Religions Around The World

In the early morning hours, monks can be seen walking on their alms round in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Showing humility and detachment from worldly goods, the monk walks slowly and only stops if he is called. Standing quietly, with his bowl open, the local Buddhists give him rice, or flowers, or an envelope containing money.  In return, the monks bless the local Buddhists and wish them a long and fruitful life.
Christians Celebrate Good Friday
Enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad, India. Only 2.3% of India's population is Christian. 
Ancient interior mosaic in the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Istanbul, Turkey is a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church.
Dome of the Rock located in the Old City of Jerusalem
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure.
Holi Festival in Mathura, India
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors”,  Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons.
Jewish father and daughter pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
Known in Hebrew as the Western Wall, it is one of the holiest sites in the world. The description, "place of weeping", originated from the Jewish practice of mourning the destruction of the Temple and praying for its rebuilding at the site of the Western Wall.
People praying in Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The temple is dedicated to both Taoism and Buddhism.
People praying in the Grand Mosque in Ulu Cami
This is the most important mosque in Bursa, Turkey and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture built in 1399.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius
Located in Suzdal, Russia, this is a church rite of sanctification of apples and grapes in honor of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in Kyoto, Japan
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. Fushimi Inari is the most important Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
Ladles at the purification fountain in the Hakone Shrine
Located in Hakone, Japan, this shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine.  At the purification fountain, ritual washings are performed by individuals when they visit a shrine. This ritual symbolizes the inner purity necessary for a truly human and spiritual life.
Hanging Gardens of Haifa are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The Shrine of the Báb is where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been buried; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís.
Pilgrims praying at the Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and Golden Temple
Located in Amritsar, India, the Golden Temple is one of the most revered spiritual sites of Sikhism. It is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the shrine daily.
Entrance gateway of Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Kowloon
Located in Hong Kong, China, the temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim.
Christian women worship at a church in Bois Neus, Haiti.
Haiti's population is 94.8 percent Christian, primarily Catholic. This makes them one of the most heavily Christian countries in the world.

World Religions News

I Stopped Asking “Why Me?” and Started Asking “What Now?”

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” ~Viktor Frankl 

For a long time, my first response to difficulty was a single, aching question: “Why me?”

It surfaced whenever life took an unexpected turn—when plans collapsed, when effort didn’t materialize, when circumstances felt unfair and overwhelming. I believed that if I could understand why something was happening, I would somehow fix the situation and regain control. That the answer would soften the blow.

But it never did.

One experience, in particular, changed my relationship with that question.

I remember …

Mike Johnson says Rep. Andy Ogles’ anti-Muslim remarks reflect ‘popular sentiment’

(RNS) — A day after Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said on social media that Muslims don’t belong in America, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that although he questioned Ogles’ choice of words, he pointed to a widely shared sentiment among Americans.

“Muslims don’t belong in American Society. Pluralism is a lie,” Ogles posted on his X account on Monday (March 9).

Johnson told reporters at a congressional retreat in Doral, Florida, on Tuesday that he spoke about Ogles’ remarks with members of Congress and discussed what language they should use on the issue. Ogles’ selection of words, he said, is “a different language than I would use.” Still, Johnson said he believes his comments resonated with many Americans who view Islam as incompatible with American culture.

“There’s a lot of energy in the country and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Shariah law in America is a serious problem,” Johnson said. “I think that’s a serious issue. Shariah law and the imposition of Shariah law is contrary to the U.S. Constitution.”

Anti-Muslim rhetoric and claims that Muslim Americans are seeking to impose Shariah, or Islamic religious law, on the country have become popular talking points among Republican lawmakers recently, especially in midterm election races. Claims that Muslims are plotting to impose Shariah gained traction in the early 2010s, leading to dozens of anti-Shariah bills being passed in some states.

RELATED: New GOP caucus signals resurgence of anti-Shariah movement

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on X in response to Ogles’ comments, “Disgusting Islamophobes like you do not belong in Congress or in civilized society.”

Richard Grenell, who was appointed by President Donald Trump as special presidential envoy and executive director of Washington’s Kennedy Center, also condemned Ogles’ comments on X, saying, “Stop attacking the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

Ogles, who has represented Tennessee’s 5th District since 2023, has been one of the fiercest anti-Muslim voices among Republican lawmakers and announced his plan to introduce a bill in Congress that he refers to as a “Muslim ban,” seeking to limit entry to the U.S. for immigrants from some Muslim-majority countries.

“America’s moral exemplar is a meek carpenter who rose from the dead, not a warmonger with 12 wives and countless slaves. My bill will preserve this truth,” Ogles wrote in a Monday press release announcing the bill, disparaging Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

The 54-year-old lawmaker is also a member of the newly formed Sharia Free America Caucus, a congressional group that alleges Shariah violates the U.S. Constitution and that has raised concerns about the growing number of mosques across the country, which they see as a sign of Muslims overtaking American society.

Shariah, Arabic for “the path” or “the way,” reflects how God expects Muslims to live their lives. Anti-Shariah campaigns often flatten the concept of Shariah, which can’t be reduced to a set of laws, Khaled Beydoun, a law professor at Arizona State University, previously told Religion News Service.

RELATED: Anti-Shariah conspiracy theories, a staple of 9/11-era rhetoric, resurge around Mamdani

Ogles has made derogatory comments against Muslim Americans before. Last week, he published a video on X depicting an image of the Quran, Muslims’ sacred text, with a red-bolded caption reading “Islam = Incompatible,” presumably referring to the United States. 

“We’ve seen it across Europe — I literally was with leaders from across Europe and one of the things they talked about is that they are losing their countries to mass Islamic Muslim migration,” Ogles said in the video.

Ogles also repeatedly attacked New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Muslim faith throughout his campaign, arguing that Mamdani’s true motives were to impose Shariah in New York. Ogles also called for a Department of Justice investigation into Mamdani’s path to citizenship.

“I say NO to Sharia law — which is why I’ve presented an argument to have Mamdani sent back to Uganda based on information he clearly withheld,” he wrote in an October X post.

YidLife Crisis Brings ‘Swedishkayt’ — and Jewish Joy — to the Museum of Tolerance

The event — which combines a film screening with live comedy, music and nosh— offers audiences a chance to experience the pair’s distinctive blend of storytelling, cultural exploration and Jewish humor.

The post YidLife Crisis Brings ‘Swedishkayt’ — and Jewish Joy — to the Museum of Tolerance appeared first on Jewish Journal.

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