PaganSquare.com - WitchesAndPagans.com

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!

Welcome back to Faithful Friday, our weekly survey of religions from around the world. After taking a look at the diverse religions of India and China we've turned out attention this week to the country of Indonesia, the fourth largest country in the world by population and the largest Muslim majority country. In addition to Islam, Indonesia also officially recognizes four more religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Join us as we take a tour through all five faiths in the country.

Today, for Faithful Friday and in celebration of the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage we take a look at different faiths' view on the matter. Join us as we hear George Takei's experiences with both Buddhism and homosexuality, the ways in which American Muslims have reacted to the decision, and a Hindu's perspective from Patheos. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

China. The world's largest country by population, third largest by area, and second largest by production. What's spiritual life like in this rising power? Although the state publicly disavows religion and most of the population is officially irreligious, it turns out there's a deep current of spirituality and religion throughout much of the country, beneath the surface. This week for Faithful Friday we take a look at the religions of China, the Middle Kingdom, and where they stand today. Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and even new religions like Falun Dafa (Falun Gong), all this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

India! One of the world's largest countries and also one of the few which is neither Christian nor Muslim dominant. Today in Faithful Friday, we take a look at the different religions of this diverse and storied country, from the Hindu majority to the newcomers of Islam and Sikhism to the faded (but not forgotten) faith of Buddhism. Take a look!

Welcome back to Faithful Friday, faithful readers! This week we'll be looking at the intersection of religion and society as a whole, particularly in regards to how the law and morality comes into play. Is compelling a Christian baker who believes homosexuality is a sin to make a wedding cake for a gay couple religious discrimination? Or is giving the baker the ability to refuse a license to discriminate? How might you raise a moral robot? These questions and more are addressed in the following stories.

 Bangkok, Thailand. I stood viewing the sunset’s stream of pastel colors from the deck of my hotel after sitting in an airplane all day. I had departed from Vancouver, B.C. and my bottom was sore. My energy field was depleted because of tight seating arrangements and stifling conditions on the aircraft. I fell into a soft bed and asleep straight away thereupon though and when I awakened rubbing my sleepy eyes the next morning it was still dark out. I dressed, repacked my bags and grabbed a coffee at the hotel kiosk on my way to the waiting cab. I got in and in a few minutes I was at the airport once more and aboard Asian Airlines flight 399 to Kathmandu, Nepal, a place that my neighbour loved to visit and often talked about. I was going to Nepal to find my spiritual connection in an exotic place. The questing torch that I have held high for many decades burned brightly and I was excited to explore another powerful place on planet Earth. It was 1996 and I had just healed my ovarian cancer with the potato, Reiki and other dietary measures and was feeling robust. My husband was with me, he liked to tag along with his globetrotting wife. It was mid January, and our return tickets were for the end of March.