Religion

Are anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism the same thing?

With the UK's Labour Party, the French Parliament, and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the US all at the centre of rows over anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, what is the relationship between the two concepts? Is either acceptable? Or do both words describe damaging and dangerous prejudices against Jewish communities across the globe?

Are Jews white?

In a landmark 2018 court ruling, Jews became a protected "race" under American law. This judgement was divisive. The case, in which a Catholic convert had been denied a job beause of his Jewish bloodline, should have been a victory for victims of anti-Semitism. Instead, many Jews saw its result as short-sighted. They argue that formalising racial distinctions legitimises racism. And that this approach is in the same genre of identity politics as the Holocaust. Others claim that categorising Jews as a minority ethnic group helps protect them against discrimination. Are Jews white?

Do we have a soul?

The soul as a concept is widely debated and has an array of definitions. It is broadly defined as the essence of our being, that which makes one who they are. It is normally considered beyond the physical world, and often eternal or immortal. For generations, humans have sought to explain the soul through religion, philosophy, and science, and there are countless theories and controversies regarding this question. Do we have a soul?

How will coronavirus affect religion?

Lockdown makes no exceptions for belief. In March 2020 the now iconic image of Pope Francis praying to an empty St. Peter's Square hit the headlines. For the religious, it soon became emblematic of solidarity in isolation. Mass gatherings are now out. Places of worship, prayer groups, pilgrimages, weekly rituals and door-to-door evangelism have now been outlawed in many countries. It may be many months before Covid-19 ceases to be a threat. When it does, how will it have impacted religion?

In the Da Vinci Code is Mary Magdalene at rest under the stars ? If so can people go visit the extraordinary site ?

I'm intrigued with the movie The Da Vince code. It have a new perspective of Jesus and his bloodline. I'm curious to known who are those among us with the Jesus-Mary Magdalene Bloodline ?

Is alien life a threat to religion?

When Copernicus and Galileo championed a heliocentric view of the universe, they were demonised by the Catholic authorities for fear of threatening their legitimacy. Would the discovery of alien life on other planets threaten the power and importance of modern religions in a similar way?

Is religion a force for good or evil?

Has religion done more good or more harm to humanity? This entry maps the positions on the question — that religion is a force for good, that it is a force for evil, and that it is inherently neither.

Is religion compatible with feminism?

Can a person be both devout and feminist? This entry maps the debate over whether religion is compatible with feminism, setting out the opposing positions that the two are incompatible, and that they can coexist.

Is religion detrimental to society?

Looking at cultures across the world and throughout history, you'd be hard-pressed to find a single one that isn't characterized by religion. Even today, in our progressive, post-Enlightenment society, religion plays a major role in our social institutions and moral codes. Of course, its continued influence begs the question-at a societal level, is religion a force for harm or good?

Is Salafi Islam compatible with secular Western cultures?

If you have read Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilisations or listened to Slavoj Žižek’s commentary on coexistence of cultures in the postmodern world (mainly the West); and reviewed the rhetoric of some Salafi Muslim clerics and European ecclesiastical leaders, you will be able to draw parallels in the sometimes subtle references to exhalation of “self” and denigration of the “other”.

Should religion be taught in schools?

Should religion be taught in schools? This entry weighs the arguments on both sides of the question — that religion should be taught, and that it should not — covering education, values, neutrality and freedom of belief.

Should we ban all religions?

Should all religions be banned? This entry sets out the two positions on the provocative question — that we should ban all religions, and that we should not — weighing claimed harms against freedom of belief.

What are the criticisms of Mormonism?

This entry maps the principal criticisms levelled at Mormonism (the LDS Church) — among them its historical priesthood and temple-admission policies, polygamy, the Adam-God and blood-atonement doctrines, the treatment of women, and the veracity of the Book of Mormon.

What are the fringe theories around Jesus Christ?

For the two billion Christians worldwide, Jesus of Nazareth is the son of God - a first century messiah who performed miracles before being crucified to atone for the sins of mankind. However, some claim that Jesus was something else entirely, and have developed conspiracy theories claiming he was anything from a hypocrite to an alien. Who, or what, was Jesus?

What are the positions on "the war on Christmas"?

This entry maps the debate over the so-called 'war on Christmas', setting out the opposing positions that there is a concerted war on Christmas, and that no such war exists.

What do Christians believe?

Of the world’s population of 7.8 billion, Christianity is the most widely practised religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers. Next in popularity are 1.5 billion followers of Islam and 900 million Hindu. There are many beliefs that Christians have in common. There are however, not unsurprisingly, also many differences in the more than 21,000 Christian denominations.

What is anti-Semitism?

What is God?

When people speak of God, what do they actually mean — a supernatural power, an energy, a substance, a spiritual father, or something else? This entry maps the competing conceptions of God: the fundamental substance, a thought form, a king, and everything that is.

What is religion?

What is religion, fundamentally? This entry maps the competing accounts of its nature — as engagement with a greater reality, as a spiritual dimension of life, as a form of cult, and as a descendant of magic.

What is the purpose of mythology?

From the Greek pantheon to the Roman Dii Consentes to the Nordic gods and goddesses, mythology has played a major role in human culture for centuries. Evidently, the stories these people told shaped their societies, worldviews, and day-to-day lives, but why did they tell them in the first place?

Who is the founder of Christianity?

Who truly founded Christianity? This entry maps the contending answers — Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul, and figures such as Abraham, Moses and James the Just — each argued to be the religion's real founder.