(ANALYSIS) Former Irish President Mary McAleese argues that infant baptism violates children’s human rights by imposing church membership without consent. Critics respond that parents possess religious freedom in child-rearing, note historical and biblical defenses of infant baptism, and compare similar birth rituals across Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Religious traditions across cultures have often treated menstruation and childbirth as sources of ritual impurity. In Chinese Buddhism, the “Blood Bowl Scripture” condemned women to “Blood Pond Hell.” Today, women reinterpret these beliefs, emphasizing maternal sacrifice, agency and alternative understandings of female bodies.
Read MoreThe Rev. Erickson Mugo knows what it means to be a Christian living with a disability. “We have been called upon by the Lord to always proclaim peace and blessings in our homes and society,” he said. “When we encourage one another … we invest ourselves in doing good. May the Lord enable us to invest ourselves in our homes, villages and societies.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Over the past two decades, the concept of mindfulness has become hugely popular around the world. An increasingly ubiquitous part of society, it’s taught everywhere from workplaces and schools to sports programs and the military.
Read MoreUntil temperatures rise high enough and long enough to make roads more accessible, response to a winter storm stretching from Texas to the Northeast is going to have a more local focus, officials said.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Regular mindfulness practice has been linked to many positive health benefits, including reduced stress and anxiety, better sleep and quicker healing after injury and illness. Mindfulness can help us to be present in a distracted world, especially as we start a new year, and to feel more at home in our bodies and in our lives.
Read MoreNear the border with Mozambique lies Mount Darwin, a rural community 125 miles north of the capital Harare. The countryside doesn’t have much besides agriculture, but it is known as home to one of the famous hospitals in the country. Karanda Mission Hospital, operated by the Evangelical Church of Zimbabwe, has emerged as a beacon of hope.
Read MoreOregon was the first state to approve physician-assisted suicide in 1997. In addition to Washington D.C. and Illinois, the practice is legal for adults in California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Along the 2024 presidential campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to make in vitro fertilization, or IVF, free — part of his party’s wider push for a new American “baby boom.” In October, when the administration revealed its IVF proposal, many health care experts pointed out that it falls short of mandating insurance companies to cover the procedure.
Read MoreThe U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving pregnancy resource centers in New Jersey that have been fighting a legal battle to prevent the subpoena of its donor records.
Read MoreTwo soccer teams — each comprised of eight Muslims and eight Christians — faced off as a mixed crowd cheered. Only months earlier, 52 people were killed in yet another religious massacre nearby. Some of the players on the field had lost relatives in that attack. Yet, they chose sports over revenge.
Read More(OPINION) Earlier, I wrote a column about an adventure-filled trip I took to the ER. At the time I wrote that piece, I thought we’d solved the questions of what was ailing me. Well, not so fast.
Read More(ESSAY) Again and again, deadly incidents occur at Cuba’s largest garbage dump — sometimes from sudden eruptions of violence, sometimes from hunger or disease. But a group of about 50 locals, led by a pastor, have banded together to look out for one another. “Sometimes they kill each other over a piece of copper,” said one local woman.
Read MoreIndia’s Catholic educational institutions have become unlikely climate champions. Now, they are teaming up with other faith leaders in the “Green Revolution.” In fact, across India’s sprawling landscapes, Christian organizations are stepping up with urgency and creativity to confront the mounting challenges posed by climate change.
Read MoreBeneath a church sanctuary, a basement is filled with skeletons of over 40,000 individuals arranged in horrifying ways — it is like a scene out of a scary movie, but it is entirely real. For Christians, memento mori — a Latin phrase meaning “remember you must die” — is inescapable.
Read MoreAblution, or wudu, is often performed before prayer and involves washing the hands, face, mouth, nostrils, arms, and feet in a certain sequence with running water. “I always travel across Africa with work. Many buildings and public spaces have no wudu facilities. This makes most Muslims uncomfortable,” said one frequent traveler.
Read More(REVIEW) John Chau was an American man who died trying to preach the Gospel to North Sentinel Island, home to a tribe cut off from the outside world. The story captured the world’s attention — but a new film, "Last Days", recalls what happened, but was also a missed opportunity for secular-religious empathy.
Read MoreThis year's floods in Pakistan damaged houses, disrupted livelihoods and displaced thousands of families. The National Disaster Management Authority reported that since June 26, over 1,000 people have died. In response, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs were among the volunteers who worked together to establish medical relief camps and provide safe drinking water.
Read More(OPINION) “If you are there and you’re listening, I’d appreciate some help,” the writer prayed. The response was stone silence.
Read MoreIn the most recent Lifeway Research study, the youngest and oldest Americans are among the most likely to support physician-assisted suicide. Those 18-34 (56 percent) and 65 or older (54 percent) are more likely than those 50-64 (45 percent) to see the practice as morally acceptable. Men are also more likely to agree than women (54 percent vs. 49 percent).
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