Worldcrunch
From elephant ivory crucifixes to rhino horn handles for Muslim ceremonial daggers, sacred wildlife products fuel an overlooked driver of the illegal trade. This unbridled demand is pushing some species toward extinction, forcing faith leaders to reconcile devotion with biodiversity conservation.
René Girard’s theories of mimetic desire, scapegoating, and Christianity have found unexpected champions among American conservatives like Peter Thiel and JD Vance, who see his work as both spiritually profound and politically useful. But critics argue this appropriation distorts Girard’s deeply nonviolent, apolitical philosophy into a tool for nationalist agendas.
Christian Easter, Muslim Ramadan and Jewish Passover are coinciding this year on the lunar calendar — and it won’t happen again for three decades. It is a singular opportunity for the descendants of the prophet Abraham to come together in generosity and humility.
-Essay- TAIPEI — I still recall the long journey I made in 1987 during my first visit in China, traveling in crammed buses with the smells of caged poultry on board. Through Guangzhou in Canton, and the famous mountain landscape of Guilin and Yangshuo in the southeast province of Guangxi, I recall being amazed that, […]
JERUSALEM — I was walking down Via Dolorosa — the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem. In front of me were three young Germans. They found the whole thing laughable, and kept confirming this to each other by pointing out all the stupid details. “Here, look, we’re at the next station. What does it say […]