This weekend, Hindus around the world celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. For some Hindus, Diwali coincides with a special worship service for the powerful goddess Kali, who represents opposites such as life and death, creation and destruction. We spoke about Kali with Kamanashish Chakraborty, a founding member of the Washington Kali Temple in Burtonsville, Maryland. More →

October 24, 2003

RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY profiles Peter Steinfels — Catholic, THE NEW YORK TIMES religion columnist, and author of the book A PEOPLE ADRIFT. Steinfels discusses the challenges facing the U.S. Catholic Church, from the sex abuse scandal to ordination of women, which he fears may send the church into an “irreversible decline” if they are not acted upon. More →

October 3, 2003

Read biblical scholar and author Allen Dwight Callahan’s review of the film THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. More →

October 3, 2003

For the first time in 40 years, the “Greatest Story Ever Told” is being retold in a new round of films with religious themes. The first is THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. Visual Bible International, a faith-based media company, has produced a verbatim adaptation from the GOOD NEWS BIBLE — an accessible translation written in 1966. More →

October 3, 2003

Read more of Bob Abernethy’s interview with Thich Naht Hanh: Q: What is it that you teach, and that Buddhism teaches, that Christians and Jews and Muslims should listen to? A: I realize that many elements of the Buddhist teaching … More →

September 19, 2003

John Collier is a Texas artist who is making sculptures for St. Peter’s Catholic Church in New York. His life work is religious art, but these sculptures are a tribute to the events of September 11th. More →

September 5, 2003

With 2003 as its eleventh year, the program called Seeds of Peace brings together the children of people who are often enemies, so that they might learn what they have in common. So that they might one day fight for peace rather than against each other. More →

August 22, 2003

An exhibit at Washington National Cathedral celebrates what can happen when people of different religions live together in peace. It displays treasures from the Middle Ages in Spain, when Spanish Jews, called Sephardim, lived peacefully alongside Christians and Muslims. More →

May 30, 2003

Yom Hashoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day; a solemn tribute to the six million Jews put to death by the Nazis before and during World War II. There was a range of reactions to Nazi persecution — some people looked away, while others risked their own lives to help. Flora Singer survived the Holocaust as a child because of the heroism of Christians who protected her. More →

April 25, 2003

Christians say the 2,000-year-old Easter themes of suffering, redemption, and hope have enduring meaning. Author and ordained Presbyterian minister Frederick Buechner says he finds great reassurance in those beliefs, especially during a time of war and uncertainty. More →

April 18, 2003