Young people are turning to Jihad because mainstream religion is not “exciting” enough, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Justin Welby told faith leaders earlier this month that Britain’s religious communities must do more to provide an alternative to extremism which gives young people a “purpose in life”. He also warned against being too Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Faith’
Christians under pressure to hide faith at work
Tuesday, March 17th, 2015A new report in the United Kingdom claims that Christians feel pressured to keep their faith hidden at work. A public consultation carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission also showed Christians are being mocked by colleagues for being bigoted. Christians are also discriminated against when it comes to wearing religious symbols, the Read more
Cardinal Marx finds new evangelisation concept problematic
Tuesday, March 10th, 2015
The president of the German bishops’ conference has admitted that he has difficulties with the notion of the new evangelisation. Cardinal Reinhard Marx told the French Jesuit journal Etudes that he finds this “concept” to be problematic. The term “new evangelisation” was referred to by St John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio (33). Its application Read more
Relics and artifacts can help us ‘find Jesus’
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015
Why are we so fascinated with any historical artifact — relics, as some call them — associated with Jesus? Even the most suspect claim of a “lost” gospel or an “explosive” archaeological find that purports to shed light on the man from Galilee can generate a media frenzy, and gives believers — or skeptics — Read more
The Catholic difference
Friday, November 14th, 2014
We just happen to be Catholics, right? Does it make any difference what we are? Does being Catholic really, ultimately, mean much of anything? “So the power of deception, which is over others’ minds (symbolised by the invisibility given by the Ring), is an essential component to the power over others’ bodies and lives and Read more
The compatibility of faith and science
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014
An interview with Fr.Robert Spitzer, SJ, president of the Magis Center, about faith, reason, atheism, and Stephen Hawking’s “hogwash”: Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, Ph.D., 62, is president of the Magis Center (www.magiscenter.com), headquartered in the new chancery office of the Diocese of Orange, California. The center’s goal is to demonstrate that faith and reason and Read more
Factors contributing to the marriage crisis
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014
We are facing a global crisis in marriage. The factors contributing to the crisis are complex. They span generations and virtually every human institution: families, peer groups, schools, churches, work environments, law, and culture. As scholars and marriage advocates from around the world consider new initiatives to strengthen marriages and families, it may be helpful Read more
Rena is short for Makarena – Magdalene
Tuesday, November 4th, 2014
Being raised a Catholic under the shadow of her Maori grandmother gave her a strong spiritual foundation, says well known New Zealand actor Rena Owen. Her mother Cynthia didn’t fancy calling her Mary, so she got the Maori version of Magdalene – Maria Makarena – instead. “I’ve always, for as long as I remember, had Read more
US seminaries receive grants to put science in curricula
Tuesday, October 14th, 2014Ten United States seminaries across several denominations will receive a combined US$1.5 million in grants to include science in their studies. The grants were announced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Funding has come from the John Templeton Foundation, in an effort to bridge gaps between science and faith. Catholic institutions to Read more
Doubt and faith
Friday, October 3rd, 2014
Once I believed that when you found faith, it rarely wavered. Then I learned that even saints had massive doubts about God. How reassuring. If even the holiest of the holy had second thoughts, why not me? Maybe we Catholics should talk more about doubt. It actually is an intrinsic part of the pilgrimage, a Read more