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May 2024

May 17, 2024
The relationship of church and state is one of the vexing issues of our time. ...
May 10, 2024
Let's talk about "spiritual but not religious." Certainly you are free to call yourself that,...

April 2024

April 17, 2024
The Great Disappointment is the name given to a time when the world as we...
April 11, 2024
The recent solar eclipse visible in North America inspired much social media commentary about the...
April 04, 2024
"Dr. Livingstone, I presume." The famous encounter between journalist Henry Morton Stanley and missionary David...

March 2024

March 12, 2024
The empress Wu Zetian (624-705) was one of China's greatest rulers. She is also known...
March 07, 2024
How close is the new Shogun miniseries (not to be confused with the old one...

February 2024

February 29, 2024
One of the most iconic images of the 20th century is the photograph of a...
February 26, 2024
The recent consternation about frozen zygotes, in vitro fertilization and "fertilized egg personhood" laws made...
February 20, 2024
By "peak Jesus" I mean that there may be a limit to how much Christianity...
February 14, 2024
William I, Prince of Orange (1533–1584), is remembered as a champion of religious freedom. He...
February 08, 2024
I've been writing about Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries, and before moving on...
February 04, 2024
Christianity was banned in Japan in 1614. This was about 65 years after it had...
February 03, 2024
The 26 martyrs of Nagasaki were Christian missionaries who were crucified in Nagasaki, Japan, on...

January 2024

January 26, 2024
Why are there more nones? The "nones," you probably know, are people who have no...
January 21, 2024
The Thai Forest Tradition, or more formally the Kammaṭṭhāna Forest Tradition of Thailand, is a...
January 17, 2024
U Dhammaloka (1856–1914, maybe) was (possibly) the first westerner to become an ordained Buddhist monk....
January 11, 2024
This is the story of the Vipassana Movement, which began in 19th century Burma --...
January 02, 2024
Will there be Christian public schools in the U.S.? Recently Heidi Przybyla reported for Politico...

December 2023

December 18, 2023
The commercialization of Christmas is something both endorsed and lamented. Many people imagine Christmas to...
December 14, 2023
Christmas was banned in Boston, and the rest of Massachusetts, by the legislature of the...
December 02, 2023
The story of Wonhyo (617-686 CE),  who was among the most important philosophers of east...

November 2023

November 27, 2023
Yes, there were Muslims in colonial America. Some of them -- not all -- were...
November 19, 2023
The wall of separation between church and state is in the news again. Recently Rep....
November 16, 2023
Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) was a pivotal figure in the modern history of Buddhism, both in...
November 09, 2023
Dorothy Buxton (1881-1963) was a peace activist in a time of war and a humanitarian...
November 06, 2023
A new law in Louisiana requires posting "In God We Trust" in every classroom in...
November 04, 2023
In front of the main railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a golden statue...

October 2023

October 29, 2023
The ancient Druids are still leaving a mark on western culture. They turn up in...
October 25, 2023
Hallowe'en, at least as it's observed in North America, is a thoroughly Irish-American holiday.  You...
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