2014 Was An Unsettling Year, And Religion Played A Starring Role

Religion News Service BY Kevin Eckstrom

(RNS) For most of recorded history, Isis was an Egyptian goddess, a benevolent type who cared for widows and orphans, cured the sick and even brought the dead back to life.

This year, the world met the other ISIS.

The rise of the so-called Islamic State, variously known as ISIS or ISIL, dominated headlines in 2014 as a self-proclaimed caliphate sowed death and destruction across Iraq and Syria. For some, the group confirmed their worst fears about Muslim extremists, bent on killing religious minorities and subjugating women in a quest for domination that included leveling villages and beheading hostages.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/30/2014-year-in-religion_n_6343142.html?utm_hp_ref=religion