A recent surge of Hindu activism is being felt in academia, with scholars facing protests and even violent threats over non-Hindus interpreting religious texts. The Washington Post (April 10) reports that 19 years after a professor at Emory University used sexual imagery in writing on the story of Ganesha, the revered Hindu God with the head of […]
‘The Passion’ gains popularity among Middle East’s Muslims, Christians
Although the plot runs counter to Islamic teachings, Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ has become a box-office hit in the Arab world, reports the Christian Science Monitor (April 9). Islam forbids the depiction of a prophet and the Koran denies the crucifixion ever occurred. The Passion has been banned in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, yet since […]
Moderate Muslim thinkers take new approach to modernity, Koran
While little attention is paid to them by Western media and intellectuals, there are many reformist thinkers in the world of Islam, writes Rachid Benzine in an article on “Islamic Modernity”, published in a special issue (April-May) of the French progressive magazine Le Nouvel Observateur, devoted to “The New Thinkers of Islam.” Benzine cites such thinkers […]
Converts to radical Islam a new concern in Europe
Converts to Islam are being singled out by Al Qaeda as potential weapons in carrying out terrorism, reports the New Republic magazine (April 26). Of the 212 individuals implicated in major terrorist attacks around the world since the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, 18 were converts. But now the use of native born (often women and light-skinned) […]
Current Research: May 2004
01: In a nationwide survey on the spiritual life of students in various fields, it is those in the fine arts who have the greatest spiritual interest while sociology majors have the least. The survey of 3,680 students, conducted by researchers at UCLA, found that 62 percent of fine arts majors rated high on “spiritual […]
Unitarians in the vanguard of new polygamy?
“From Boston to Berkeley Unitarian churches have opened another front in the liberal crusade to expand the definition of marriage and family in America.It’s the new polygamy,” writes Don Lattin in the San Francisco Chronicle (April 20). At the forefront of the movement is the Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness, which advocates the “philosophy and practice of […]
Praise music moves out of the churches
Worship and praise music, which has replaced traditional hymns in many evangelical and charismatic churches, is finding a place in concerts and the recording world. The New York Times (April) 17 reports that praise music, usually consisting of prayers and praises repeated to contemporary melodies, has become a booming business in the Christian music marketplace and through […]
Mormon origins face scientific challenge
Recent scientific challenges to the Book of Mormon are reshaping the self-understanding and identity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, reports the independent Mormon magazine Sunstone (March). Recent scientific DNA confirmations that the ancient Amerindian people are of Asian genetic origin has caused considerable controversy both inside and outside Mormonism. News of a […]
Alternatives to institutional religion find favor
They may be called “post-modern” churches or just gatherings and meetings without any ecclesiastical status, but there appears to be growing interest in alternatives to established congregational structures, including seeker and megachurches. An article on the postmodern or “Gen-X” churches in the Christian newsweekly World (April 10) notes how they stress their differences from baby boomer-led megachurhes […]
Findings & Footnotes: April 2004
01: While it rarely makes the headlines, the old Indian religion of Jainism is quietly becoming acknowledged in the West. Last December, the Religion & Ethics section at the BBC launched a new website on Jainism, reports the quarterly magazine Jain Spirit in its March-May issue. Jainism now takes its place on this reference website along with […]
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