University of British Columbia News Have you ever felt awestruck by a towering evergreen, waves crashing against rocks, or the vastness of a desert canyon? You’re not alone. Across time and cultures, humans have felt a spiritual connection with nature. New UBC research gives this connection a name—ecospirituality—and reveals it could help reduce polarization on […]
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Spirituality
What we can Learn from the Qur’an about valuing People of all Races and Colors
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Qur’an (sometimes spelled Koran), is one of great books in world history. Only a handful of works have been nearly so influential and widely read. The Bible, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the Analects of Confucius, and the Buddha’s Sutras are among the few books that rival it in that […]
Spirituality without Prophets: Ibn Tufayl and the story of the feral child of philosophy
Hayy concludes that persuading people away from their ‘natural’ stations would only corrupt them further.
Transcendental Meditation helps Veterans with PTSD: Study
Meditation is self-empowering, and can be practised just about anywhere at any time
Top 5 things that Make Bangladesh a natural Target for Extremists
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Bangladesh has been plagued by extremist violence for years, but the violence and hostage-taking in Dhaka on Friday and on Saturday morning was a whole new level of disruption. Why Bangladesh? Here are some reasons: 1. Bangladesh is a multicultural state, where some 9 percent of […]
Spirit and Sensuality in the mystical Sufi poetry of Rumi
By Nesreen Akhtarkhavari and Anthony A. Lee, Translators | (Informed Comment) | – – The poems of Rumi, the thirteenth-century teacher, scholar, and poet known simply as Mowlana in the Muslim world, have shaped Islamic culture for centuries. They still stand just as vital after eight hundred years. Rumi speaks to us of unchanging spiritual […]
As Glaciers Melt in Ecuador, Pope Francis challenges Technocrats, touts “Keeping” the Environment
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Pope Francis continues to preach environmentalism as he addresses crowds in Latin America, a challenging message in poor countries where over-exploitation of natural resources is a constant temptation. These are also countries and populations, however, most at risk from pollution and the ravages of climate change. […]
Vatican recognition of saints symbolic victory for Palestinians
By: Charlie Hoyle BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The grounds of the Carmel Convent in Bethlehem, home to blue-shuttered stone buildings on a hilltop facing the Nativity Church, are adorned with the image of Mariam Bawardy, one of two Palestinian nuns canonized by Pope Francis in Rome on Sunday. Tucked away from the traffic-filled streets of central […]
A Journalist Journeys to the Heart of the Quran (Muslim Scripture)
By JOSEPH RICHARD PREVILLE and JULIE POUCHER HARBIN for ISLAMiCommentary : Carla Power Great journalists invite us to be companions with them on their journeys to extraordinary places. Carla Power offers such an invitation in her new book, If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran […]