Videocast
Last year was the 75th anniversary of the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant near Palmyra, New York, a lavish outdoor theatrical production of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based on the Book of Mormon. More
The primary goal of the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, New York “is to reach out to people who might be curious about what makes Mormons tick…It’s really a non-threatening way to get some connection to this religion,” says Brent Hanson, artistic director of the pageant. More
Latin American liberation theologians, according to Rev Thomas Reese, SJ, say the pope may not use the words liberation theology, ”but he certainly talks the talk: his concern for the poor, his desire to empower the poor to take responsibility and to be part of the community—this is very important for him. He doesn’t use the word liberation theology, but his message is very close to it.” More
When Sikhs began to restore their gurdwara in Oak Creek, “I saw the spirit of chardi kala, everlasting hope and optimism, in the community,” recalls activist Valarie Kaur. More
“In more than 100 years of living and working in this country it was the first time the Sikh community entered national attention. It was the first time we stood in the national spotlight. It took a butchering for it to happen but it was a moment when the kind of love and support that was expressed was something that made Sikhs feel like they too were seen as fellow Americans.” More
“You can not have a peace without justice. So we learned to defend not only ourselves, we were taught to defend the defenseless,” says U.S. Army officer Major Kamal Kalsi. More
“God moves through the artist,” says Rev. Walter Smith, president of the HeathCare Chaplaincy in New York City, and the paintings, sculpture, and installations that result are “avodah”—a single act of both work and worship. More
“I think at the core of the anger, the root of it was sadness. The verdict really said to young African American males that you don’t matter and so that sadness and that continued rejection by society then led to the anger that then led to some of the behavior we saw in the communities,” says Rev. Romal Tune, founder of Faith for Change. More
In the wake of terrorist bombings by British-born Muslims in 2005, the British government set up an initiative called Prevent to engage with the Islamic community and to intervene before a person became radicalized. But many British Muslims feel that the policy amounts to religious profiling, and others have criticized Prevent for being misguided and ineffective. More
“I think Egyptians just rose up and said we don’t like the direction Egypt is going in. It’s not because we don’t love Muslims – most of us are Muslims – but we don’t like the idea of an Islamist Egypt,” says Kate Seelye, senior vice president of the non-partisan Middle East Institute. More