Religion and children
A few months ago this Nepali girl was a goddess, now she’s a seventh grader
In Nepal, a centuries old tradition of choosing a young girl as a goddess continues to this day. Nepali Hindus and Buddhists worship this girl, known as a Kumari. They believe she’s a reincarnation of the Hindu goddess, Durga. There are a few different goddesses in the Kathmandu valley. The World’s Sonia Narang spent time with one of them during a trip to Nepal.
In South Africa, funny hats mark boys’ circumcision, transition to manhood
South African tribes have long had traditions with respect to circumcising their men — typically happening around their 18th birthday. And while more organizations are criticizing the timing and methodology, if not the practice entirely, the tribal groups hold firm to their customs.
As legality of circumcision is debated, U.S. group recommends the practice
A German doctor filed a criminal complaint against a Jewish mohel for performing ritual circumcisions in that country — a practice one court found to be illegal. Meanwhile, in the United States Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its position and recommended circumcision as a beneficial practice for infant boys.
German Jews and Muslims outraged over ban on circumcisions
A recent German court ruling that calls circumcision a “bodily harm” has sparked weeks of outrage among Germany’s Jewish and Muslim communities. A group of rabbis went so far as to declare the court’s decision “the worst attack on Jewish life in Germany since the Holocaust.”
