1+ week, 4+ day ago   (280+ words) (ANALYSIS) Ultra-Orthodox Jewish families are among the most distinctive and increasingly influential communities in Israeli society. Their growing presence is visible not only in the streets, where large families and traditional dress make them immediately recognizable, but also in politics,…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (803+ words) (ANALYSIS) Hundreds of pilgrims traveling to Mount Kailash were among those affected by devastating floods that struck the Nepal–Tibet border on Aug. 26. The floods destroyed the border crossing most commonly used to reach what is arguably the most revered…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (350+ words) Most practicing Jews in the United States fall into one of three categories. 

 There are the Orthodox Jews, who are committed to following Jewish law to the letter and who uphold all the traditions set by rabbis over the centuries....

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (719+ words) (TRAVEL) I recently returned from leading an educational program in Thailand focusing on how Buddhists practice the religion in their day-to-day lives. The participants — Buddhist practitioners from North America and Europe — wanted to deepen their understanding and practice of the…...

3+ week, 3+ hour ago   (741+ words) The Chinese Communist Party imprisoned Pastor John Cao for seven years because of his Christianity, advocates say, then confiscated his passport to prevent him from returning to his American wife and family in North Carolina. Cao, who holds permanent U.S. residency,…...

3+ week, 9+ hour ago   (841+ words) (ESSAY) Before a shrine of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha lay a white Spitz, her lifeless body wrapped in a gold “dharani blanket” covered in Sanskrit and Chinese. To the left, a wall was stocked with Buddhist and Taoist offerings, to be burned....

3+ week, 3+ day ago   (556+ words) (ANALYSIS) The Iranian government seized control of the historic St. Peter Evangelical Church in August 2026, despite repeated warnings from U.N. human rights experts and international Christian organizations, revealing a broader pattern of violence against religious minorities in Iran. Through the framework…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago   (496+ words) (ANALYSIS) Cardinals, archbishops and bishops have many ways to communicate with Vatican officials, and even with the pope himself, outside of occasional personal meetings. In the digital age, one blunt way to reach Pope Leo XIV is to write a…...