Although Catholics have a broad presence on the Internet, the most popular Catholic websites and services are highly orthodox, often with a conservative political slant, writes Jeffrey J. Guhin in America magazine (June 20-27). The top five Catholic sites are Catholic Exchange, EWTN, Catholic Answers, Catholic Online and New Advent, according to a December, 2004 report from www.catholicrankings.com. […]

It is becoming more difficult for the churches to remain at the forefront of dialogue with Islam in the West, according to a recent, unpublished report. From May 18 to May 21, the 25th meeting of the “Journées d’Arras” took place in Moscow. The name “Journées d’Arras” refers to a French town in which a […]

Buddhism in Thailand and Sri Lanka is finding new support and interest because of the relief role played by the religion during and after the tsunami, according to Harvard Divinity Bulletin (Spring). The success of the relief effort during the tsunami was due to the consistent support provided by the Buddhist monks. Temples became makeshift hospitals and […]

The conflict in Iraq may be moving along more sectarian lines judging by the new wave of violence striking the country, reports the New York Times (May 27). Recent killings of Sunni Muslim Iraqis have fed fears that the now ruling Shiite Muslims are forming death squads, ultimately leading to civil war and a sectarian society. While […]

Turkey’s attempt to steer a middle ground between secular nationalism and Islamic revivalism appears to be faltering, threatening both religious freedom and its much hoped-for integration into the European Union, writes political scientist Elizabeth Prodromou in the Brandywine Review of Faith & International Affairs (Spring). With the election of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) in 2002, […]

As more social scientists study religion, there has been a significant growth of new scales and measurements to gauge religious beliefs and practices– enough to make it difficult for scholars to communicate with each other. Science & Theology News (June) reports that it is especially in the burgeoning field exploring the connections between faith, spirituality and health […]

A “new fusionism” linking pro-life social conservatives and foreign policy neoconservatives is taking place based around the common concerns of traditional values and reasserting American moral purpose, writes Jody Bottum in First Things magazine (June/July). When conservatives speak of “fusionism” they usually hearken back to the marriage between libertarians and traditional conservatives in the 1960s over their […]

The public display of religious symbols and mottos has become the most contested church-state issue of recent years, with key battles being fought out in Congress as well as the Supreme Court. The Wall Street Journal (May 27) reports that a case involving the display of a cross in a national preserve in California is likely to […]

Popular Internet portals in China were flooded with comments and prayers about the pope on the day his death was announced, but they all had disappeared two days later, reports AFP (April 4). The companies running the website confirmed the censorship, enforced through the use of sophisticated technology, claiming that “religious issues are special” and potential problems […]

The trajectory of radical, “jihadist” Islamic groups indicates that they will increasingly target wider categories of groups, including Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims, perhaps limiting their appeal in the Muslim world, writes Quintan Wiktorowicz in the journal Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (March). The radicals belong to one segment of the Salafi or Wahabbi movement in Islam, which […]