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Times‘ Cutesy Guide Veils Humanity of Muslim Women

By Mariam Durrani

If you scroll to the bottom of the New York Times‘ ‘World’ page, beneath articles about British political parties, economic news stories, and other matters of international newsworthiness, you’ll find a peculiar section called: “What in the World.” Sandwiched between articles on cows belching in India and a cutesy rumination on nicknames for Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, you’ll find an article about what to call that thing on a woman’s hea…

Sacrifice, Suffering, and Rick Santorum

By Ivan Strenski

…at one’s principles—religious or not? Could it be, for example, that Santorum’s distrust of science, such as his opposition to evolutionary theory, dismissal of climate change and such has bled into his personal life? Did he sneer at medical statistics in favor of throwing up his arms in surrender to “Thy will be done”? Second, I simply cannot fathom why it would be so important for a woman of Karen Santorum’s age—48 years old—to have risked conc…

First U.S. Visit of the Virgin Mary Confirmed in Wisconsin

By Lewis Wallace

…th the presence of the Blessed Mother. In December, Bishop Ricken told the New York Times that the site’s approval is not connected in any way to the diocese’s various crises—but admitted that he does hope that the shrine will be a hopeful light. “People have a hunger for the spiritual, and right here in our backyard was a source to meet that need,” he says. Gather the Children Karen Tipps, full-time caretaker at the shrine, adds: “A lot of people…

In a Time of Irrational Fear and New Media: The Deadly ‘Dance Plague’ at 500

By Ed Simon

…temic collapse, endemic skepticism, new and more noxious nationalisms. Our new frightening politics motivated by similar fears and irrationalities, the ever-present specter of climate change and environmental collapse, the terrifying possibilities and hope of technology—all serve to turn our world upside down as the Strasbourgeois world had been. Where then is our Carnival? Or will we, like the dancers of Strasbourg, perform a paradoxical mimicry…

Overnight Sensation ‘The Rich Men North of Richmond’ isn’t Just a Window into a Forgotten America — It’s an Invitation into a Worldview

By Bradley Onishi

…for us? Anthony begins providing answers in the next verse: Livin’ in the new world With an old soul These rich men north of Richmond Lord knows they all just wanna have total control Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do ‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit and it’s taxed to no end ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond The first time I heard the song, the lines “livin’ in the new world/Wi…

‘Russkii Mir,’ the Russian Equivalent of ‘Blood & Soil’ Ideology at the Heart of Putin’s War, Explained and Rejected by Theologians in New Statement

By Daniel Schultz

…nderpinnings of Putin’s nationalist project. Steven Erlanger writes in the New York Times that Mr. Putin has repeatedly asserted that Ukraine is not a real state and that the Ukrainians are not a real people, but actually Russian, part of a Slavic heartland that also includes Belarus. This is the Russian World ideology, rooted specifically in the “one Kyivan font” of Christian baptism, which allows both secular and sacred leaders to minimize the a…

Why the World Needs Religious Studies

By Nathan Schneider

…cultures. Christians and Muslims were trading with each other during the Crusades, and Marco Polo made it to China centuries before Matteo Ricci, the Jesuit missionary. Traders have to know how to temporarily avoid inconvenient subjects long enough to get what they’re looking for. They learn to be careful around the sensitivities of others. Scholars of religion learn to do the same thing. Both, it could be said, are on the lookout for value. Busi…

The World is (Always) About to End, No Zombies Required

By Kelly J. Murphy

…se texts continue to live on all around us, whether we know it or not. Sometimes these afterlives are beautiful and inspiring; sometimes these afterlives are awful, created out of fear and some two thousand years of failing (often) to ask the right questions about the text(s) we are reading. I came to teaching zombies late in the game in the spring of 2014, when zombie courses had long been on the books at a number of institutions across the Unite…

Is ISIS A Sign of the End Times? It May Only Matter That They Believe So

By Haroon Moghul

…s literature, which is mined in times of grave crisis: the arrival of the Crusaders in the 12th century, the onslaught of the Mongols in the 13th, colonial subjugation in the 19th and 20th, and today, with the war in Syria and the crisis of Muslim societies in the Near East. Broadly, the outlines of (Sunni) Islam’s view of the end times go something like this: The age of just leadership, or Caliphate, will pass, the age of kings will pass, and the…

News Flash from World Net Daily: Easter is Pagan Holiday

By Lauri Lebo

…from the Culture Wars. Joe Kovacs, the executive director of the Christian news website World Net Daily, has penned a column arguing that Easter has roots in paganism. So, in addition to revealing that he is clueless about his own religious holidays (he’s only figuring this out now?), he also displays a stunning lack of consistency: The very first commandment of the Big Ten is perhaps one of the most overlooked in everyday life. In just eight word…