The “great replacement theory,” whose origins date back to the late 19th century, argues that Jews and some Western elites are conspiring to replace white Americans and Europeans with people of non-European…
Category: Religion
The Jewish state is divided over the Jewish religion
Just when you think nothing can surprise you anymore in Israeli politics, someone always comes along with a new twist. This time it was Yitzhak Yosef, one of Israel’s two chief rabbis….
What is the Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’ aesthetic actually about? ‘Miserable tea’ and loneliness, for starters
On a recent visit to New York I stopped at a Japanese bookstore in Manhattan. Among the English-language books about Japan, I encountered a section of a shelf marked “WABI-SABI” and stocked…
Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans to legalize that in 2027 – a philosopher explains the core questions
Imagine that you have lived with an illness for years. The suffering this illness has caused is devastating – so much that you wish to die. You no longer feel like the…
Ramadan will be difficult for those in Gaza or other war zones – what does fasting mean for those who might be already starving?
Ramadan in the Gaza Strip this year will be anything but “normal.” Malnutrition and disease are claiming dozens of lives. The Gaza Health Ministry said on March 6, 2024, that at least…
What is a frozen embryo worth? Alabama’s IVF case reflects bigger questions over grieving and wrongful death laws
In the weeks since the Alabama Supreme Court held that embryos are “unborn children” under one state law, most attention has been focused on in vitro fertilization – whether the decision imperils…
Cherry blossoms – celebrated in Japan for centuries and gifted to Americans – are an appreciation of impermanence and spring
Cherry blossoms mark the beginning of spring. Various festivals are regularly organized in California, Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee and Washington, D.C., to celebrate the bloom of cherry trees. The blossoms, however, are short-lived…
From anime and sci-fi to rom-coms, films are full of faith in unexpected places
In some movies, religion hits viewers over the head – including films that take home the industry’s biggest prizes. No one could miss religion’s importance in “The Exorcist” or “Jesus Christ Superstar,”…
Tattooing has held a long tradition in Christianity − dating back to Jesus’ crucifixion
Holy Week and Easter are perhaps the most important days in the Christian calendar. Many associate those celebrations with church services, processions, candles, incense, fasting and penances. However, there is another tradition…
From ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ to ‘Silence,’ faith is rarely far off in his films
A widely circulated still from the set of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” shows the director sitting in a church pew. Next to him is Lily Gladstone, who…