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At Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, Muslim children sit in tents, pray, throw stones, and make seven circuits around a replica of the Ka’ba as part of a mock hajj, the traditional pilgrimage to Mecca. More
This Benedictine monastic community has had a chart-topping album but now it faces repairs to damage from Italy’s earthquake; Americans are increasingly dependent on their digital devices; and the ushers at Hemingway Memorial AME Church in Maryland serve a divine purpose More
“When a monk gives his life to God, he has to express that in a physical way, not just an intellectual way, and singing involves the whole body and the mind and the soul, and so it’s a wonderful way of keeping this relationship between God and the monk,” says Father Cassian, prior of the Benedictine monastic community in Norcia, Italy that was damaged extensively in Central Italy’s recent earthquake. More
“We’re at a moment where we’ve adopted a new technology,” says MIT technology and society professor Sherry Turkle. “We’ve been vulnerable to its seduction, and we’re also ready to say this has led us not to a good place in terms of how it’s affected our relationships. It’s time for a change.” More
“I am an usher because God has given me that talent, and he also has given me a blessing to be a blessing to others,” says Charles J. Brown. a senior usher at the Hemingway Memorial AME Church in District Heights, Maryland. More
Christians and Muslims share a meal together in an effort to overcome hate speech; Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty provides world-class heart surgery that even India’s poorest can afford; and a growing spiritual practice combines the breathing techniques of yoga and the joy of laughing. More
“Stereotypes lose their power because they’re replaced by true, authentic relationships,” says Rev. Josh Graves, pastor of the Nashville megachurch Otter Creek Church of Christ, describing his project of engagement between Christians and Muslims. “It’s very hard for people to care about people they don’t know. That’s just true of humans wherever you are on planet earth.” More
“I am very, very spiritual but I am not religious. I believe in the existence of God, and before I start an operation I pray to God, and after the surgery I again pray to him for taking me through the operation.” More
A growing new spiritual practice combines the breathing techniques of yoga with laughter. Practitioners say it helps them achieve joy and spiritual well-being. At a laughter yoga session at Washington National Cathedral, we talk with instructor Diane Cohen, who says laughter yoga releases “that inner essence that we don’t always let out.” More
Religious disaster-response groups are aiding victims of the worst natural disaster since Superstorm Sandy; Will other businesses follow in Dan Price’s footsteps and put purpose before profit; A Baltimore church runs a boxing gym as part of its ministry and neighborhood outreach. More