NEWTON, Mass. (RNS) When Newton, Mass. artist Paula Rendino needed fresh inspiration last year (2008), she sought her muse in an unlikely place: seminary. Art school would have been “too boring,” Rendino explained. She yearned to bring fresh depth to her work by pondering spiritual themes. Now she does exactly that alongside dozens of ministers-in-training…

(RNS) On the first day of her introductory religion class at Merrimack College just north of Boston, professor Rebecca Sachs Norris put her students to work at having some fun. She assigned teams of three or four students to play some of the many religious board games that fill her office shelves. Weeks later, they…

Baghdad–Bombs hit Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and a central Iraqi city Thursday, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens more, in the latest attack in the lead-up to Ashoura, the sect’s most solemn annual rite. The blasts raised fears of more bloodshed as hundreds of thousands of Shiites head to the holy city of…

Bethlehem, West Bank–Thousands of pilgrims from around the world descended on the traditional birthplace of Jesus on Thursday, greeted by choruses, scout troops and rock bands for the most upbeat Christmas celebrations this Palestinian town has seen in years. But the Holy Land’s top Roman Catholic clergyman reminded followers that peace remains elusive, while the…

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