I’m discussing Pentecostal Christianity tomorrow and might show this CNN clip about snake handling churches in Appalachia. Read more

Who is qualified to write the most unbiased biography of a religious figure like Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, or Muhammad? Is a biography of Jesus by a Christian more reliable than one by a non-Christian? A psychologist and reporter interested in politics and religion, Leslie Hazleton, just released a biography of Muhammad, called “The First Muslim.”  Even before the book was released,  many Muslims were suspicious and the book, according to the New York Times, “is …something to be defended against, in case... Read more

“Imagine driving from Northern Virginia to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and as you hit the state line, you see a large highway sign that reads: ‘Welcome To North Carolina: A Christian State,’ complete with an iconic image of Jesus on a cross,”  writes Rev. Barry Lynn  in the On Faith section of the Washington Post.   Rev. Lynn is executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in Washington, D.C. Rev. Lynn asks us to imagine... Read more

Ken Halla’s history blogs and this World Religions blog made the Washington Post this week. Here’s the story. Read more

In 2004, France banned headscarves “and other “ostentatious” religious gear” in public schools. In 2011, France banned full-face veils in public spaces. Now, France is contemplating a law that could restrict headscarves from private companies. Why the alarm?  A French court recently reversed a lower court decision that banned a woman from coming to work with a head scarf.  Now French President,  Francois Hollande wants a new law to extend restrictions on what Muslim women wear in the private sector.  Both the New York... Read more

Are the Muslim Hijab or Niqab examples of patriarchy? Although I haven’t yet taught Islam, that topic came up in class a couple of weeks ago so I showed this excellent clip that history and religion teacher David Korfhage tweeted. In it, three Muslim women explain why they choose to or choose not to wear a head covering and demonstrate that choosing to wear the covering does not necessarily imply patriarchy. The clip does lead to good discussion. Read more

Three months–just over 4,200 hits–here are the four top hits since we started in January. Face to Faith Video Conference How to Choose a New Pope Using Twitter to Find and Disseminate Information Timeline of World Religions Read more

If you want to see what compassion and humanitarianism looks like, then watch this video about Abdus Sattar Edhi called “Serving Humanity without any Discrimination.” It comes from the non-profit group, “Think Twice about Pakistan.”  It’s just 9 minutes. Read more

You don’t have to be a college graduate or a doctoral candidate to discuss the weighty issues of the world as this nine year old clearly demonstrates. Found it on Open Culture. Read more

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