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India, which is mostly Hindu, and Pakistan, which is mostly Muslim, are once again on the brink of war over the disputed region of Kashmir. Both nations have nuclear weapons. Hindu-Muslim tensions extend beyond Kashmir, though. Within India, where Hindus make up 80% of the population and Muslims make up 14%, violent outbreaks that began in February may already have taken thousands of lives. More
Part five of a five-part series: Concluding RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY’s five-part series “Exploring Religious America,” Bob Abernethy speaks with experts John Green, Robert Franklin, and Peter Steinfels about the findings of the survey. Topics include scandal in the Catholic church, spirituality versus tradition, America’s increasing religious diversity, and whether true interfaith understanding is possible. More
Part four of a five-part series: According to the Gallup organization, between 1984 and 1998 there was a phenomenal jump in the number of people who said they felt a need for greater spiritual growth — from 56 percent to 82 percent, in just 14 years. Part five looks at the many Americans, both religious and nonreligious, who have turned to alternative practices to facilitate this spiritual growth. More
Part three of a five-part series exploring religious America: There are more than 60 million U.S. Catholics, making them 40 percent of all the Christians in the country and the largest single group of American Christians. Part three examines the experience of being Catholic in America, and looks specifically at the Hispanic Catholic experience. More
Twelve U.S. cardinals and two bishops joined Pope John Paul II and other Vatican officials for two days of discussions about the sexual abuse crisis in the American Catholic church and possible solutions. John Paul told the group there is no place in the priesthood for those who harm the young. More
Part one of a five-part series exploring religious America: In partnership with U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY conducted a national poll on religion and spirituality in American life. Part one investigates the challenges and consequences of religious diversity in America. More
In COMMONWEAL Magazine, an independent Catholic journal, writer and scholar Peter Steinfels, a Catholic, takes a thoughtful look at the crisis in the Church and calls for changes to overcome it. Steinfels also writes the “Belief” column for THE NEW YORK TIMES. Watch his interview with Bob Abernethy on the scandal and how the Church can move forward. More
As American Catholics have reeled from the disclosures of past sexual abuses by priests, and evidence they were covered up, one of the questions raised has concerned priestly celibacy — abstinence from sex. Was that requirement a cause of the abuses? Is it necessary for dedicated ministry? Should it be made optional? More
A special report on the sexual pressures on pre-teenage girls. Parents, social critics, and many young girls themselves deplore it, but sex sells, so advertisers and entertainers use it to attract audiences. More
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