Religion news is a beat in its own right. At the same time, religion as a category is not independent or sui generis. It is implicated in politics, society, science, culture, and many other fields of understanding, study, and news. The religion news this week comes from a variety of sources covering it from a variety of […]
Lies, lies, and other religious news. Religion news isn’t all bad. Nor is it all good. This week’s news tends to lean toward the more scandalous, investigative, and questionable side of things with accusations leveled at a top institutional atheist leader, claims that halal slaughter is inhumane, and the “culture of lies” surrounding Donald Trump. So you’ve been warned, […]
Read more "Lies, Lies, and Other Religion News: April 20, 2018"
Religion is a diverse object of study. Some people even argue that religion is not an object of study. At the very least, if there is a thing to the thing of religion, we can agree that it is a varied thing. The religion news round-up this week testifies to that fact. This week’s news includes […]
Read more "Give us news from ALL the religions: April 13, 2018"
It’s not the sort of thing you hear everyday — the government was working with a televangelist to discredit Martin Luther King Jr. It maybe sounds a bit crazy… But if you study religion, you know things can get weird quickly. Or, at least, you think they are weird. The truth is that they are […]
Read more "A Televangelist Plot & The Americanization of Coptic Christianity: April 6, 2018"
The study of religion can take you anywhere. This week’s news goes to show it. Some Christians are boycotting what they see as “satanic ice cream.” Other Christians are shielding potential deportees from being sent back home. Still, others are rallying around Trump or marching in the streets for gun control. Religion is not something […]
Read more "Satanic Ice Cream & Sanctuary Churches: March 30, 2018"
Hipster — a person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream; can often be seen wearing alternative and ironic clothing, sipping on craft beer, and making plans to move to Austin, TX (a.k.a. Hipsterville U.S.A.). Humor aside, this week’s religion in the news illustrates how religion […]
Religion and power. That’s the theme for our 3rd annual RGSA Conference this weekend at UF. It’s also the theme of religion and the news this week. From the way in which Evangelical Christians and Trump are getting along (or not) to the threat of violence against Muslims as a sign of national identity, these […]
The canonization of Latin American Catholic hero Oscar Romero is a big deal and for those who study religions of Latin America (like we do!) it’s a significant moment to take note of. So too are stories about Hindu nationalism and the rewriting of history (especially for our Religions of Asia students) and Muslims saving octopuses in […]
Read more "Of Muslims, Octopuses, & Latin American Saints – Religion in the News: March 9, 2018"
Hope and despair, death and life. Religion explores, navigates, and brings both to its practitioners, observers, and students. This week’s RELIGION IN THE NEWS testifies to the full range of human experiences and emotions, from the good to the bad to the in-between: CULTURAL DISINtegration (SIGHtings) PRAYER & A PACKING PASTOR (RNS) A SHORT HISTORY OF TECH […]
Read more "Hope & Despair, Death & Life – Religion in the News: March 2, 2018"
The graduate program in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida (#UFReligion) is designed to prepare students for careers in academia, public service, non-governmental organizations, and various forms of advocacy work in the popular and public sphere. Our desire to connect our academic study of religion to the real world is helped along […]
Religion unites. Religion divides. Religion takes part in peace. Religion plays a part in violence. Religion is neither wholly positive, despite the prognostications of some evangelists. Nor is religion wholly negative, despite the prognostications of certain evangelists. Religion is. The headlines from this week testify to that fact from the Olympics in South Korea to […]
This week’s Religion in the News not only looks back on the week that was in “religion news,” but also to the entire year. Recently, religion reporters voted on the Top Religion News Stories of 2017. Many of these stories were featured in our Religion in the News feature posted each Friday on UF Religion’s RELIGION […]
Remember that ole’ “secularization thesis?” You know the one, that idea that traditional religions would go by the wayside in the industrialised world? Well, anyone who still reckons that’s the case hasn’t read the headlines recently. In fact, this week we’ve almost got too much Religion in the News! From Muslims in South Korea to sausage […]
For this week’s Religion in the News stories, we didn’t have to look far. All we had to do was focus on our top-notch faculty as they address critical issues and important events in religion and culture. Take a look at their religion and news commentaries and analysis below: Religion prof Explains diwali holiday (UF […]
This week’s Religion in the News stories focus on many diverse issues having to do with religion in the modern world, but the BIG story is connected to the religious accents of fear around today — Friday the 13th: RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF FRIDAY THE 13th (NATional GEOGRAPHIC) MAN DRESSED AS SHARK FALLS AFOUL OF AUSTRIA’S […]
This week’s Religion in the News stories emphasize not only the diversity of religious experiences, positions, and practices, but also address how religious individuals, and institutions, are reacting to modern technology, communication, travel, and social issues: On this kenyan Commute, the train becomes a church (RNS) HASIDIC JEWS, AMISH, WRESTLE WITH TECH (ISR Baylor REligion […]
Religion has always been with us. And it isn’t going away. Throughout history, it has expressed the deepest questions human beings can ask, and it has taken a central place in the lives of virtually all civilizations and cultures. Indeed, even today, we find religion everywhere we turn. In order to illustrate how relevant religion is […]
Religion has always been with us. And it isn’t going away. Throughout history, it has expressed the deepest questions human beings can ask, and it has taken a central place in the lives of virtually all civilizations and cultures. Indeed, even today, we find religion everywhere we turn. In order to illustrate how relevant religion is […]
By Michaela Bisienere, a UF College of Journalism & Communications student Reproductive rights. Gay marriage. Transgender rights. The words themselves can set off audible alarm bells when uttered in the proximity of a Catholic Church. In February, Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis, Missouri was hearing these alarm bells when he published a letter on […]
Religion matters. Religion news matters. Every single day a new religion headline hits the press — on blogs and online news agencies, television and in print. And so, there are serious matters to consider when it comes to reporting religion news. Why should we report on religion news? What are the best practices? How do […]
By Tonia Borsellino In the past year, His Holiness Pope Francis traveled to the United States, Africa and Mexico. The media was right there behind him. They followed his every move, documenting it closely. One reporter quipped that he would even cover his nap times. From the food he eats to the attire he wears, […]
Read more "Religion Reporters Thrive With The People’s Pope"