The Pew Research Center for the Religion and Public Life Project compares religious diversity in different parts of the world in this map. You can immediately see, for example, that Canada is more diverse than the United States, as is parts of Asia and the Pacific. The study focused on the five major religions, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism which, the Pew Center notes, make up over 3/4 of the worlds population. The chart below shows the degree of... Read more

The Biblical story of Noah was not the first and certainly not the only flood story ever written. As Ingrid Lilly, a visiting scholar at Pacific School of Religion, writes in an essay for Religion Dispatches, at least five other flood stories predate Noah. Do you know all the stories? Here are the ones Lilly outlines. The earliest flood story comes from the Sumerian creation myth and star the gods An, Enlil, Enki. As Lilly notes, “this story sets the... Read more

Do westerners and easterners have different ideas about spirituality and sexuality? William Darlymple, who has written a number of books about India, argues that they do in this fascinating story for BBC News Magazine called “A Point of View: The sacred and sensuous in Indian art.”  He considers the caves of Ajanta to prove his argument. Considered one of the ancient wonders of India, the caves at Ajanta are famous for their colorful murals which tell Jataka stories of the... Read more

Calvinism is making a comeback today, according to this clip from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. It’s based on the doctrine of predestination which was popular in colonial times. It was formulated  by the Swiss theologian, John Calvin, during the Reformation in the early 1500’s. Calvin set up a model community in Geneva that was controlled by the clergy. This church-run government or theocracy included simple services without music. Here’ what Calvin says about predestination. “We call predestination God’s eternal decree,... Read more

Did you know that Lalibela, a small town in northern Ethiopia, is known as the Jerusalem of Ethiopia and that it’s home to 11 amazing rock-hewn churches? Fikru Woldegiorgis, a guide who has lived there most of his life, tells CNN that “it is one of the very important places for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church people.” He notes that “there is a belief that Lalibela pilgrims share the same blessing as pilgrims to Jerusalem. They have to come at least... Read more

Mediation is about much more than healing. Above all, it’s about enlightenment, according to Hwansan Sunim, a Harvard educated Korean-American Buddhist monk. Sunim is a Zen Buddhist and studied under the preeminent Korean master, Ven. Songdam. In the first 10 minutes in the the video above, Sunim explains how he came from Korea to Harvard and back to Korea to study Zen Buddhism and back to the US to share the teachings of Seon Buddhism. It’s a fascinating story that... Read more

Here, in this excellent Ted Talk, Ziauddin Yousafzaithe, Malala’s father, discusses the limited role of women in Pakistan. It is, in many ways, an impassioned plea for women’s rights. He says that he has five sisters and that none of them have an education and decided that he had to change that with his daughter. He begins his talk noting that he is one of few fathers known by his daughter and says that he is proud of it. Read more

Wow! According to Pew Research, almost one in ten countries have police that “enforce religious norms.” That’s 17 countries! In Saudi Arabia, for example, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, now called the Muttawa, “impose a government-approved moral code on residents of the country.” They enforce gender segregation, control alcohol distribution, and ban women from driving. Read more

Here Simon Schama, author of the new book, The Story of the Jews, talks with Religion and Ethics Newsweeklyabout the new PBS series that’s based on the book. It’s a great overview. Here’s the link to the PBS Series. It has some great links worth exploring if you’re studying Judaism. There’s a clip on the New York diaspora and another about Jews under Islam. The PBS Series begins on March 25. Read more