15 Religious Moments In 2015 That Give Us Hope For The New Year

May 2016 continue to inspire dialogue and solidarity.

12/18/2015 05:54 pm ET
Antonia Blumberg
Associate Religion Editor, The Huffington Post  
Carol Kuruvilla
Religion Associate Editor, The Huffington Post 

The world is a difficult and scary place to be, but we are continually floored by the way human beings to come together despite their differences to make life just a little bit easier for one another.

Here are 15 religious moments during 2015 that give us inspiration and hope for 2016:

1 Germany’s Cologne Cathedral turned off its lights to protest an anti-Muslim march.



Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

One of Germany's most famous landmarks, Cologne Cathedral, was plunged into darkness in early January in protest over a march planned by a growing grass-roots anti-Muslim movement in the country. "By switching off the floodlighting we want to make those on the march stop and think. It is a challenge: consider who you are marching alongside," Cathedral Dean Norbert Feldhoff told Reuters at the time.

2 Lassana Bathily, a Muslim grocery store employee, bravely saved lives during a terrorist attack at a French kosher supermarket.



Paul Redmond via Getty Images

When a gunman laid siege to Paris kosher grocery store Hyper Cacher on January 9, Lassana Bathily, a Muslim employee at the store, saved several people by hiding them in a walk-in freezer. Bathily appeared on BFMTV the following night to talk about the experience. When asked about his heroic acts, he replied, "We are brothers. It's not a question of Jews of Christians or of Muslims. We're all in the same boat, we have to help each other to get out of this crisis."

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