Signs & Portents
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Pagan News Beagle: Faithful Friday, August 14
What does the future of Hinduism hold? Who are Soka Gakkai and what role do they play in American Buddhism? And can Zoroastrian women be priests? This week on Faithful Friday we take a look at all of these questions, examining the continually evolving nature of religion in our immense and diverse world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
What does the past tell us about Hinduism's future? Anantanand Rambachan, a Hindu writer for The Huffington Post and the author of A Hindu Theology of Liberation offers one perspective, considering how the suffering of Hindus under British colonial rule gave rise to today's Hindu pride. But, Rambachan writes, Hindus shouldn't let their new-found self-respect blind them to the values of vinaya (humility) and self-criticism.
It's commonly regarded that American politicians, at least compared with their European equivalents, are remarkably religious. But does religion really drive politics in the United States? Bloomberg View takes a closer look at the complex intersection of religious belief and political ideology in the U.S. and how policies often really flow from both directions.
The Japan-based Soka Gakkai is among one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the world, with over 12 million members. But what's it like to be a member in America? At Patheos, William Aiken shares his experience both as an American Buddhist as well as his role a public affairs officer for Soka Gakkai.
Is the rise of the Hindu right in India a threat to the country's heritage of political secularism? That's the perspective of Shanoor Seervai, writing for The Daily Beast about the various different ways that the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is clamping down on non-Hindus' activities in the country, from banning beef to rewriting textbooks to even compelling conversion.
Traditionally Zoroastrianism, like many religions, has restricted the elite of the priesthood to men. But could that be changing? Middle East Eye takes a look at one Zoroastrian group in southern Iran that's expanding the ranks of the magi to include women.
Top image by Kurosh Niknam
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