Topic: Belief and Practice
When Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah fall on the same day, the growing number of interfaith families who observe both holidays face an unusual challenge. We visited the Miller family in Takoma Park, Maryland, to find out how they’re handling this “December dilemma.” More
by David E. Anderson Christmas, more than any other holiday in the Christian calendar, seems to spark the poetic impulse — an impulse that began, as the Episcopal priest, professor, and poet Chad Walsh (1914-1991) remarked some years ago, with … More
A new report says this year Americans gave record amounts of private charitable donations. Another report says Americans donated nearly $3 billion to post-hurricane relief efforts. Yet nearly four months after Hurricane Katrina, the magnitude of the destruction is still difficult to comprehend. In the midst of it, many people here say the themes of Christmas are echoing in new and poignant ways.
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As the U.S. Senate prepared for hearings on President George W. Bush’s nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, the court heard arguments on a major religious freedom case. At issue is whether the União do Vegetal Church should be able to import a hallucinogenic tea it uses for worship, or whether the government should be able to prevent that as a danger to public health. More
Read more of Kim Lawton’s interview about faith and family in America with Nancy Ammerman, professor of the sociology of religion at Boston University. More
Read the comments of Father Mark-Ephrem Nolan, abbot of Holy Cross Benedictine Monastery in Northern Ireland, on the Irish Republican Army’s July 28, 2005 statement ending its armed struggle: The recent IRA statement is an important step on the … More
Every year in New York’s Central Park, the Buddhist magazine TRICYCLE sponsors a demonstration of Buddhist practices called “Change Your Mind Day.” More
BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: In Israel, there is a new flap about what’s kosher — in this case, whether hummus, the popular chickpea spread, conforms to Jewish law as set forth in the Torah if the sesame seeds that are an … More
Transcendental Meditation was widely popular 40 years ago: a technique for relaxation and awareness using certain sounds and ways of breathing, 20 minutes, twice a day. Now, it is flourishing in Fairfield, Iowa, the home of what is now the Maharishi University of Management. More
A Sikh ceremony celebrates the creation of the Khalsa — a brotherhood of Sikhs who publicly take a vow to follow a certain spiritual and physical discipline. More
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