No images? Click here
Lead story
Editor's note:
With Christmas around the corner, celebrations have started all over the world: Families have put up their Christmas trees, gifts are being sent out, and not to miss – the Prince and Princess of Wales have released their official Christmas card picture. Some cultures, though, have surprising and unique traditions that tie back to the celebrations many Westerns know today.
In Japan, where Christmas started to be celebrated following World War II, revelers will be putting a Santa hat and beard on the statue of a popular god, Hotei, in Tokyo’s Maitreya Temple. Religious studies scholar Megan Bryson writes how the potbellied and jolly Hotei came to be viewed in some accounts as a Santa look-alike who can determine with the help of “eyes on his back” whether children truly deserve presents.
The story of Hotei’s Christmas transformation shows how religious traditions are often reshaped across cultures around the world.
Religion News
Psychedelic chaplains: In clinical trials, a new form of spiritual guide emerges
Spiritual care practitioners are being trained to support patients undergoing psychedelic therapy in clinical trials and decriminalized settings. By Kathryn Post/Religion News Service
Crisis of confidence over cardinal shakes Cologne Catholics
A crisis of confidence is shaking a historic center of Catholicism in Germany — the Archdiocese of Cologne. Catholic believers have protested their divisive archbishop and are leaving in droves over allegations he may have covered up clergy sexual abuse reports. By Kirsten Grieshaber/The Associated Press
Vatican cardinal sues a Canadian woman for defamation in a Canadian court after she accused him of sexual assault while he was archbishop of Quebec. By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press
With Warnock’s win, Democrats eye faith as a pathway to victory in the South
Once a faith-based activist arrested for protesting in the US Capitol, Warnock stands to elevate the various causes of the religious left — especially voting rights. By Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service
Mexico’s Virgin of Guadalupe pilgrimage returns unrestricted
Mexico’s largest religious pilgrimage for its Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe returned without restrictions for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. For two years, the multi-day pilgrimage had been cancelled or curtailed because the massive numbers of faithful presented a risk of contagion. By Lissette Romero/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
As Christmas approaches, Nativity scenes showing three wise men visiting the newborn Jesus are put up around the world. A scholar of Christian literature offers an explanation on their identity. By Eric Vanden Eykel for The Conversation
Hindu organizations need to cease the knee-jerk response of branding public discussions of caste as Hinduphobic and acknowledge the inhumanity, injustice and oppression of the system. By Anantanand Rambachan/Religion News Service
Morality police first appeared in Iran soon after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. But similar forces were present in parts of the Middle East even prior to the date. By Pardis Mahdavi for The Conversation
Traditional ordination into a Buddhist monastic life requires meeting guidelines based on male and female genders. By Jue Liang for The Conversation
The Dome of the U.S. Capitol Building is visible as Blanca Belloso of Laurel, Md., takes a photo with a camel named Delilaha as people participate in a live nativity scene on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Did a friend or colleague forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.
- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
