Today is Lailat al Miraj for Muslims – learn more about the holiday on ReligionTranscends.com.

And stay tuned to Religion Transcends for more holiday explanations and religion news updates. Follow us on Twitter @religionblogger.

Created by ReligionTranscends.com, 2009

Filed under: Holidays, Islam | No Comments »

The following overview of Atheism was written by Religion Transcends writer Jackie Walker for the Summer 2009 issue of Relate magazine. Relate’s mission is to inspire teen girls to pursue their dreams with confidence and to teach them to be an example for others in their speech, life, love, faith and purity. Religion overviews may have Christian overtones to make the content relatable for the Christian teen audience.

Imagine a world with no religion:

No churches, no temples.

No nuns, no crosses, no Sunday morning services.

No Creator, no religious leader to set an example.

No prayer.

No Bible, no Koran.

No angels, no Heaven.

No Buddha, no Jesus, no Muhammad.

No Christmas, no Hanukkah.

For several teens in your schools and neighborhoods, this is life. Maybe they’ve never heard about God. Maybe their parents don’t want them to hear about God. Or maybe they used to believe in God but now they want nothing to do with religion. It’s likely you know many teens who just aren’t sure what to believe. And since they may be your best friends, your sisters, your classmates – it’s best to understand why they think the way they do. Maybe then you’ll be able to open up to them about what you believe.

What is an Atheist?

People who do not believe in a higher power are called Atheists, from the Greek word “atheos” which means “without god.” Atheists can be broken into two types:

1. Those who strongly state there is no God: Some Atheists in this group actively attack religions; others have examined religion and simply think it’s untrue.

2. Those who haven’t found a god they would believe in: Atheists in this group have looked at multiple religions and decided there is no particular god they believe is real.

Many Atheists believe humans can’t prove that God exists, that prayer works, or that Scripture is from God. They may also believe that religious people waste their money on churches instead of hospitals or are responsible for starting wars. Some Atheists do acknowledge the good works of many religious people.

Agnostics are similar to Atheists. An Agnostic is someone who isn’t sure whether there is a God and who doesn’t think we can really figure that out. In other words, Agnostics aren’t sure that Atheists or religious people have it right.

Most Americans believe in God

In the United States, how many people claim to believe in God? Here’s what the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life discovered when they polled Americans in 2008:

-71% are certain God exists

-21% are fairly or not too certain

-4% actively say they don’t believe in God

-3% didn’t know or refused to answer

When claiming religious belief or lack of religious beliefs, only 1.6% of Americans said they were Atheists. If these numbers are correct, there are around 15 million Atheists in America. But American Atheists, an organization for Atheist rights, claims on their website that the number is probably closer to 50 million Americans – many just don’t want to admit to they don’t believe in God.

What do Atheists care about?

Among the arguments and ideas most important to Atheists are the following:

-Science: Most Atheists reject anything that can’t be proven by science or with evidence. They might say, “Think there’s a God? Prove it!” Many Atheists believe that if we can prove God and Heaven don’t exist, then we can make the best of life here on Earth.

-Morals: Many Atheists say it’s still possible to do the right thing without religion. Atheists can still be moral and responsible and treat humans with respect.

-Equality: Some Atheists want equality between religious people and those who don’t follow a religion. In other words, they oppose “special privileges” for religious people, like being allowed to hang the Ten Commandments in a courtroom.

Where does Darwin fit in?

Some Atheists point to the ideas of Charles Darwin as proof that there is no God. Darwin was a scientist known for his theories of evolution and natural selection; this year marks Darwin’s 200th birthday. Born in 1809 in England, Darwin initially believed God created the world. But after sailing around the world collecting fossils and studying plants and animals, Darwin came up with a new idea: Each creature was not created separately but evolved from one type of creature. Darwin might say:

-A higher power didn’t create humans and monkeys. Rather, both humans and monkeys probably evolved from the same type of animal over time.

-Let’s say humans were originally born with 11 toes. A higher power didn’t create humans with 11 toes, only to later remove a toe. Instead, as each new human was born, her eleventh toe would appear smaller, the next human’s eleventh toe even smaller, until eventually no humans were born with an eleventh toe.

Darwin’s findings were published in a book called On the Origin of Species (for short); the book is 50 years old this year.

Darwin himself didn’t use his theories to prove there is no God. However, after his death in 1882, Atheists and others sometimes use his ideas to prove there is no God. As of early 2009, the Catholic Church now believes Darwin’s theories are probably correct. Still, most people who believe in God also believe that God played some (if not the whole) part in creating the world.

Do Atheists hate religion?

No, Atheism doesn’t mean hatred of God or religion. However, many Atheists have decided they don’t believe in God because they believe if there were a God, he wouldn’t allow evil in the world.

And yes, some Atheists do dislike religions. Perhaps today’s most popular, outspoken Atheist is Richard Dawkins, a British scientist who focuses on Darwin’s theories and actively attacks religious ideas. In his best-selling book The God Delusion, Dawkins wrote that God is bloodthirsty, unforgiving, jealous, a racist, and a bully (which of course ignores the parts of the Bible that describe God as loving, just, and merciful). Another of today’s popular Atheists, Sam Harris, says religions don’t allow for science and life in other places of the universe. While you may hear about Dawkins and Harris on TV, remember that not all Atheists despise religion. Unfortunately, Dawkins and Harris are just the two who have received the attention of the media.

Find other religion overviews on ReligionTranscends.com.

Created by ReligionTranscends.com, 2009

Filed under: Atheism, RELIGION OVERVIEWS | 3 Comments »

The New Encyclical

Last Tuesday, Catholic Pope Benedict XVI released his latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).

An encyclical is a letter from the pope that usually addresses doctrine and takes a stance on some idea or ideas. Perhaps the most famous encyclical is Humanae Vitae (1968), in which Pope Paul VI wrote about abortion, contraception, and so on.

According to The Examiner, Caritas in Veritate builds on Pope Paul VI’s 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio which discusses worldly progress and truth.  The new encyclical makes it clear that there is a black and white answer for everything – and there should not be any relativism when it comes to morals. It also mentions Humanae Vitae, upholding the “strong links between life ethics and social ethics.” He wrote that man cannot depend on social foundations alone – in other words, we cannot make our decisions based on the progress of the day. Decisions (whether we apply them to abortion, poverty, etc.) must be grounded in a respect for life and in morality. He wrote:

“When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good…By cultivating openness to life, wealthy peoples can better understand the needs of poor ones, they can avoid employing huge economic and intellectual resources to satisfy the selfish desires of their own citizens, and instead, they can promote virtuous action within the perspective of production that is morally sound and marked by solidarity, respecting the fundamental right to life of every people and every individual.”

Read the full encyclical on the Vatican website.

The Pope and Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama met with Catholic Pope Benedict XVI on Friday. Highlights of the meeting include the following:

–The pope gave Obama a copy of Dignitas Personae (2008), his encyclical that talks about the dignity of humans, including the unborn. The statement is pro-life and urges politicians to consider morals when making laws.

–Obama said he’d like to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S.

–CNN reports they likely discussed stem cell research.

–The two discussed the pope’s new encyclical (see above).

A Catholic Surgeon General

Today, Obama named Alabama rural family physician Regina Benjamin as the next U.S. Surgeon General.

According to LifeNews.com, Benjamin:

–is Catholic

–has urged future physicians to learn how to perform abortions

–is on the board of Physicians for Human Rights, which speaks out against illegal abortions

–received a distinguished service medal from the current pope and the National Caring Award from Mother Teresa

By selecting Benjamin, it appears Obama has chosen someone the pope approves of – yet someone who seems to support legal abortions. So has Obama really taken to heart the pope’s call to consider morals? What do you think?

