The recent sentencing of Chizuo Matsumoto, known as Shoko Asahara, the former guru of Aum Shinri-kyo, is unlikely to resolve questions of religious freedom and extremism that mark Japanese society a decade after the group led attacks on the public. Asahara, who received the death penalty, led the group in the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin […]
China’s Christians welcoming foreign contact
Christianity in China is being allowed more contact with foreign groups and sources as well finding a new embrace by public figures, reports theChristian Science Monitor (March 8). Robert Marquand writes that a “a new official formula” is taking shape allowing for a “grudging acceptance of faith, including low-level experiments with religious exchange abroad — so […]
Transnational Islamic militant group finds Central Asian base
Founded in 1953 in the Middle East, Hizb ut-Tahrir (Islamic Liberation Party) is a transnational Muslim political movement which has caught the attention of experts in Central Asian affairs over the recent years. It has become quite active in recruiting in Uzbekistan and neighboring countries and has met harsh repression, too. However, there has been […]
Church of England women clergy find welcome, obstacles
Women clergy have found a welcome reception ten years after the decision to ordain women in the Church of England, but it will be difficult for them to progress and achieve higher positions, writes Stephen Bates in The Tablet magazine (Feb. 28). There are now about 2,400 women clergy active in the Church of England (with a […]
Current Research: April 2004
01: Although known as the most secular region on the U.S., the rate of religious devotion has increased markedly in the West, according to a recent Barna Poll. In Barna’s annual survey tracking religious behavior, it was found that little had changed during the past decade in such areas as church attendance, volunteering and Sunday […]
Death cult saint finds following in Mexico
A folk “saint” associated with traditional death cults known as La Santa Muerte is growing in popularity in Mexico and may be arriving in the U.S., drawing a following among both criminal elements and those seeking protection from such danger. The Los Angeles Times (March 19) reports that “Saint Death” has become so popular in some parts […]
Catholic bishops confront politicians on abortion
U.S. Bishops are taking a new confrontational approach with Catholic politicians who have taken pro-choice positions on abortion. The conservative Catholic Crisis magazine (April) reports that a “new generation of bishops is rising” to enforce discipline on dissenting politicians, even to the point of denying them communion. The new approach was first taken last year when Sacraemento’s […]
‘The Passion’ spurring religious productions, but not anti-semitism?
The most likely effect of the Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ is likely to be more religious based productions, reports Time magazine (March 22). Earning $250 million in just three weeks, The Passion has already convinced “Hollywood moguls [to comb] though the scriptures for other projects with religious themes.” A long-shelved TV movie Judas was […]
Revisiting and revising secularization
There is the growing sentiment, particularly in the U.S., that the secularization thesis, holding to an inevitable decline of religious belief under modernization, is out of touch with reality. A recent New York conference RW attended suggests that sociologists are also searching for redefinitions and alternatives to this once predominant theory, even if some are […]
On/File: March 2004
01: The fledgling website, www.catholicscholars.net represents a new attempt to steer the media to sources and referrals on the conservative side of the church spectrum. Conservative Catholics have long complained that the media reflects the views of liberal and dissenting Catholic theologians and spokespeople and ignores the perspectives of more traditional members as well as the church […]
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