religion
Stories
India
SLIDESHOW: Savory Snacks, Sacred Rivers, and Tibetan Buddhists In India
An Indian snack and sweet shop in Pragpur, Northern India rather ironically wishes its customers good health. While not exactly ... read more
by Emily Strasser
28 Jul 2009
Bangladesh
ETHICAL DILEMMA: Should Foreign Teachers Challenge Local Values?
“Isn’t it true that Americans have pre-marital sex all the time?” Jonu asked me disdainfully. I was standing at the front of a classroom of 18- to 22-year-old girls ... read more
by Amy Adoyzie Lam
03 Jul 2009
Blog Posts
Greece
Hermit Monks and Hitchhiking Nuns
It hasn't always been easy to be a Christian in Greece. In Athens, I see priests walking around in black robes with full beards every day, but not so long ago, Greek men and women were persecuted for their beliefs. One response to religious oppression throughout the ages was to ... read more
by Christopher Duffy
20 Dec 2009
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Insider Tips
United Kingdom
Churches harder to come by
Because Henry VIII broke from Catholicism in the 1500s and created the Church of England, London's not really a hub for Catholics. Not surprisingly, I found it MUCH more ... read more
by Ann Clark
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Catholic but not crusaders
A high percentage of Chileans claim to be Catholic, but those who regularly attend church are much smaller in number. People are generally more religious than I'm accustomed to ... read more
by Matthew Hintsa
10 Feb 2009
Norway
Find Yahweh into the forest
Eighty percent of Norwegians are registered Lutherans, but as my roommates and I made our way into the forest for some tranquility on a Sunday morning, we estimated that we ... read more
by Patrick McCue
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Religious overtones
“Muslim or Christian?” you’ll often be asked—an indication that religion plays a significant role in Jordanian culture. Indeed, Middle Eastern society is heavily informed by Islam; the call ... read more
by Adam Lichtenheld
10 Feb 2009
Uganda
Awkward agnosticism
Most people in northern Uganda are Christians. If you’re agnostic like me and not comfortable discussing it, you may want to pick a denomination to fib about. I was ... read more
by Pete Muller
10 Feb 2009
Bangladesh
What is your "holy book" called?
Bangladesh is a majority Muslim country (with a minority of Hindus and even fewer Buddhists and Christians). Islam has permeated most facets of life in Bangladesh as there is no ... read more
by Amy Adoyzie Lam
20 Mar 2009
Ecuador
What religion are you?
Living in a country that's 95 percent Catholic, I often find it a little awkward to tell people that I'm Jewish. Most people assume that you're Catholic ... read more
by Jon Brandt
26 Mar 2009
Switzerland
Don't Declare
Declare a religion when you register to live in Switzerland and you've just set yourself up to pay extra taxes. After all, nothing is free in Switzerland. Not even ... read more
by Chantal Panozzo
02 Apr 2009
India
Wake up early!
The mornings in India are the holy times. Sikh temples begin to wake up their holy book around 2 a.m., and really get going around sunrise. You may wake ... read more
by Emily Strasser
15 Apr 2009
Iran
Know who the supreme leader is
Shia Islam is the official religion of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has been run by clerics since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the supreme ... read more
by Mimi Hanaoka
11 May 2009
Swaziland
Prepare for bible quotes, missionaries, and mega churches
Christianity is definitely the biggest (and practically the only) religion in Swaziland. On Sundays you’ll see baakies (pick-up trucks) full of worshipers dressed in their church uniform, which varies ... read more
by Mallory Primm
17 Jun 2009
Spain
Granada: The "praying pot" of Spain
As the last Moorish kingdom in Spain and with a long history of Jewish presence, coupled with the modern day presence of Catholicism, Granada is a veritable melting pot of ... read more
by Mike Mian
21 Jun 2009
Singapore
Go with it!
In Singapore I volunteered at a children's orphanage sponsored by an Islamic organization called Jamiyah. I, along with two other students, were invited to a religious conference where many ... read more
by Shawn Campbell
24 Jun 2009
Singapore
Religious harmony in Singapore
Singapore is almost as religiously diverse as the United States. While Singapore has fewer Christian denominations, many religions are represented, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Since Singapore is so much ... read more
by Shawn Campbell
28 Jun 2009
Malaysia
Religious sensory overload
In Malaysia, the prominent religions are Buddhism and Islam. In villages and cities, several different calls to prayer sound out from the many mosques in each neighborhood. The sounds will ... read more
by Anna Schwaber
27 Jul 2009
Laos
Show your respect by keeping your distance
Luang Prabang is quite a religious city. Each village provides food and funding for its individual temple on a daily basis. It is perfectly acceptable and sometimes even encouraged for ... read more
by Gabriel Shaya
25 Sep 2009
Senegal
Long skirts are required in Touba!
Any woman visiting the traditional and very religious city of Touba should note that pants are not allowed. Women must wear ankle-length skirts, and are encouraged to dress conservatively. The ... read more
by Mary Slosson
05 Nov 2009
Mongolia
Throwing rocks at pit stops
Hire a driver and head out of the city and you’ll likely make a few pit-stops along the way. Ovoos are shamanist rock cairns that are erected on mountaintops ... read more
by Lindsay Myron
23 Nov 2009
Peru
Explore the diverse faiths of the Andes
Catholicism is the dominant religion in Peru, but it can't compete with the diversity of the religious traditions and practices of native peoples in the Andes and rainforest. There ... read more
by Courtney Ng
05 Dec 2009
Cyprus
Walk-in church services
In the Turkish-speaking North of Cyprus, you can visit a mosque by taking off your shoes (women, they give you a headscarf) and walking in, except during prayer hours. In ... read more
by Madeline Blount
07 Jan 2010
Israel
Finding my religion
You can not come to Israel without noticing the presence of large numbers of religious people, or without sensing the incredibly rich religious traditions. Judaism is of course the national ... read more
by Jonathan Amerikaner
07 Feb 2010
Malawi
This stranger wants to know if you believe in God
Most Malawians are Christian, and many will ask about your religious convictions. I tend to answer honestly, explaining that I don’t belong to any congregation (though I try not ... read more
