Religion Unplugged

09/09/2026

A church in New York City offers visitors a place to find peace as they mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11. St. Nicholas is a small Greek Orthodox parish that was destroyed when the South Tower collapsed. More than two decades later, the church has been completely rebuilt and is now a national shrine.

08/09/2026

(ESSAY) Sept. 11 is a date that remains forever etched in the memory of an entire generation. Twenty-five years later, the images are still difficult to forget: Planes striking New York’s World Trade Center, smoke rising over the Pentagon in Washington, people running through the streets, firefighters climbing stairs and families waiting for phone calls that would never come.

One of the toughest questions Christians like myself faced after the attacks that killed 2,977 innocent people was that of suffering. If God is loving and powerful, why did He allow such evil to happen? It is a question without an easy answer.

Christianity does not pretend that evil is easily explained. The Bible itself is filled with people who cried out to God in the midst of suffering. The Book of Psalms repeatedly asks, “How long, Lord?” Job wrestled with the loss of nearly everything he loved. Even Jesus, facing the cross, cried out in anguish.
https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/9/10/sept-11-attacks-faith-memory-and-hope-25-years-later

02/09/2026

PARBATIPUR, Bangladesh — Buddhism is experiencing a revival in northern Bangladesh as thousands of Indigenous Oraon people have embraced the faith since the mid-1990s.

Relics found in the region suggest that Buddhism was once a widely practiced religion here. In the last three decades, it has started to return.

Since 1994, Oraon Indigenous communities living in a small village in Dinajpur district were converted from Sarna traditions, an Indigenous faith centered on nature and ancestral spirits, to Buddhism. Now there are about 5,000 Buddhists in the region and about 25 Buddhist temples.

Shapon Ekka, 43, is a father of a child from the Indigenous Oraon community, whose ancestors previously believed in traditional nature worship or Sarna, but have been practicing Buddhism since the time of his parents.

“My parents converted to Buddhism when I was young, and that is why I am also practicing this religion,” Ekka said.

The seeds of Buddhism were first planted in the Rangpur district of the northern region in the Oraon villages, and some of Ekka’s relatives were converted to Buddhism there; after hearing from them, his family converted to Buddhism. Currently, in Dinajpur, another district of the northern region, Ekka and about 20 families around them are practicing Buddhism.

The Indigenous people were originally nature worshippers and are called Sarna followers. Their worship and religious practices are gradually disappearing, and they are converting to different religions.

In 1994, a senior Buddhist monk came to the Rangpur area and saw that some of the mantras of Buddhism were similar to the mantras of the Oraon. He explained to them that they might have been followers of Buddhism before and later became nature worshippers for some reason. This evangelism changed their faith, and they converted to Buddhism.

“We did not convert to Buddhism for any financial or worldly gain. We converted to this religion by embracing Buddhism from our hearts,” said Ekka, president of the North Bengal Buddhist Federation.

He added that people now want peace, security and reliability to establish a complete religious faith, which Buddhism offers.

Buddhism is experiencing a revival in northern Bangladesh as thousands of Indigenous Oraon people have embraced the faith since the mid-1990s. Supporters see it as a return to an ancient religious heritage, though the movement faces challenges, including a shortage of monks and criticism from some r

31/08/2026

(OPINION/Paul Prather) The Washington Post published a gut-punch of a feature story about Annie Morgan, a California mom and former Oakland Raiders cheerleader who now spends most of her time taking care of her daughter Ava.

Ava, 14, suffers from a rare nervous system disorder called Angelman syndrome. It’s caused by the loss of function of a gene known as UBE3A on Chromosome 15.

As the Post explains, Angelman syndrome is “marked by severe developmental delays, intellectual disability, and lifelong difficulties with balance and movement.”

We readers witness a typical morning as Annie, five feet and 110 pounds, tries to get Ava ready for school. The process involves, among other things, wrapping her arms around Ava’s waist and guiding her toward the family minivan “in a slow, sideways shuffle.”

Once they’ve reached the car, Ava wails and slams her body against her seat so hard it rocks the vehicle. A six-minute struggle ensues. Annie blocks a swipe at her head, tries to catch Ava’s arms, dodges them when catching them fails. By the time she and her two other kids are ready to leave, Annie is already sweating from exertion. It’s not even 8 a.m. yet.

