Introduction: Abuse in Yoga and Beyond: Cultural Logics and Pathways for the Future Christopher Miller In recent years, abuse scandals have shaken the yoga world once again, overturning previously held conceptions of yoga gurus, their teachings, and the individuals and organizations that have enabled their abuse. Most importantly, these abuse scenarios – whether they have involved sexual assault, cruelty, financial exploitation, etc. – have left individuals and communities disoriented, deeply traumatized, and desperately searching for answers. As Sacred Matters editor Gary Laderman writes, “the sacred is not always what it seems, can be associated with just about anything, and remains […]
Introduction: Abuse in Yoga and Beyond: Cultural Logics and Pathways for the Future
Natural: How Faith in Nature’s Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science
Alan Levinovitz Should we value what’s natural or not? When is it okay and when is it not okay?
LSD [Flashback]
Gary Laderman In other words, experiences with LSD and the publicity surrounding them gave shape and content to modern understandings of spirituality.
Just Say Yes: In Drugs We Trust
Gary Laderman Anyone interested in the new frontiers of American religion should pay attention to how Americans love to say yes to their drugs.
Rembrandt at 350: Light and Shadow in the Modern World
Louis A. Ruprecht Jr. Perhaps there was a sting of jealous amazement at work here, as Rembrandt notoriously bankrupted in the 1650s and thus worked in grinding poverty for his final decade. The winning and losing of fortune: this is the topsy-turvy, boom-and-bust world of global capital.
From the Madness of Reefer to the Ecstatic Bliss of Marijuana: The Rise of Cannabis Churches
Morgan Shipley However, at the heart of THC Ministry is not a commitment to Christ, but to a foundational and sacred right to use cannabis as a means to raise consciousness, to commune with nature, and, maybe most significantly, “live with modesty, good manners, and humbleness.”
Disney’s Christopher Robin and the Idolatry of Work
Daniel Anderson Tragically, Christopher Robin’s life seemingly proves Adorno’s adage that a “wrong life cannot be lived rightly.”
Ethnic Christianities: 7 Questions for Prema Kurien
Prema Kurien My research showed that immigrant churches like the Mar Thoma face several challenges if they are to successfully institutionalize as an “ethnic” church in a context where Christianity is the majority religion.
The Rise of the Internet Witch
Audrey Lundahl Although witches are using the internet to connect and share with wider communities, the web is only one aspect of the wider interconnectedness of witchcraft.
When Do Moviegoers Become Pilgrims?
S. Brent Plate The thing is, pilgrimage and tourism are not really that far apart.