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October 2023

October 29, 2023

What Do We Really Know About the Ancient Druids?

The ancient Druids are still leaving a mark on western culture. They turn up in...

October 25, 2023

Hallowe’en Is an Irish-American Holiday

Hallowe'en, at least as it's observed in North America, is a thoroughly Irish-American holiday. You...

October 22, 2023

Albert Einstein and Spinoza’s God

Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) often was asked if he believed in God....

October 19, 2023

Don’t Fall for Jesus Mythicism

What is Jesus mythicism? In general, it's a proposal that Jesus Christ is entirely fictional...

October 12, 2023

Reflections on War and Religion

A horrific new war involving Israel and Gaza evokes the old subject of war and...

October 09, 2023

The Boy Who Is the Bogd

Very old history has a way of keeping its grip on current events. Now some...

September 2023

September 28, 2023

Beneath the Sands of Mes Aynak

Mes Aynak is a desolate place located about 25 miles, or 40 kilometers, southeast of...

September 20, 2023

Nalanda: The First University

Nalanda was the first residential university in human history. It also was one of the...

September 18, 2023

Faith and Football: What’s the Deal With Prayers Before Games?

What's the deal with prayers before football games? I don't know when it became the...

September 03, 2023

Kennedy v. