihanna’s Instagram pose with Ganesh earns criticism from Hindus
By Paul O'Donnell — February 19, 2021
(RNS) — Rihanna's topless Instagram portrait featuring a pendant depicting a Hindu deity drew calls of blasphemy — and payback for her recent comments on India's farm crisis.
5 Faith-facts about VP-elect Kamala Harris, a Black Baptist with a Hindu family
By Yonat Shimron — November 7, 2020
(RNS) — Few, if any, vice presidential candidates have had as much exposure to the world’s religions as Kamala Harris, the 55-year-old senator from California whom Joe Biden picked Tuesday (Aug. 11) as his running mate.
Brandeis University stands by caste-bias ban despite pushback from Hindu activists
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — October 19, 2020
(RNS) — A year-old ban against caste bias, says the Hindu American Foundation, is a ‘deeply problematic’ remedy for a largely nonexistent problem.
In the midst of deep grief, a scholar writes how Hindu rituals taught her to let go
By Ketika Garg — October 2, 2020
(THE CONVERSATION) — Rituals can hold the core beliefs of a culture and provide a sense of control in an otherwise helpless situation.
Why ‘namaste’ has become the perfect pandemic greeting
By Jeremy David Engels — October 1, 2020
(The Conversation) — As people the world over are choosing to ditch the handshakes and hugs for fear of contracting the coronavirus, namaste is becoming the perfect pandemic greeting.
A Catholic priest takes on interfaith fight against COVID-19 in a sacred Hindu city
By Priyadarshini Sen — September 21, 2020
(RNS) — Though anchored in Christianity, Mathew draws from a broad swath of spiritual traditions to reach his fellow citizens, including Mahatma Gandhi's ideas of cosmic consciousness.