Religions Around The World

In the early morning hours, monks can be seen walking on their alms round in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Showing humility and detachment from worldly goods, the monk walks slowly and only stops if he is called. Standing quietly, with his bowl open, the local Buddhists give him rice, or flowers, or an envelope containing money.  In return, the monks bless the local Buddhists and wish them a long and fruitful life.
Christians Celebrate Good Friday
Enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad, India. Only 2.3% of India's population is Christian. 
Ancient interior mosaic in the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Istanbul, Turkey is a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church.
Dome of the Rock located in the Old City of Jerusalem
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure.
Holi Festival in Mathura, India
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors”,  Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons.
Jewish father and daughter pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
Known in Hebrew as the Western Wall, it is one of the holiest sites in the world. The description, "place of weeping", originated from the Jewish practice of mourning the destruction of the Temple and praying for its rebuilding at the site of the Western Wall.
People praying in Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The temple is dedicated to both Taoism and Buddhism.
People praying in the Grand Mosque in Ulu Cami
This is the most important mosque in Bursa, Turkey and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture built in 1399.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius
Located in Suzdal, Russia, this is a church rite of sanctification of apples and grapes in honor of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in Kyoto, Japan
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. Fushimi Inari is the most important Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
Ladles at the purification fountain in the Hakone Shrine
Located in Hakone, Japan, this shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine.  At the purification fountain, ritual washings are performed by individuals when they visit a shrine. This ritual symbolizes the inner purity necessary for a truly human and spiritual life.
Hanging Gardens of Haifa are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The Shrine of the Báb is where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been buried; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís.
Pilgrims praying at the Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and Golden Temple
Located in Amritsar, India, the Golden Temple is one of the most revered spiritual sites of Sikhism. It is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the shrine daily.
Entrance gateway of Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Kowloon
Located in Hong Kong, China, the temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim.
Christian women worship at a church in Bois Neus, Haiti.
Haiti's population is 94.8 percent Christian, primarily Catholic. This makes them one of the most heavily Christian countries in the world.

T.D. Jakes moves from pastoring to podcasting as his next focus

(RNS) — Less than a year after suffering a massive heart attack, megachurch founder T.D. Jakes is launching a podcast featuring celebrities and influencers discussing transformative points of transition in their lives.

“NXT Chapter with T.D. Jakes” will premiere on the iHeartMedia radio network Friday (Nov. 14) with an interview with media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

“After experiencing a profound shift in my own life and career, I knew I was not alone,” Jakes says in a trailer for the podcast. “These moments of change, challenge and transformation touch all of us. That’s why I created this podcast to sit down with people from all walks of life — leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes — and talk about the moments that changed everything for all of them.”

Others scheduled to appear in the first season of the show include actor-director Denzel Washington, rapper Jeezy and Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, Jakes’ daughter and successor as co-leader of The Potter’s House, in Dallas.

Jakes’ podcast comes as the popular preacher and bestselling author has experienced some transitions of his own.

In April Jakes, 68, announced to the Potter’s House congregation that he was turning over its leadership to Roberts and Pastor Touré Roberts, his son-in-law. In the preceding months, attorneys for Jakes had filed a defamation lawsuit on his behalf relating to accusations of sexual assault dating to years before. The suit argued that the accusations, made by a Pennsylvania minister named Duane Youngblood, were false.

But in October of this year Jakes informed the Pennsylvania federal district court where the case was filed that it had been voluntarily dismissed “by consent of all parties” involved in the litigation. 


RELATED: T.D. Jakes’ Dallas megachurch will be led by daughter, son-in-law


Dustin Pusch, one of Jakes’ lawyers in the case, said Jakes had prompted the end of the case, The Dallas Morning News reported. “The Court has consistently ruled in Bishop Jakes’s favor throughout this matter, and with the established record in the case proving the utter falsity of these claims, there is nothing further to pursue,” Pusch told the newspaper in a statement.

“In the interest of judicial efficiency and closure for all involved, Bishop Jakes has chosen to dismiss the remaining claims and focus his attention on continuing the global ministry and community work that have defined his life for nearly five decades.”

A document that accompanied The Potter’s House’s announcement about its changing leadership said it was “absolutely not” related to any wrongdoing by T.D. Jakes.

On the last Sunday of November 2024, as he preached to his congregation, Jakes had suffered a heart attack while preaching to his congregation. Jakes did not disclose the cause of what his ministry initially called “a slight health incident” for four months, only revealing it was a massive heart attack on NBC’s “Today Show” in March. “The right side of my heart had completely stopped getting blood at all,” he said on the broadcast.

Having come through his own transitions, Jakes said in the podcast trailer that he’s ready to explore others’ life-changing experiences.

“These are real conversations about resilience, reinvention, purpose, and faith, about what it takes to keep going when everything around you is telling you to stop,” he said. “You will hear how a career setback became a calling, how a moment of loss sparked a mission, how unexpected transitions turn into unexpected blessings.”

The announcement of the podcast said that Jakes will also be telling more of his own story. “Several episodes will reflect on his recovery, renewed perspective, and the clarity of purpose that continues to shape this next season of his life and work,” it reads.

Others to be featured in the weekly episodes are former Starbucks chair Mellody Hobson and Jason Wilson, co-founder of The Yunion, a faith-based nonprofit supporting youth and families in Detroit.

Jakes, once the leader of a West Virginia storefront church, has been featured on a Time magazine cover and become known for a wide range of entrepreneurial pursuits, including real estate and entertainment.

“I’ve spent my life speaking to people’s souls,” Jakes said in an announcement about the podcast. “Now, I want to sit with their stories.”


RELATED: T.D. Jakes discloses ‘massive heart attack’ as cause of November health crisis


Original Source:

https://religionnews.com/2025/11/12/t-d-jakes-moves-from-pastoring-to-podcasting-as-his-next-focus/