Content created by ReligionTranscends.com

Filed under: Catholicism, Religion and Ethics, Religion and Politics | No Comments »

A resolution is on the table in New York City calling for NYC schools to adopt two religious holidays:

-Eid Ul-Fitr (the end of Ramadan)

-Eid Ul-Adha (which celebrates Abraham/Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God)

The NYC Council passed the resolution last week, which would seem to give two breaks to the 12% of NYC school kids who are Muslim. But the city’s Mayor Bloomberg is speaking out agains tthe measure. He doesn’t want to further shorten the schoolyear, which already includes time out for Jewish and Christian holidays. As of now it is unclear whether the resolution will be formally passed.

According to the New York Times, the holiday resolution has already been adopted by some school districts in New Jersey and Michigan.

What do you think? Should Bloomberg let Muslim kids have those two days off? Stay tuned for updates…

Content created by ReligionTranscends.com

Filed under: Holidays, Islam, Religion and Politics | No Comments »

The Islamic Society of North America is an association of and for Muslims in North America. The group draws something like 30,000 Muslims together every year at its annual convention.

This past weekend at the annual event, Evangelical Christian Pastor Rick Warren spoke, along with Conservative and Reform Judaism representatives who have recently formed partnerships with the society.

This marks a turning point for the organization. According to USA Today, Christian and Jewish groups have stayed away from the convention in the past, speaking out against hostility and violence committed by Muslims against their followers.

But the group has denounced terrorism and seeks two states for Israel – one for Jews, one for Muslims. The Islamic Society saw their convention as a chance to reach out and make peace.

Still, Warren’s appearance at the event may seem controversial to some…though it wouldn’t be the first controversial thing he’s ever done.

The Associated Press reports that Warren addressed the controversy in his speech:

“It’s easier to be an extremist of any kind because then you only have one group of people mad at you,” he said. “But if you actually try to build relationships — like invite an evangelical pastor to your gathering – you’ll get criticized for it. So will I.”

Warren urged Muslims and Christians to work together to tackle major world problems and to speak out against stereotyping of religious groups.

In other news…

Muslim and Christian relations haven’t been all sunny this week. In Pakistan, Muslims reportedly attacked 110 Christian homes.

Are you hopeful about the future of Muslim-Christian relations?

Content created by ReligionTranscends.com

Filed under: Christianity, Islam, Protestantism | No Comments »

U.S. President Barack Obama will be meeting with the pope in Rome on Friday. In preparation for his trip, he met with a group of religion reporters last Thursday.

Reporters represented Catholic News Service, the National Catholic Reporter, America magazine, The Washington Post, Catholic Digest, National Catholic Register, Commonweal magazine, and Vatican Radio.

Obama’s recent comments include the following:

- He “continues to be profoundly influenced by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago.”

- He plans to continue reviewing conscience clause regulations that allow people who are opposed to abortions to decline providing them.

- He wants to establish a good relationship with bishops.

- He is eager to meet the pope and hopes it will lead to continued cooperation.

- He receives a devotional prayer from his faith-based office chief every morning.

Find links to transcripts through USA Today.

Learn more about Catholicism on Religion Transcends.

Content created by ReligionTranscends.com

Filed under: Catholicism, Christianity, Religion and Politics | No Comments »

Beginning Sunday, the Uighurs in Urumqi (in Xinjiang province, China) marched about workplace discrimination. Peacefully. But the march quickly turned violent as Uighurs clashed with the Han.

Lost yet? Here’s some background.

Han: The Han Chinese are ethnic Chinese who make up the majority ethnic population in China.

Uighurs: Uighurs are an ethnic group of mostly Muslims who can trace their lineage to Turkey. They consider Xinjiang their homeland.

The province of Xinjiang was liberated from Chinese military/administrative rule in 1949, yet the autonomous region is still within the borders of China. Clashes with the Chinese government seem, thus, likely and unsurprising. China has accused the Uighurs of seeking independence for Xinjiang and have often called them terrorists. Others say the Uighurs are just peaceful Muslims who are being wrongly accused.

