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.

World Religions News

Download now for Lent: a study guide for Kairos Palestine II


New study guide brings bold Palestinian Christian document to congregations

New free digital resource invites congregations into a sacred dialogue with Kairos Palestine II —a confession born from the heart of Palestinian Christian suffering.

A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide (released Nov. 2025) describes itself as a renewed “word of faith, hope, and love” and a “moment of truth” for the whole church. This new study guide is offered as a tool for congregations to listen carefully to that word and to discern how God is calling the church in the United States (and beyond) to respond.

To study Kairos Palestine II during Lent, that ancient season of preparation and renewal, is to walk the path of baptism once more: to rediscover what it means to pledge our faith in Christ and to boldly renounce the sin and evil alive in our world today.

Developed by The Palestine Justice Network (PJN) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Methodists for Kairos Response(UMKR), and Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), the study guide is a free digital download, now available for use as a 2026 Lenten Study and through the year.

A Palestinian Christian Lens

Throughout the guide, questions are framed to engage the wide spectrum of opinions present in church pews and leadership, from deep concern for Jewish–Christian relations to long-standing commitments to Palestinian human rights. Each session invites participants to ask, “How might this issue look when viewed through the eyes of Palestinian Christians who confess Christ in a time of genocide?” Further, how might we as Christians let that perspective challenge and deepen our own discipleship?

The study sessions ground the confession in current realities in Gaza, the West Bank, and within the wider Palestinian diaspora, where church leaders describe an ongoing time of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement. The guide situates the new Kairos Palestine text within the long arc of ecumenical concern for Palestine/Israel and invites congregations to receive it as a cry to the global church for help and hope.

Contents:

  • Leader’s guide
  • Text of Kairos Palestine II
  • 5 session plans
  • Worship materials
  • Readers’ Theater
  • Palestine 101 – a primer
  • Current denominational policies
  • Glossary
  • Recommended reading list

The study guide is intended to equip Christians to speak the truth about Palestinian realities while rooting that truth-telling in a theology of social justice and the traditions and positions of their church.

For more information and to download the guide now, please visit PJN at thepjn.org, UMKR at kairosresponse.org, or FOSNA at fosna.org.

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Description of Front cover: Firas Thabet, Gaznica, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 127 x 152 cm. Courtesy of the artist. “Every brushstroke in my paintings carries the pain of a nation.”

Firas Thabet’s work appeared in the “Gaza Biennale” in an exhibition entitled From Gaza to the World, which opened on September 11, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. Most of the 25 artists remain in Gaza, and do their work amid the rubble of the ruins which Israel has reduced Gaza to. Thabet’s Gaznica, like Picasso’s Guernica, shows devastation and despair and illustrates that in a time of war and genocide, art is not a luxury but an essential record of life as well as death.

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Contact:
Rev. Ron Shive
thePJN.org
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.

Original Source:

https://religionnews.com/2026/02/04/download-now-for-lent-a-study-guide-for-kairos-palestine-ii/