Religious Freedom Does Not Justify Male Circumcision

The Icelandic government has proposed a law that would ban male circumcision for non-medical reasons and this has, understandably, sparked outrage and opposition from the Jewish and Muslim communities that traditionally carry out the practice. Anti-male circumcision groups, such as Men Do Complain, are calling for a ban on ‘ritual’ male circumcision in the UK. The…

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Examples of Geometric Designs Used in Religious Architecture

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque or Pink Mosque in Shiraz, Iran Spanish Synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic Lotf Allah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran Selimiye Mosque in Edime, Turkey Golden Mosque in Registan, Uzbekistan Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona, Spain

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The Psychology of Initiation Rites

Initiation rites are an integral part of traditional societies. An initiation rite is a ritual or ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. In modern society, initiation ceremonies usually mark the transition into adulthood, as demarcated by the community. Examples of such ceremonies would include the Christian baptism, the Jewish Bar and…

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Is David Cameron Right to Call Britain a Christian Country?

Many were surprised to see David Cameron take on a new persona, that of an evangelical Christian. In an article he wrote for the Church Times, our beloved PM made had the following to say: I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role…

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The Mystery of Ineffable Experiences

The human mind is geared towards compartmentalising the world. What this means is that the mind has an inbuilt tendency to divide the inner mental world and outer world into discrete sections or categories. The inner mental world is full of categories such as memories, goals, personality traits, and concepts that divide external reality into…

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