No images? Click here
Lead story
Editor's note:
A 1,000 person Shabbat service and “circumcised” hot dogs at the Milk + Honey tent. An Ash Wednesday service at the Religious As F–k camp with ashes from the previous year’s burns. A footwashing camp for dusty burners seeking rituals of peacemaking. While Burning Man is most famed for its hedonism, experimental drugs and nudity, the annual desert gathering has also always had its spiritual side. And, as Kathryn Post reported for RNS, in recent years, religious groups have been carving out their own space on “the playa” — Burning Man’s public square — offering judgement-free, radically inclusive rituals that seem to grow more popular each year. Burning Man, as one burner suggested, “creates a ritualistic environment” akin to a pilgrimage that can facilitate transformation. “It’s those elements of intense experiences that we don’t get much in modern experiences of faith anymore, but that can really move people emotionally.”
Religion News
Pope says a revised environmental encyclical will be released Oct. 4, feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Pope Francis says he will be releasing an update to his landmark 2015 environmental encyclical on Oct. 4, the feast of his nature-loving namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, as he called for an end to the “senseless war against our common home.” By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press
None of the speeches at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom were delivered by women. The “She Speaks” online assembly is intended to lift up the voices of women fighting for racial justice. By Yonat Shimron/Religion News Service
White Christians think too many people see racism when it’s not there, new survey finds
A new survey from Pew Research revealed once again how deeply divided religious Americans are when it comes to matters of race. By Bob Smietana/Religion News Service
France’s education minister bans long robes in classrooms. They’re worn mainly by Muslims
France’s education minister announces a ban on long robes in classrooms starting with the new school year, saying the garments worn mainly by Muslims are testing secularism in the nation’s schools. By Elaine Ganley/The Associated Press
Alumni grieve for Jesuit-run university seized by Nicaraguan government that transformed their lives
The Nicaraguan government described the Jesuit-run University of Central America in Managua as a “center of terrorism” and seized its property on August 16. Now many former students grieve for its closure and remember how it transformed their lives. By María Teresa Hernández/ The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Several countries across Europe are introducing new legislation to curb hate speech against religions, even as they get rid of older blasphemy laws. By Armin Langer for The Conversation
The Catholic community that Pope Francis will visit later this month has a complex history that goes back to the 13th century, when the Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan. By Huaiyu Chen for The Conversation
Iranian artists are showing renewed determination to promote freedom as a cultural necessity in Iran, even in the face of a government crackdown. By Pouya Afshar for The Conversation
In the success of the Chandrayaan-3 is a chance to build a more inclusive nationalism. By Murali Balaji/Religion News Service
Hindu devotees worship a statue of the serpent god, Nag, situated at the center of a pond during Nag Panchami festival, in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. Devotees believe that the serpent deity safeguards them from snake bites and protects them various misfortunes. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
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.
- The Associated Press Newsletter Hub
- Religion News Service newsletter sign-up page
- The Conversation U.S.'s daily and weekly newsletters
