After 300 people died in a stampede at a temple in Maharashtra on January 25, concerns regarding security were voiced at a number of pilgrimage spots around India. A number of simple preventive measures, such as limiting the inflow of pilgrims allowed at the same time into the central compound and the availability of a […]
Saudi Arabia: On the way to post-Wahhabism?
While the general perception is that “fundamentalist” Wahhabi Islam continues to dominate Saudi Arabia, a closer look at contemporary Saudi society shows that there are forces at work in the Kingdom, which attempt to marginalize Wahhabism, writes French scholar Stéphane Lacroix in an article published in the Spring issue of ISIM Review. Lacroix refers especially to […]
Jews in Europe gravitating to the right
Jews in Europe are gradually dropping their attachment to the political left and moving to more conservative parties, reports the New York Times (Feb. 20). Rising concern over anti-Semitism and the left’s embrace of the Palestinian cause has brought increasing numbers of European Jews to parties ranging from the center to the right, and even to the […]
Orthodox women deacons having impact outside of Greece?
The recent decision of the Greek Orthodox to ordain women as deacons has been largely unreported, but the move may have an impact on the role of women in the Roman Catholic Church, writes Phyllis Zagano in America magazine (Feb. 7). Without much fanfare or press coverage, last fall, the Orthodox Church of Greece voted to restore […]
Film reveals new culture wars in Spain
While anti-clericalism and secularist currents have a long history in Spain, recent events suggest a new stage of confrontation between the Catholic Church and other segments of Spanish society, reports The Tablet magazine (Feb. 5). In the last year, clashes in the cultural arena between artists and Catholic officials also reveal new church-state tensions. The Madrid playwright […]
Ukraine’s evangelicals change with democratic surge
The protests and demonstrations surrounding Ukraine’s election in December has activated the nation’s evangelical churches, reportsCharisma magazine (February). When the pro-Moscow candidate Viktor Yanukovych was declared the winner, crowds took to the streets protesting that the election was rigged, resulting in a new vote bringing in pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko. Christians ranging from Ukrainian Orthodox to […]
Current Research: March 2005
01: American youth tend to espouse a generic and practical faith that has little relation to particular beliefs and practices, according to a major research project. In an interview with Books & Culture (January/February), sociologist Christian Smith discusses findings from the National Survey of Youth and Religion he conducted, one of the largest studies of its kind. Smith […]
Evangelism dividing Jewish believers in Jesus
Tensions and divisions are growing among Jewish believers over the importance of Jewish rituals and evangelism to fellow Jews, reportsChristianity Today (February). In the last three decades, Jewish-Christians have formed Messianic synagogues which uphold Jewish rituals and teachings while affirming a belief in Jesus. But now some Messianic leaders and theologians are saying that traditional evangelism […]
Southern Catholics influencing church and nation?
Southern evangelical culture and a number of other demographic factors account for the fast growth and potential national influence of Catholicism in this region, reports Time magazine (Feb. 14). While the once-Catholic strongholds of the Northeast and Midwest are showing lower Mass attendance, parochial school closings, and the aftershocks of the sexual abuse crisis, the church in […]
Revisions in psychology make room for religion
As psychology has moved away from a strictly scientific orientation, it has gradually become more hospitable toward religious influences, writes Paul Vitz in First Things magazine (March). The older Freudian approach of viewing psychology, particularly psychotherapy, as an objective science has waned and today prominent psychologists locate the discipline in the humanities, and thus more related to […]
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