Why do all the world’s religions emphasize giving thanks? What are the spiritual benefits of giving thanks? The physical benefits?

If you’re like most religion reporters, you dread the holidays, when editors demand yet another Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/solstice story. This edition of ReligionLink is chock-full of ideas to get you through another year.

While 1 in five people practice Islam internationally, a Pew Research survey in 2010 found that about half of Americans are able to correctly identify the Quran and Ramadan as associated with Islam. Another Pew survey in 2007 revealed that 58 percent of Americans say they know little or nothing about Islam’s practices, and often, what they do know […]

Buddha comes from the Sanskrit language, meaning “awakened.” Simply put, the basic teachings of Buddhism are: first, to do no harm to any living being; second, to do good; and third, to purify the mind from impurity. Buddhist religious practice is the formal discipline of sitting meditation and mindfulness in everyday life. Today .7 percent […]

The International Jewish Community of Moscow was founded in 2000. It  provides a center for Moscow’s Jewish population, and for Jewish tourists. It hosts regular Shabbat and holiday services, kosher dining, and educational services. It is based on the Chabad-Lubavitch philosophy.

The Jewish Community of Japan provides a center for Japan’s Jewish population. It hosts regular Shabbat and holiday services, kosher dining and educational services. It is based in Tokyo.

October 2006 report published by The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force on the subject of Hell Houses, many of them held in churches around Halloween, and the effects they have on youth attitudes toward LGBT people.

David Dollahite is a professor of family life at Brigham Young University. He studies how religious beliefs and practices affect family relationships.