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August 2013

August 20, 2013

Steven Pinker: Stop bashing religion. You’re hurting science.

If you force people to choose between traditional meaning and objective knowledge, they will choose...

August 13, 2013

The “Religion vs. Creativity” Debate Rages On

Even in the most integrated, holistic community, where everyone shares the same basic cosmological assumptions,...

July 2013

July 26, 2013

Why IS liberal Protestantism dying, anyway?

Liberal Protestant churches are losing members left and right, while conservative churches are doing just...

July 09, 2013

Religion and creativity: A follow-up

Last week, Connor Wood claimed that religion and creativity were often incompatible. In response to...

July 03, 2013

Why aren’t religious people as creative as unbelievers?

Let's be honest: religion and creativity don't always mix. The world's fashion designers, rock musicians,...

June 2013

June 18, 2013

5 Ways Religion Can Influence Political Beliefs

Sometimes religion leads to more political involvement, sometimes none at all; other times political involvement...

June 03, 2013

How criminals use religion to justify their crimes

Research by criminologists Volkan Topalli, Timothy Brezina, and Mindy Bernhardt (all Georgetown State University) suggests...

May 2013

May 05, 2013

Exploring your religion

Check out ExploringMyReligion.org to learn how your religious beliefs and commitments shape up against orthodox,...

April 2013

April 03, 2013

Forgiveness and health: It’s complicated

Researcher Michael McFarland (University of Texas at Austin) and colleagues found that forgiveness positively correlates...

March 2013

March 27, 2013

How WEIRD are you?

New research from the University of Virginia and China shows a surprising finding – liberals...

March 22, 2013

Psychology and the religion-science conflict: Part 2

Having discovered how everyday people handle the so-called “religion-science” conflict, psychologists Cristine Legare (University of...

March 18, 2013

Psychology and the religion-science conflict: Part 1

Studying the religion-science conflict empirically, psychologists Cristine Legare (University of Texas at Austin) and Aku...

March 06, 2013

Video games: they have what atheists need

Who knew? New research from Canada shows that self-styled atheists prefer video games to tabletop...

February 2013

February 25, 2013

An evidence-based rethinking of the religion-science conflict

Research by sociologist John Evans (University of California, San Diego) concludes that (1) Christians know...

February 22, 2013

Rise in elder Korean suicides: A reminder that religion matters

The New York Times reports that South Korea's rise in suicides among the elderly may...

February 12, 2013

Religious households more likely to save money, plan for the future

Research by economists Luc Renneboog and Christophe Spaenjers (both Tilburg University, Netherlands) suggests that religious...

February 05, 2013

Religion the opiate of the poor?

Research by political scientists Frederick Solt, Philip Habel, and J. Tobin Grant (all Southern Illinois...

January 2013

January 25, 2013

Prisoners who attend religious services have fewer disciplinary problems

University of Alabama criminologist Kent Kerley argues that frequent attendance at religious services while incarcerated...

January 18, 2013

Do you believe in magic? Seriously.

Psychologist Eugene Subbotsky (Lancaster University, United Kingdom) has compiled a series of studies to argue...

January 04, 2013

Interview: Michael Ruse on Evolution, Creationism, and Religion

Daniel Ansted, contributor to ScienceOnReligion.org, recently conducted an interview with his former mentor and well-known...

December 2012

December 27, 2012

How are religious values passed down through families?

Focusing specifically on how grandmothers pass on their religious values to their granddaughters, psychologists Denise...

December 20, 2012

Europeans increasingly drawn to the occult

The U.S. is backwards and religious, while Europe is filled with enlightened atheists. Right? Not...

December 13, 2012

Why atheist scientists bring their children to church

Sociologists Elaine Ecklund and Kristen Lee found that some atheist scientists bring their children to...

October 2012

October 20, 2012

Religious conservatism may be driven by the disgust response

New research shows that religious conservatism may be a product of our natural disgust response,...

October 12, 2012

Are autistics less religious? Yes.

New research shows that autistics – and men! – may believe less in God because...

September 2012

September 30, 2012

Not conservatives, but religious people, more charitable

Sociologists Brandon Vaidyanathan, Christian Smith (both University of Notre Dame), and Jonathan Hill (Calvin College)...

September 22, 2012

Dalai Lama: We need ethics beyond religion

In a public statement, the Dalai Lama has claimed that humanity's ethics and morals need...

September 07, 2012

AAP: Health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh risks

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated their position on circumcision, concluding that it...

August 2012

August 31, 2012

A mystery in the history of Anabaptists

Luke J. Matthews (Harvard University) et al. found that violent ideology stems more from congregationally...

August 21, 2012

Does religion turn people into haters?

New research conducted in the U.S., Poland, and Iran shows that certain types of religiosity...