What does the word community mean to you? I don’t mean the dictionary definition, but rather what images, beliefs, and feelings does the word connote for you when you hear it spoken or see it on the page? I ask because I was surprised at how many negatives I had associated with the use of it. ...

Quite often, among our friends or acquaintances, there is someone who has astonished - or appalled! - us with a few magic tricks. The Ease of Learning and Performing Basic Magic Tricks Most children and adult libraries have a selection of books on the how-to of a wide range of magic tricks. These sh...

In 2009 the Hebrew festival of Purim falls on March 10.  Literally translated Purim means "lots" as in lottery and is a reference to a selection process of sacrifice used by the evil Persian ruler Haman, who ruled by the grace of the Persian king known as Xerxes I, to... read more...

Quite often, among our friends or acquaintances, there is someone who has astonished - or appalled! - us with a few magic tricks. The Ease of Learning and Performing Basic Magic Tricks Most children and adult libraries have a selection of books on the how-to of a wide range of magic tricks. These sh...

Why did Lahore, Pakistan, think it was different? And different from what? Much has been made about how Lahore was perceived as different since the brutal, daylight attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. The city’s history and culture are unique. The people are relatively diverse and there is ...

(continued from Part 1) The Gray Zone There is a “gray zone� between cultural practices that deny the deity of God and those that explicitly affirm it. This gray zone must be made clear, because the health and vitality of the church depends upon it. Cultural healing and spiritualism have a stron...

A GetReligion reader with an intense interest in history, especially in northern Africa and other regions bordering the Middle East, sent me the URL of to this haunting multi-media feature by CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson. Trust me, the text is enough. It is an interview with ...

I love stories, like the one about giving up Facebook for Lent from a few weeks ago, in which ancient faith traditions struggle with the advent of modern technologies. How did the 15th-century church view the advent of the printing press, for example? Well, we have another example of the genre—...

Alternative healing practices have gained an amazing following in the Seattle area. The reason for this may simply be the presence of my alma mater, Bastyr University, a leading institution in naturopathic, alternative, integrative, and Eastern medicine. I graduated from this school with a Doctorate...

Some of Sathya Sai Baba’s propagandists, and many devotees, strive to make it appear that an assertion disfavouring him is an assertion against Hinduism and India. In actual fact, a great many Hindus do not at all approve of Sai Baba at all, as anyone who has travelled extensively in India or...