The article is written beautifully by reporter Ariana Eunjung Cha. It makes clear that Annie and Ava are a microcosm of a much broader struggle that upends the lives of millions of Americans. On practically every street in every town in every state, folks are caring for sick loved ones, often with negligible help from the state, the medical community or anyone else.

“Sons and daughters lifting aging parents out of bed,” Cha writes. “Spouses managing medications. Parents helping adult children get dressed.”

Roughly 63 million Americans are family caregivers, up from 43.5 million a decade ago. The needs keep growing. Aid programs have been cut. Baby Boomers are aging.

The Post piece affected me deeply. That’s partly because it’s a well-told story, but largely because caregiving is a subject that moves me like few others. I lived it. I’ve never wholly recovered.
https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/31/when-caring-for-someone-you-love-nearly-destroys-you

31/08/2026

Check out all the latest articles by bookmarking our news feed page.

News reporting and insight for Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and faith around the world.

28/08/2026

(REVIEW/Joseph Holmes) “Elijah Peel” mostly avoids the boredom that accompanies many of the films that rely so heavily on a formula — particularly faith-based ones. It keeps some of the more predictable moments short, and peppers the dialogue with lots of banter and wit to make the cliches go down easier.

No, there aren’t any twists in the “jaded atheist is reformed by hopeful Christian child cancer patient” relationship. But the chemistry and verbal sparring between the two is genuinely charming. Yes, we’ve seen the burnt-out rock star hitting rock bottom more times than we can count. But there’s a real attempt to shoot many of the scenes–particularly the “crash and burn” ones – with some rare intensity.

Click the link in the bio to read the full story.

https://religionunplugged.com/news/elijah-peel-review-faith-based-films-are-still-shackled-by-inspirational-formula

28/08/2026

Like Jesus urged his followers to do, Dolly Parton loved her neighbors.

But what about loving her enemies, another biblical commandment?

Since the news broke Tuesday that Dolly Parton “is in the arms of Jesus,” Weekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. has joined countless millions of fans in reflecting on her life, her legacy — and yes, her faith.

27/08/2026

Many Christians know the routine. Church service ends, and it’s time to visit, but really there’s not much time to visit.

They might have children to round up. They might need to hurry home to prepare lunch, watch a football game or mow the lawn.

“There’s a lot going on,” said Casey Hymore, a member of the Castle Rock Church of Christ on Colorado’s Front Range.

Blessedly for Hymore and other church members, there’s another place to meet during the week. A place to release burdens and talk about disappointments and victories. And a place to deeply consider the Word of God.

“Here,” Hymore said, “you just have time with your Christian friends. It’s a ‘what’s going on in your life’ kind of thing."

Christian yoga classes in Colorado, are giving women a unique space for exercise, fellowship and spiritual reflection. Led by Charity Morine, the sessions combine movement, prayer, worship music and Scripture, helping participants release stress, confront personal struggles and deepen their relation

26/08/2026

(ANALYSIS/Clemente Lisi) When Dolly Parton stepped onto a stage in Tennessee after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the American South in 2024, she did what she had done throughout her life: She turned compassion into action.

With her familiar blonde hair and a smile that could fill a room, Parton sang a playful variation of her classic “Jolene,” promising the people of her home state that “we’re all here to mend these broken hearts.”

She then put a dollar figure behind the sentiment: $1 million of her own money, matched by her Dollywood companies and their partners, for disaster relief.

It was a fitting moment for a woman whose philanthropy was inseparable from the place that formed her. Parton grew up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in a deeply religious family, the fourth of 12 children. Her grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher, and she learned to sing in church as a child. https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/26/dolly-parton-legacy-wasnt-her-music-but-the-faith-behind-her-giving

25/08/2026

Dolly Parton, the country music singer, songwriter and actress whose rags-to-riches story, talent and large-than-life persona helped turn her into a cultural icon, died Tuesday in Nashville. She was 80. Parton’s family announced her death in a social media video post. No cause of death was given.

The legendary country singer, songwriter and entertainer died Tuesday at 80. Raised in a deeply Christian family in Tennessee, she credited her faith in God for guiding her life, music and philanthropy. Her enduring legacy includes countless hit songs, films, charitable work and a message of hope.