Religion

Yom Kippur break fasts are notoriously epic — all manner of smoked fishes and delicate pastries are piled high on the best china (or, if you're feeding dozens, paper plates). For many of those gathered around a table heaped with traditional Eastern Euro

How Yom Kippur Fasts Became All About The Feasts

1:46pm September 29, 2017

by Deena Prichep

The Jewish holiday of reflection and hope tends to bring everyone to the heaping table of traditional foods when fasting is over, But celebrating with a huge feast was not always the case.

Shadrach Mugoya Levi, right, at his recent wedding in Uganda. From left: his son Oren Levi and Moshe Isiko.

What The Yom Kippur Fast Means To A Ugandan Jew

3:32pm September 28, 2017

by Sara Toth Stub

Shadrach Mugoya Levi sometimes went hungry when he was growing up. So a day without eating isn't that unusual. But it is meaningful.

When The Parents Are White, The Child Is Black, And The Churches Are Segregated

12:01pm September 28, 2017

by Leah Donnella

Its a familiar American trope: The most segregated time for Christians is 11 a.m. on Sunday. This week, on Ask Code Switch, where does an interracial family find a pew?

Queue Listen Now

In his new book, Robert Wright wants to focus on Buddhism's diagnosis of the human condition, as opposed to the traditional aspects of Buddhism as a religion.

Why 'Why Buddhism Is True' Is True

10:50am September 26, 2017

by Adam Frank

In his new book, Robert Wright explores Buddhism's take on our suffering, our anxiety and our general dis-ease — where he sees it lining up with scientific fields, says blogger Adam Frank.

Earthquake In Mexico Hit Churches Hard in Puebla State

6:58am September 25, 2017

by Carrie Kahn

The central Mexican town of Cholula is rich in colonial architecture and home to many churches. It's said there are actually 365 — one for every day of the year. But many were damaged by the quake.

Goodbye, For Now, To A Vital Source For Native American News

6:01am September 24, 2017

by Leah Donnella

Indian Country Today Media Network announced it would "cease active operations." That leaves a big hole in news coverage by, and about, Native Americans.

Bob Garfield's one-man show, Ruggedly Jewish, debuted in Philadelphia earlier this month.

'We Believe Deeply In Lox And Bagels': What It Means To Be A Secular Jew

7:01pm September 23, 2017

by Michel Martin

In his new one-man show, On the Media host Bob Garfield grapples with questions of identity and belonging. "I've been running from the religious part of my religion for my entire adult life," he says.

Black, Jewish And Avoiding The Synagogue On The High Holy Days

6:06am September 20, 2017

by Leah Donnella

It's one thing when outsiders don't recognize my faith. It's a different kind of sadness when I'm made to feel like a stranger in the synagogue.

Screen shot from The Sign, a documentary in which biblical literalists claim the end is coming on Sept. 23 with a specific planetary alignment.

Is The Apocalypse Coming? No, It Isn't!

2:24pm September 13, 2017

by Marcelo Gleiser

Biblical literalists affirm in The Sign that Sept. 23 is the day the end comes as prophesied in Revelation. Fortunately, the film doesn't only present this version of the story, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Nearly 400,000 Of Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya Seek Asylum In Bangladesh

5:35pm September 12, 2017

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to Zafar Sobhan, editor-in-chief of the Dhaka Tribune, about the Rohingya in Bangladesh. Nearly 400,000 members of Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya minority have sought refuge.

Queue Listen Now