American Religion

From the moment Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés first found and confronted them, the Aztecs have fascinated the world, and they continue to hold a unique place both culturally and in pop culture. Nearly 500 years after the Spanish conquered their mighty empire, the Aztecs are often remembered today for their major capital, Tenochtitlan, as well as being fierce conquerors of the Valley of Mexico who often engaged in human sacrifice rituals.

What is truth in the eyes of Native Americans? What does it mean to be Indian? Do American Indians have a sense of humor? How does their religion differ from other spiritualities? Listen to what Tecumseh, Red Jacket and other chiefs have to say, as well as contemporary elders like Two White Feathers and Donald Panther-Yates. Enjoy the humor of American Indian Movement leaders like Russell Means and Dennis Banks in this miscellany published on the anniversary of a groundbreaking website from the 90s. You will never think of American Indian writers and activists the same way.

An American journalist named Ben Harris, who works for Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), is traveling the world in search of stories about Jews in their various communities. This lively interview with Harris, the "Wandering Jew", about his travels and traveling, was done mostly by email, with two conversations via webcam on Skype. When this writer spoke to Harris off the record for background, he was in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency offices in New York City, but the reported interview via email comes mostly while he was abroad.

Here is the interview done with American poet Luci Shaw, of Washington State in the Northwest. This is another in a series of interviews with Anglican and American poets. (Luci Shaw is an Anglican - attends Episcopal Church in her Washington State.) She decided to respond to questions by writing answers, and this interview reflects her request so to email her answers. She did so and the answers were received October 1, 2011. At 83 years old, with 30 books to her credit, she's finished another work, that she hopes to see published, about what it means to get to be older in years.

Following the work of Apostles Peter and Paul, The Book of Acts focuses on the Holy Spirit and presents the first thirty years of the church. Written with great poise and attention to detail, The Book of Acts is pivotal to The Gospels’s teachings.

Judy DuCharme became a Packer fanatic in 1984. In The Cheesehead Devotional, she uses Packer events to lead listeners into God's presence. Sometimes humorous and sometimes serious, Judy shows us that walking with God is as fun as watching a Packer game. By combining the love of football with insights from the Word of God, the listener will find this book fun, inspirational, and even life-changing.

Celebrate Ramadan with this heartwarming picture book about sisterhood, faith, and acts of service. Ramadan is here! And this year, Habeeba is finally going to fast all day, every day, and pray all the special Ramadan prayers at night at the masjid, just like her older sister, Sumaya. The holy...

Wisdom runs through The Book of Proverbs, highlighting the fulfilment in Christ and that wisdom begins with the fear and dedication of the Lord. Proverbs proves time and time again that it is necessary for one to seek wisdom, get wisdom, and finally, understand wisdom through Christ. Separated into thirty-one small chapters, The Book of Proverbs sets the stage for understanding God’s word and commitments.

Containing no shortage of miracles, The Gospel of Mark starts with Jesus’s adult life, focusing on his ministry. Written in a unique and concise manner, The Gospel of Mark is considered to be the oldest piece of the tetralogy of gospels, and is critical to one’s understanding of Jesus and his relationship with the people around him.

The Book of Romans follows the Apostle Paul, his teachings, and his writings to the Romans. Guided by faith, Paul travels throughout the land spreading the words and lessons of God and Jesus Christ. Paul remains adamant that all people can be saved, especially those who have sinned. Righteousness propels him, and The Book of Romans remains one of the most important readings for those looking to the word of God.

Fact-based research in Elmira, New York, shows it has a long, rich history that is both dark and glowing with the spirits of yesteryear. From being a stop on the Underground Railroad to housing Camp Rathbun–a Union Army barracks turned Civil War Prison Camp–to harboring the various spirits of those lives taken involuntarily and those who took their own lives, Elmira and her surrounding cities offer more than a couple mysterious and haunting locations to explore.

Benjamin Tucker Tanner (1835-1923) was an editor, historian, and prominent theologian of his time who founded The Christian Recorder, an early African American newspaper. In his 1895 book The Color of Solomon, he contends that King Solomon of the Bible did not belong to the white race.

Physician, activist, and author Charles Alexander Eastman was the first Native American certified in Western medicine and one of the first authors of any background to emphasize the Native American perspective. In The Soul of the Indian, he shares the customs, rituals, celebrations, and beliefs of Native American spirituality, and in so doing provides a powerful account of the “Great Mystery” at their core.

The US Census Bureau defines the Midwest as consisting of a dozen states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Outsiders often deride the region, and for many who have never been there, America's heartland is just a bunch of "flyover states" with little influence, little history, and little interest.

Are dolphins highly intuitive beings with a unique duty in the oceans? Is plastic off-gassing into our food poisoning us? Can breathing steamed bamboo leaves treat asthma? Did the First Nations Peoples have the right philosophies for harmonious living all along? All this and more is answered in this extraordinary conversation. Author and journalist Penelope Jean Hayes poses questions to Pax, channeled by intuitive Carole Serene Borgens, about plant-based diets and medicines, the best-practices of indigenous and First Peoples, and the profound wisdom of animals.

As both a religiously observant person and a veteran of forty years in elective office, Senator Joe Lieberman is uniquely prepared to answer this question. In fact, he is the first person with political experience to pose and answer such a question in response to the current crisis of political division and governmental dysfunction in America. Lieberman breaks down the causes of our political problems—including partisanship, incivility, and refusal to compromise—and then describes what the monotheistic faith that Christians, Jews, and Muslims share calls on us to do to overcome those problems.

In 2020, thousands of church leaders shut down the assembly of the saints in response to Covid-19. For example, John MacArthur said, "The clear demand of Scripture is to be subject to the [civil government]. We conform, we are submissive to the government. That was an easy call for us." Other pastors claimed that God "prevented" the saints from meeting. In the end, these pastors effectively scattered the sheep, telling them to stay away from their shepherds.

This audiobook is written for spiritual seekers hoping to make a difference in their own lives and those of others. Shamanism’s ancient spirituality is as relevant today as it was 100,000 years ago.

One man's humorous, true-life quest for meaning in unlikely places such as a UFO sighting in West Virginia, a birdwalk with a crack addict, a vision on a mount, flying a hundred feet off the ground at a peyote ceremony, meeting the Buddha and coming face to face with an incarnation of Divine Mother. From the profound to the profane, from the sacred to the downright bizarre, Jay Nuzum leads you along the footpath of an Everyman trying to find his way through the beguiling maze of an American life.

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, novelist and screenwriter Niven Busch discusses faith, prayer, and subway rides in "The Fellowship of the World", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the...