Christmas was banned in Boston, and the rest of Massachusetts, by the legislature of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1659. It was a criminal offense to publicly celebrate Christmas. The law declared, “whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way” would be subject to a 5-shilling fine. Shops and schools were to remain open on Christmas day. Churches were closed. This was the work of... Read more
The story of Wonhyo (617-686 CE), who was among the most important philosophers of east Asian Buddhism, begins with a folk tale. When Wonhyo was a young monk, he and his friend Uisang decided to go to China to study Buddhism. They lived on the Korean Peninsula in the kingdom of Silla, and to reach China they walked through forests and villages toward a port on the Yellow Sea. One night they were caught in a pounding rainstorm. They stumbled... Read more
Yes, there were Muslims in colonial America. Some of them — not all — were Africans sold into slavery. The slave trade from Africa to the Americas began in the 1520s, and it’s estimated 10 to 15 percent of the enslaved Africans were Muslim. Enslaved Africans were pressured to convert to Christianity, and those who continued to practice Islam had to do so in secret. According to the PBS series History Detectives, “There was an enclave of African-Americans on the... Read more
The wall of separation between church and state is in the news again. Recently Rep. Mike Johnson, the new U.S. Speaker of the House, told an interviewer that “separation of church and state” is a “misnomer.” “People misunderstand it,” Johnson said. “Of course, it comes from a phrase that was in a letter that Jefferson wrote. It’s not in the Constitution. And what he was explaining is they did not want the government to encroach upon the church — not... Read more
Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) was a pivotal figure in the modern history of Buddhism, both in Asia and the West. Much of the way Buddhism is understood in popular western culture today is thanks to Dharmapala. The story of Anagarika Dharmapala begins where an earlier post ends; see “Henry Steel Olcott: The White Buddhist.” Here’s a quick recap: Olcott and his spiritual partner Helena Petrovna Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875, and in 1879 they established the... Read more
Dorothy Buxton (1881-1963) was a peace activist in a time of war and a humanitarian to war’s helpless victims. During the First World War she worked to show Britons the humanity of the enemy. And after the war she organized food drives for the starving people, especially children, in former enemy countries. November 11 has been Veterans Day in the United States since 1954, when an act of Congress renamed the former Armistice Day. The original Armistice Day marked the... Read more
A new law in Louisiana requires posting “In God We Trust” in every classroom in every school, from elementary to college, in the state. The law went into effect August 1, 2023. It replaces a previous law that mandated posting “In God We Trust” somewhere in every school building. The law provides that the motto “shall be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least 11 inches by 14 inches. The motto shall be the central focus... Read more
In front of the main railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a golden statue of Henry Steel Olcott (1832-1907). Olcott was a U.S. Civil War veteran and insurance lawyer from Orange, New Jersey. And every year on February 17, Buddhist monks gather at the statue to lay a wreath and make offerings. Similar ceremonies are held in temples and schools throughout Sri Lanka. These are in grateful remembrance of Olcott, possibly the most interesting man you never heard of.... Read more
The ancient Druids are still leaving a mark on western culture. They turn up in countless novels, films, and video games. Their holiday Samhain, our Hallowe’en, is now a big deal in North America as well as in Ireland and Britain. There is a modern Druid movement that seeks to revive the spirit of Druidism, especially its reverence for nature, and I wish the modern Druids well. This post, however, focuses on what we know about the original, ancient Druids.... Read more
Hallowe’en, at least as it’s observed in North America, is a thoroughly Irish-American holiday. You may know that Hallowe’en began as the Irish Samhain (pronounced “SOW-wen”) observance, thought to be the day in which the veil between the living and the dead is at it thinnest. From pagan times the Irish lit bonfires and wore disguises during Samhain to keep away ghosts. In an attempt to co-opt the holiday to make it Christian, the Catholic Church designated the two days... Read more
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