But Uighurs aren’t the only ones living in Xinjiang. Though Muslim Uighurs are the indigenous ethnic majority in Xinjiang, the Han Chinese have migrated into Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital city. So now the Han are the ethnic majority in Urumqi, in the midst of a province largely populated by Uighurs.

Last month, Uighur factory workers clashed with Han Chinese and two Uighurs died. The Chinese government is now accusing the Uighurs of instigating riots with the Han in Urumqi in response to last month’s incident. This week’s riots resulted in 156 people killed, more than 1,000 reportedly injured, and 200 buildings/260 vehicles damaged. The Chinese government knocked out all Uighur communication outlets including Facebook and Twitter, so the Uighur story is hardly being heard.

Did the Chinese cause the brutal riots by breaking up a peaceful protest? Or did the Uighurs really start randomly rioting, pulling people out of cars and beating them? Without information from both sides, it’s hard to make an informed opinion.

Content created by ReligionTranscends.com

Filed under: Islam | No Comments »

In May, we noted that PBS might remove its name from several U.S. television stations that were airing religious broadcasting. (Public stations aren’t permitted to air religious programming.)

UPDATE: In June, the PBS national board voted to ban any new religious programming from PBS stations. Stations that are currently violating the rule by airing religious programming may continue to air that religious programming. (There were only 6 stations in question.)

In March, we noted that Elected Episcopal Bishop Kevin Thew Forrester (of the Northern Michigan diocese) practices Zen meditation and is lay-ordinated in Buddhism. He has not, however, taken Buddhist vows nor does he consider himself a Buddhist. He claims to simply borrow practices from Zen Buddhism to guide his Christian meditation on God. But many Episcopalians were trying to prevent Forrester from becoming fully ordained as bishop.

UPDATE: In June, leaders of the Episcopal Church did, indeed, deny consecration to Forrester. Thus, though he was elected bishop, leaders did not confirm his leadership. He will not be a bishop. According to Christianity Today, this is the first time since the 1930s that someone’s election as bishop has been vetoed by denominational leaders of any Christian denomination.

Ann Holmes Redding was also defrocked by the Episcopal Church (and did not recant) for changing her beliefs to Islam.

Bookmark Religion Transcends today to keep finding religion news and updates of past stories. And watch us on Twitter (@religionblogger) for more quick news bites.

Content created by ReligionTranscends.com

Filed under: Christianity, Islam, Protestantism, Religion and Law | No Comments »

If you follow the LDS Church in the media, you may have heard a number of myths:

Blacks can’t be Mormons.

Blacks can’t participate in the Mormon priesthood.

Mormons are all racist.

Some are true. Some were true. Some are quite false.

Fair LDS has a great explanation of the history of the black race in the Mormon Church.

It’s true that Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) wouldn’t allow black members to join the priesthood. But that’s no longer the policy. The original policy, enacted by Brigham Young in 1852, was based on Biblical passages. The Church used those passages to claim that God had set aside the lineage of Cain (yes, Cain and Abel) as a cursed race — purportedly the black race.

Eventually the Church admitted that there is no such cursed lineage in the Bible – just cursed individuals, like Cain himself. The Bible does mention that Cain’s lineage became black, but it doesn’t say why. And it’s certainly not directly connected to Cain’s behavior. The Church reversed its  policies in 1978 under then-president Spencer Kimball.

The author of the Fair LDS article explains that keeping blacks out of the priesthood was, quite simply, racist and unnecessary. It would be wrong to generalize and claim that all Mormons are racist. In fact, founder Joseph Smith did not see reason to keep any specific races out of the priesthood.

Unsatisfied? Still think Mormons are racist as a group? Check out the Q&A section of the article for the Fair LDS response. It’s really quite interesting. It doesn’t excuse it. But it explains it away.

Want more? Their store has a DVD documentary about black Mormons.

Learn more about Mormons on Religion Transcends.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.com

Filed under: Mormonism, Religion and Ethics, Sects | No Comments »

Find quick tweets on world religions: @religionblogger

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »