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August 2022

August 28, 2022

Terrifying dragons have long been a part of many religions, and there is a reason for their appeal

Enormous, scaly, fire-breathing dragons have fascinated civilizations for centuries. A scholar who studies monsters explains...

July 2022

July 24, 2022

The patriotic Virgin: How Mary’s been marshaled for religious nationalism and military campaigns

Many religions have been used to prop up nationalism, and Catholicism is no exception, as...

July 22, 2022

Religious liberty has a long and messy history – and there is a reason Americans feel strongly about it

Historians of American religious history explain why the Supreme Court’s recent religious liberty rulings are...

April 2022

April 15, 2022

Two Orthodox Christian countries at war – here’s an explanation of the faith tradition shared by Russia and Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put a spotlight on the views of the Russian Orthodox...

April 13, 2022

War in Ukraine is testing some American evangelicals’ support for Putin as a leader of conservative values

Vladimir Putin has long been a favorite with many American evangelicals who praised his support...

April 12, 2022

When Putin says Russia and Ukraine share one faith, he’s leaving out a lot of the story

A Ukrainian service member takes a photograph of a damaged church after shelling in a...

February 2022

February 22, 2022

How Lourdes became a byword for hope

St. Bernadette’s visions of the Virgin Mary in the 19th century inspired the pilgrimage site...

February 21, 2022

Japan’s Shinto religion is going global and attracting online followers

An anthropologist of Japanese religion met followers of Shinto religion online and found how they...

February 20, 2022

Why church conflict in Ukraine reflects historic Russian-Ukrainian tensions

The current split in Ukrainian Orthodoxy reflects a fundamental question: Are Ukrainians and Russians one...

January 2022

January 29, 2022

Pope Benedict faulted over sex abuse claims: New report is just one chapter in his – and Catholic Church’s – fraught record

Pope Benedict XVI’s many years of wrestling with the abuse crisis highlight the Catholic Church’s...

January 26, 2022

As spiritualism’s popularity grows, photographer Shannon Taggart takes viewers inside the world of séances, mediums and orbs

Alternative beliefs like spiritualism seem to experience resurgences in times of crisis. Taggart has spent...

January 25, 2022

Buddhist nuns and female scholars are gaining new leadership roles, in a tradition that began with the ordination of Buddha’s foster mother

Traditionally, Buddhism has been opposed to women taking on leadership roles. However, nuns in many...

January 24, 2022

Pope Benedict accused of mishandling sex abuse cases: 4 essential reads

A German report accused retired Pope Benedict XVI of mishandling several cases of sexual abuse...

October 2021

October 14, 2021

Caring for the environment has a long Catholic lineage – hundreds of years before Pope Francis

Environmentalism may seem like a new mindset, especially in the Church. But care for creation...

October 11, 2021

Cherry-picking the Bible and using verses out of context isn’t a practice confined to those opposed to vaccines – it has been done for centuries

A historian of the Bible in American life explains how Bible verses are being picked...

October 10, 2021

Americans are in a mental health crisis – especially African Americans. Can churches help?

More houses of worship are offering mental health programs, especially African American congregations.

October 06, 2021

White Gen X and millennial evangelicals are losing faith in the conservative culture wars

Growing numbers of young evangelicals and 'Exvangelicals' are pro-LGBTQ, support #BlackLivesMatter – or are fed...

July 2021

July 08, 2021

Why choosing the next dalai lama will be a religious – as well as a political – issue

The current dalai lama was enthroned when he was about 4 years old. AP Photo

June 2021

June 28, 2021

Controversy over Communion in the Catholic Church goes back some 2,000 years

Biden is not the first public figure to whom the Catholic Church wants to deny...

June 26, 2021

Do people become more religious in times of crisis?

Traumatic events can make people question assumptions about their lives, including their spiritual beliefs.

May 2021

May 26, 2021

Faith in numbers: Is church attendance linked to higher rates of coronavirus?

Public health officials and religious conservatives fought over church closures. Data now shows that those...

May 19, 2021

Cancel culture looks a lot like old-fashioned church discipline

Excommunicating a church member, like 'canceling' someone on social media, serves to cleanse the body...

May 16, 2021

Ancient Christian thinkers made a case for reparations that has striking relevance today

The biblical story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt is also a historical tale of...

April 2021

April 22, 2021

How ‘complementarianism’ – the belief that God assigned specific gender roles – became part of evangelical doctrine

Complementarianism became central to evangelical belief in response to the feminist movement of the 1970s...

April 14, 2021

How the Supreme Court found its faith and put ‘religious liberty’ on a winning streak

Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have bolstered the conservative wing of...

April 12, 2021

Faith in numbers: Trump held steady among believers at the ballot – it was the nonreligious vote he lost in 2020

Trump saw a decline in support among atheists, agnostics and voters not affiliated with any...

April 11, 2021

India prepares for Kumbh Mela, world’s largest religious gathering, amid COVID-19 fears

Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage that started earlier this month in India, has survived wars...

April 04, 2021

Chivalry is not about opening doors, but protecting society’s most vulnerable from attack

Chivalry is not an elite men's club. Women have always been involved.

April 03, 2021

The US has never had much of a pilgrimage tradition – perhaps now is the opportunity

The pandemic has curtailed religious tourism for many. As the US opens up, perhaps Americans...

March 2021

March 28, 2021

This Passover, as in the past, will be a time to recognize tragedies and offer hope for the future

As vaccinated grandparents gather with their families this Passover, many might find solace in the...