In this superb talk, Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie eloquently discusses the dangers of cultural preconceptions.  With no overlapping stories to change these preconceptions, these single stories can be definitive. “Show a people one thing over and over,” she says, “and that is what they will become.”   Start the story of the native Americans with arrows, and not with the arrival of the British, and you begin a single story that defines a people.  Or, start  the story with... Read more

How do religions change when they move far away from their birthplace? Chinese Buddhism is different than Japanese Buddhism.  And, according to this article from the Huffington Post, American Janism is quite different from Indian Janism. That’s because young American Jains, according to this story from the Huffington Post, are reinterpreting “the traditions of their religion for 21st century life.” Jainism is an ancient Indian religion with some similarities to Buddhism. Like Buddhists, Jain monks and nuns do not form attachments. They... Read more

Studying Buddhism?  Here’s an interesting story about the Buddhist tradition of  “Dana.”  That tradition forced this American Buddhist, Wes Nisker, to eventually supplement his income with comedy. According to the NY Times,  Nisker grew up as a Jew in Nebraska. In the late 60’s and 70’s,he studied Buddhism and meditation in India, Myanmar, and Thailand. In the United States, he traveled the Buddhist circuit and taught mediation, for free,  practicing  the Buddhist tradition of Dana or generosity. Needing to earn... Read more

Here are great one minute summaries of most world religions. Below, you find Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism. You can find a few others here. I embed them on Blackboard for the kids to watch as a quick review or even as an overview introduction.   Read more

Hunter Schwarz at Buzzfeed, mapped out the religions of all the members of the House of Representatives. The map above shows all the different religions of the House members but if you go to the Buzzfeed site, you can see a map for each religion alone, like the one below for Catholic members. And here is a breakdown in list form. Looks like the majority are Catholic. Read more

You’ve probably heard of the Bible app–the app that lets you download a version of the Bible onto your mobile device. What you probably don’t know is the interesting story of how it was developed. Rev. Bobby Gruenewald, pastor of an Oklahoma-based megachurch called LifeChurch.tv, first developed the idea for the app while waiting for a plane at an airport and wishing he had his Bible to pass the time. He flew home and registered a domain name called youversion.com. The... Read more

Do you know which faith is most compatible with your religious beliefs? Belief-O-Matic does. Just create an account, answer the questions, and Belief-O-Matic will tell you which faith is most compatible.  It’s a fun activity for students when we begin our World Religions class. Read more

Want to review the events in Egypt with your students?  Here’s a nice review of Mursi’s ouster and the subsequent events from Reuter’s Faith World. And here’s a clip from the BBCon how the Egyptian military grew so strong. Thanks to F.C. Tymrak for tweeting the link. Read more

Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the world but its numbers are shrinking. One cannot convert to Zoroastrianism. You have to be born into it, which explains why the numbers are dwindling to about 200,000. This clip above comes from BBC News. Read more

Reverend Weber is the Lutheran pastor of the house for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado and one of the five women in religion to watch, according to this CNN articleby Sarah Sentilles. Not only is Weber changing what pastors look like because of all her tattoos, she’s also changing what the church looks like. Hers is all about social justice and is “irreverent and progressive.”  For example, according to Sentilles, “You can even buy a church T-shirt with... Read more