A majority of schools in Africa used to be faith-inspired, but their share has dropped with the expansion of public facilities. Today, such schools’ average market share is probably around 15 percent (slightly more than secular private schools), although there are variations in schools from one country to another, with some growing at a faster […]
Demands for complete control over the Temple Mount growing among religious Jews
While such news is unlikely to be peace-promoting in the current context in the Middle East, a growing number of religious Jews, primarily among religious Zionists, but also some Orthodox, feel that visits to the Temple Mount are permissible and that the Temple should be built on what has been for centuries a Muslim holy […]
Saudi Arabia’s religious scholars and jihadism: a dilemma for government
The Saudi system and its legitimacy are based on an alliance between the royal family and the religious scholars and preachers belonging to the Wahhabite school of Islam. But new rifts have emerged between those partners over the influence of jihadism, according to the geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor (July 30). A total of 100 imams, […]
The bewitching of Romanian politics
Paranormal and occult beliefs and practices are increasingly prominent in the media in Romania and are even playing a role in politics, writes Doru Pop in the online Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies (Summer). There has been a long history of mystical and occult influences in politics in Romania—from the fascist Legion […]
Polish Catholicism facing dissent, secular pressures
A special report on Poland in The Economist (June 28) finds a robust economy but a more divided and less vital religious sector. The magazine reports that the Catholic Church’s unifying role while promoting dialogue on issues such as Jewish-Christian relations and democracy in the past has been eclipsed by a fear of dissent from […]
Current Research: August 2014
01: In a paper delivered at the CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions) conference at Baylor University (Waco, Texas) in early June, J. Gordon Melton analyzed atheist groups as organizations similar to new religious movements (without a supernatural component) and the new public presence of atheism on the American scene. Actually, the percentage of […]
Competition stirring for religious TLDs on the Internet
While a number of new generic top-level domains (TLDs) on the Internet are likely to end up as failures due to the sudden proliferation of options for users (with .com possibly continuing to enjoy a dominant position anyway), the launching of some new religion-related TLDs may help some religious groups to increase their online profile. […]
Religious editors and sources battle on Wikepedia
Religion has become one of the most contested and “vandalized” topics on Wikipedia, the collaboratively edited online encyclopedia. In a July 24 Religion News Service article (with support by Google), Sarah Pulliam Bailey notes that religion is among several of the top 100 altered topics on Wikipedia. She cites a recent list by the FiveThirtyEight […]
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ recruitment efforts extend beyond doorstep
Jehovah’s Witnesses are moving beyond their traditional strategy of door-to-door evangelism as they seek to reach a wider base of potential converts through a more non-confrontational approach. A BBC News article (July 7) reports that a strategy pioneered in New York City three years ago where the Witnesses distribute literature at train stations and other […]
Younger Muslims press for changing of the guard in American Islamic activism, advocacy
The rising generation of American Muslim leaders are taking a more assertive stance in activism and advocacy on civil rights issues, according to a report by the Middle Eastern news service Al Jazeera (July 24). The recent “iftar” or annual consultation between U.S. Muslim leaders and President Obama met with a wave of criticism from […]
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