The growth of unorthodox  rituals surrounding death in Japan show a significant loss of belief in the afterlife and ancestor veneration, writes anthropologist Hikaru Suzuki in the Journal of Contemporary Religion (May). The practices of  “live funerals,” that is, funerals held while the recipient is still alive, non-religious funerals, and cremation and the spreading of ashes, have all experienced […]

In Egypt, at least, the U.S.-based movement to extend religious human rights worldwide is running into resistance among the very group of Christians that it is claiming to help. The Economist (May 23) reports that recent American legislation seeking to  impose automatic sanctions against states America deems to have abetted or tolerated religious persecution is viewed negatively […]

Despite the belief in the United States that Pope John Paul II is an aged man with values out of touch with most Catholics, he is acutally “the world’s most important and effective advocate of freedom and democracy,” writes Adrian Karatnycky in  the National Review (May 4). Karatnycky, head of Freedom House, writes that the record at century’s […]

Evangelical leaders are moving to the Anglican Church to gain a sense of tradition as well to gain cultural influence, reports Faith Today magazine (May/June). The Canadian evangelical magazine notes that evangelicals are finding the symbolism, rich liturgy, and sacramentalism of Anglicanism what they have missed in their own low church backgrounds. While denominational switching is not new […]

The sister denomination of  the Mormons, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is undergoing a serious decline and loss of identity that its leaders have yet to fully address, writes Roger Launius in the Mormon journal Dialogue (Spring). The RLDS has recently been reported as moving away from its Mormon heritage toward a […]

The influx of immigrants, singles, and other non-traditional believers into Mormonism is challenging the religion’s structures and methods of outreach, reports the independent Mormon Sunstone magazine (March/April). Mormon leaders have allowed the existence of ethnic and single wards (or congregations) on a temporary basis, with the expectation that such members would eventually be integrated into the “mainstream” […]

The conservative forces in the Episcopal Church seem to be shifting to a “post-denominational” strategy, reflecting a national mood that de-emphasizes the importance of denominations. The conservative caucuses in the church in the past were mainly concerned with fighting liberal tendencies and extending orthodox influence (such as by electing bishops) within the denominational structure. The […]

Starting two years ago at the 18,000 member St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in New  Orleans, a new Black Pentecostal movement is now spreading across the nation. Headed by the dynamic leadership of Bishop Paul S. Morton, the loosely aligned Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship now claims membership of over l,000 churches coast to coast. Each […]

Spiritual counselors are finding a following for their blend of  self-help and generic spirituality, much to the consternation of clergy and psychotherapists. Newsday (May 26) reports that an increasing number of people are paying high fees to “receive guidance from self-proclaimed spiritual advisers, medical intuitives or psychics. These unusual counselors say they are able to guide people […]