First Female Bishop Ordained. On Jan. 26, 2015, Libby Lane made history when she became the Church of England’s first female bishop. She was ordained the Bishop of Stockport and serves in the Diocese of Chester, which is located in central England. The ceremony t…
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Religion and Marijuana. On Nov. 5, 2014, Alaska became the fourth state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, also known as cannabis. Some religious leaders and theologians are struggling with their stance on this issue. They are in the middle of a debate …
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A Divine Year for Religious Movies. Hollywood is not known for its affinity for religion, other than the worship of blockbusters. However, the movie industry seems to be changing its tune when it comes to making films with biblical themes. 2014 was a particularly p…
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Gods Love We Deliver. A bumper sticker advises: “Love people. Cook them good food.” Countless mothers and fathers follow this advice every day for their families. Chefs go to work to live out the ideal of preparing good food to please people at a very d…
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Ebola is still a serious problem in West Africa. According to a January 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) report, 8,810 of the 22,092 people infected with the disease have died. While the situation appears to be slightly improving in Sierra Leone and Liberia, t…
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Jediism largely evolved from the popular Star Wars movies. The observance of the “Force,” as well as the principles and philosophies of the Jedi knights, are the foundation of the religion. The followers acknowledge the importance of the movies on their religio…
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Beads in traditional Mardi Gras Colors
After New Year’s Eve, the next big party of the year is Mardi Gras. Also known as Fat Tuesday and Carnivale, the holiday takes place on February 17 this year. The celebratory aspect of this annual event is now the main focus…
Hate Crimes
According to the FBI website, hate is not crime. However, when someone commits a criminal offense that is motivated by bias against religion, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, it becomes a hate crime. The FBI recently released its annual report …
Recent reports on NPR and other media outlets have suggested that Buddhism is on the wane in Japan. It’s estimated that about 40 percent of the 77,000 temples in Japan will close their doors and cease to function over the next 25 years. For the record, that’s o…
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Religious Beliefs
The face of religion is changing. The Pew Research Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank based in Washington D.C., recently offered formal projections based on six years of research and data from censuses and population registers from around…