As Sikhism celebrates its 500th anniversary this year, the religion is racked by a division that threatens to split its ranks. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (April 9) reports that the seemingly minor issue of whether to take a religious meal while seated at a table or on the floor has unleashed a string of violent incidents, not […]

Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, long cloistered from the work world in their extensive study of religious texts, are moving into the high tech world, reports the Detroit News (April 8). A recent lack of funds for seminary studies has forced some rabbinical students to seek employment, particularly as the Israeli government is less willing to give state […]

A quasi-Buddhist millennial religion is spreading rapidly throughout China, leading the government to fear its influence. The Wall Street Journal (April 26 and 30) reports that 10,000 devotees of a mystical religious philosophy known as Falun Dafa recently filled the sidewalks of Beijing to demand recognition by the government and the lifting of a ban of the […]

In an effort to increase giving, congregations across the U.S. are taking donations automatically out of  members’ bank accounts, reports the Detroit News (April 13). The Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal organization, has signed up more than 600 Lutheran congregations for such “e-bank” offerings. Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopal and nondenominational churches are also experimenting with electronic-funds-transfer programs. This convenience, however, […]

In the past five years, a sizable number of American Protestants, both evangelical and mainline, have greatly increased their involvement in the spiritual practice of fasting. evangelicals. Christianity Today (April 5) reports that fasting for specific periods of time is claimed to enhance believers’ awareness of profound spiritual searching. Books on fasting have been best-sellers among […]

A new generation of pro-life activists are emerging that take a more “evangelical” approach, seeking to convert teens and young adults to the cause through personal contact and Internet use, according to an in-depth article in the Washington Post Magazine (April 18). While the confrontational activism of anti-abortion “rescue” efforts have been marginalized by tough laws and […]

An increasingly popular drive is emerging among religious right leaders to weaken the public education system with its alleged hostility to traditional morality and poor record of classroom achievement. In recent months such prominent leaders as the Rev. D. James Kennedy of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Tim LaHaye, popular rightist author, have endorsed plans “to […]

Is the religious right going underground? That question is making the rounds in political circles as leaders of the religious right themselves question whether American society has moved beyond the pale of reform after the failure to impeach President Bill Clinton. The Wall Street Journal (April 9) reports that much of this talk started when Paul Weyrich, […]

While religion has carved out its own niche on the Internet, observers are questioning  how “cyber-faiths” will impact actual religious involvement and institutions. This concern has come to the surface especially in recent months as churches and individuals have established web sites devoted to delivering sermons from a wide variety of faiths to believers and seekers […]