Signs & Portents
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Pagan News Beagle: Faithful Friday, May 26 2017
Taoism finds an unexpected appeal among young people. A look at the revolutionary spirit of Sikhism. And how a Muslim victim of abuse is making her voice heard. It's Faithful Friday, our news segment about faiths and religious communities around the world! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
In China, Taoism is traditionally viewed as the religion of the elderly (while Confucianism/Ruism is viewed more as the religion of the young). But such traditional outlooks may not match the modern world. Sixth Tone talks about how in modern China, Taoism has a growing appeal to young people and why that might be.
As a religion, Hinduism is largely identified with its homeland in India; the name Hinduism is even derived from the same root word as India. But Hinduism is not found just in India or even within the Indian diaspora worldwide. Hinduism has a long history in Southeast Asia as well and in particular Indonesia. Hinduism Today takes a look at one of the traditional Hindu festivals celebrated in Bali, the center of Hinduism in Indonesia.
Many religions started out as revolutionary in nature: Jesus was executed by Roman authorities for what they considered seditious behavior, Mohammad was driven from his home city of Mecca because of his beliefs, and Buddhism began as a protest against social injustice in ancient India. But not many religions retain their revolutionary spark for centuries after. Not so with Sikhism. At Gods & Radicals, Bobby S. Gulshan discusses the revolutionary heart of Sikhism.
In ancient times, hospitality was one of the highest virtues of society. To deny a stranger at your door food or shelter was considered not only rude but gravely taboo. Today, however we fear strangers and routinely wall ourselves off from those we don't know. At ProgressiveChristianity.Org, Frank Lesko wonders if we couldn't benefit from the morals of our ancestors.
One of the harshest realities faced by victims of sexual abuse is that they are often pressured not to come forward, told they misinterpreted their assaults or that they shouldn't ruin the prospects of their attackers for "one mistake." And when they do, they are often shamed or even blamed for their assault. So it takes a lot of bravery to talk about sexual assault, especially when it comes from within your own religious community. At Patheos, Sheerin Siddique nonetheless discusses the importance of doing so for women in the Muslim community.
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