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Articles on Sacred

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A procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed by many Christians to be the site of the crucifixion and burial place of Jesus Christ. AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner

Easter 2024 in the Holy Land: a holiday marked by Palestinian Christian sorrow

A Christian Palestinian human rights scholar who grew up in Bethlehem writes about the special time of Easter, but also about the restrictions on Palestinian Christians.
American Muslim women on pilgrimage at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina in 2023. Iqbal Akhtar

Women can now undertake Islamic pilgrimages without a male guardian in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn’t mean they’re traveling alone – communities are an important part of the religious experience

A religion scholar argues that the communal nature of Islamic pilgrimage helps worshippers go through a physically demanding schedule and creates camaraderie that continues beyond the pilgrimage.
Many critique Disney adults as being victims of exploitation because Disney merchandise and trips to the parks come at a steep price. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Some people treat Disney as sacred. Does that make it a religion?

People are increasingly identifying less with religious tradition and are looking for meaning and identity in the things they love most.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File

What Israel’s new election reveals about the struggle over Jewishness

Young Haredim men, who are strictly observant Jews, have long been exempted from Israel’s compulsory military service. A disagreement over stopped Netanyahu from forming a government.
Muslims praying in a Chicago mosque following the shooting in New Zealand, on Friday, March 15. AP Photo/Noreen Nasir

What is the significance of Friday prayers in Islam?

Last Friday, Muslims were killed while praying at two mosques in New Zealand. For Muslims, Friday is the day of gathering, the most important prayer day of the week.
Emile Durkheim who taught at Sorbonne University is considered a founder of modern sociology.

Pioneering sociologist foresaw our current chaos 100 years ago

Emile Durkheim helped to lay the foundations of sociological thought and theory. He spoke of our current condition as being influenced by social structures and institutions.
Nick Cave performing with The Bad Seeds in Budapest in June. His song lyrics, with those often melancholy, churchy organ chords, are dripping in references to what might be called sacredness. Zoltan Balogh/EPA

Friday essay: popular music’s search for the sacred in a secular world

The enquiry into sacredness is not over, it’s just beginning for the 21st century, and in wildly disparate modes and places. In music, Nick Cave, Hozier and Dr G. Yunupingu have led the way.
An intricate crop circle spans a diameter of more than 45 metres in a barley field close to Barbury Castle near Wroughton, England, about 130 kilometres west of London, in 2008. The circle is noteworthy for its complexity, representing the first 10 digits of the mathematical constant pi, or 3.141592654. Lucy Pringle

Crop circles blur science, paranormal in X-Files culture

Crop circles are global phenomena gaining attention as paranormal culture becomes mainstream, along with a hybrid approach that emulates scientific investigation.
Sister Frances Carr, left, and Brother Arnold Hadd of the Shaker Village sing during a rehearsal on Sept. 13, 1995. AP Photo/Adam Nadel

Why the legacy of Shakers will endure

The Shakers prioritized harmony and a simple lifestyle. They were among the earliest proponents of gender equality.
Exterior of Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Elizabeth Tunstall

Re-illuminating the sacred

‘I deeply believe that design will meet its true promise when designers engage in design for the sacred.’

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