Religious News from Around the Web March 9, 2020

Largest Buddhist Temples, Bible in Sign Language, Muslim Thanks Sikhs, Quebec Bans Religious Symbols, Beautiful Nigerian Churches, Lutheran Students Drive Tractors to School, Douglas and Zeta-Jones to Host Jewish Nobel, Saints Bones Found in Church Wall

Photos: Largest Buddhist Temples in the World

Some of the largest Buddhist temples in the world are: Borobudur Temple Compounds, Indonesia; Bagan Temple of Myanmar; Shwedagon Pagoda of Myanmar, Yangon (Rangoon); Mahabodhi Temple of Bihar, Bodh Gaya, India; and Kye Gompa, India.


Jehovah’s Witnesses Provide Free Bible in American Sign Language

Watching the books of the Bible in American Sign Language (ASL) is strangely compelling, even for those with good hearing. The sign language interpreters are animated and expressive, which adds something to the words themselves, and those unfamiliar with ASL can follow the words on a screen below the videos.


1,400 Year Old Saint’s Bones Found in Church Wall

Carbon-dated human remains are now thought to be the skeleton of St. Eanswythe, one of the first Anglo-Saxon saints. She reportedly performed miracles, restoring sight to the blind and cast out demons. Her grandfather King Ethelbert was the first English king to convert to Christianity. St. Eanswythe’s remains were hidden in the wall of the Church of St Mary and St Eanswythe in Folkstone. She is venerated by Catholics, Anglicans and members of the Eastern Orthodox faith.


Muslim Bridegroom Expresses Thanks to Sikhs
A Muslim bridegroom wore a Sikh turban during his wedding to thank Sikhs for rescuing Muslims during recent rioting in northeast Delhi. His marriage video has gone viral, and family members say the act was to convey a message of communal harmony.

Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones to Host “Jewish Nobel”

On June 18 in Jerusalem, the Genesis Prize Award Ceremony will be hosted by Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The award, honoring human rights activist and Jewish hero Natan Sharansky carries a $1 million prize and has been dubbed the “Jewish Nobel.” It is given to “extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional achievement, contribution to humanity, commitment to Jewish values and Israel,” according to a release.


Quebec Bans Religious Symbols on Public-Sector Workers
Teachers, police officers, prosecutors and other public sector workers are banned from wearing religious symbols while at work under a new law enacted in Quebec. The National Council of Canadian Muslims and others plan legal challenges to the law.

Photos: Five Most Beautiful Houses of Worship in Nigeria
Five of the most beautiful houses of worship in Nigeria include: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Aba; Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos; The Synagogue of the Church of All Nations; Maria Assumpta Catholic Church; All Saints Anglican Church, Onitsha.

Trinity Lutheran Students Drive Tractors to School
Five FFA students from Trinity Lutheran High School, in Seymour, Indiana, drove tractors to school on March 5th to celebrate the annual “drive your tractor to school day.” According to news reports the drive went off without a hitch, although some early morning commuters were stacked up behind the slow-moving vehicles.