In the context of the ongoing Tunisian revolution, an authoritarian restoration seems unlikely, but besides the organization of the political scene becoming more pluralistic, questions are raised about the ways in which the religious field can be restructured, considering the changes brought about by the years of former President Ben Ali’s rule. Under President Bourguiba […]
On/File: November/December 2010
01: A recent controversy about women rabbis in Orthodox Judaism has helped create a new rabbinical council, known as the International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF), and has fanned the flames of a reform movement in Orthodoxy. The fellowship is one of part of a network of groups and yeshivas that seek to create a more egalitarian […]
Findings & Footnotes: November/December 2011
01: The November issue of First Things magazine features a survey that attempts to rate the strength of religion in U.S. colleges. The survey’s ratings, based on informal surveys of students and such “objective” factors as whether religion majors are offered and religious associations are active on campus, are likely to be contested, yet they […]
African independent churches and the spirit of development in South Africa
African independent churches (AICs) are among the fastest growing sector of Christianity in South Africa, but it is only recently that their significant role in development is being grasped, writes Barbara Bompani in the current issue of the Journal of Religion in Africa (No. 40). AICs, representing one-third of the population of South Africa, blend African […]
Most religious Pakistanis not supportive of violence in the name of Islam
In recent years, Pakistan has been especially associated with terrorist activities allegedly motivated by Islam. However, a recent analysis published in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism (September) shows that most Pakistanis do not approve of such actions, although those with extreme Salafi views tend to show more understanding of Islamically motivated acts of violence. Co-authors […]
Opting out and switching churches made easy in Europe
Membership in state churches in Europe, often involving paying a church tax, is sometimes portrayed as a static condition that one escapes only in death. But the practice of opting out of membership and church taxes is not only becoming easier, but more people are exercising a degree of choice on the matter. The Helsinki-based […]
Emerging schism in the Serbian Orthodox Church?
Conflicts over the suspension of a popular bishop may be bringing the Serbian Orthodox Church close to the brink of schism, according to several reports. The former Orthodox bishop of Kosovo, Artemije, who was deposed from his position last May, has been reduced to the status of a monk by a decision of the majority […]
Religious music develops its own niche in secular Europe
Europe may be secularized, but a paradox is that religious music by members of the clergy or religious orders seems to be enjoying wide popularity, reports the Catholic news agency APIC (Nov. 19). A group of three French priests stayed at the top of French hit parade for nine weeks and sold 500,000 CDs. In […]
Knights of Columbus facing decline in Canada
With 75 percent of their members above the age of 51, the Knights of Columbus in Quebec are experiencing a slow decline—a trend that is also seen in other parts of Canada, reports the Swiss-based international Catholic news agency APIC (Nov. 28). A Catholic fraternal organization with a worldwide membership of 1.7 million, the Knights […]
Religious fervor at low ebb in mid-term elections
The religious divide so evident in previous elections did not make much of an appearance in the recent U.S. mid-term political contests. The Christian Century (Nov. 30) reports that the Democrats’ strategy of inserting religion into the 2008 elections and capturing a segment of Catholics and some white Protestants was largely absent last month. Liberal […]
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