Adaptations, modifications, and realignments of religious doctrine and practice can be found in any period of social history. It can be official and highly orchestrated (as in Vatican II) but more often it takes a subjective and reactionary form (as in the Hindutva movement). This paper promotes the idea of “experimental religion” as both an analytical concept and an observable set of behaviors...

In Zambia, circumcision is traditionally practiced on a large scale only in North-Western Province, an area with one of the lowest HIV rates in Zambia. Few ethnic groups in Zambia conduct male circumcision as a part of religious and cultural practices. The Luvale and Lunda of Northwestern Province practice traditional universal male circumcision, though there are small groups who also practice ...

The recent deaths of two children from parental decisions to rely on faith healing rather than medical treatment raises fundamental questions about the extent and limits of religious liberty in a liberal democratic society. This essay seeks to identify and critically examine three central issues internal to the ethics of religious communities that engage in faith healing regarding children: (1)...

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a practice involving the removal of all or parts of the female external genitalia.It has been documented in 28 African countries and in some countries in Asia and the Middle East,but due to increasing immigration from these countries to the western world,FGM has become a worldwide human rights and health issue. Materials and Methods: This paper is ...

The current study provides an innovative examination of how and why religious networking organizations work for social justice in their local community. Similar to a coalition or community coordinating council, religious networking organizations are formal organizations comprised of individuals from multiple religious congregations who consistently meet to organize around a common goal. Based o...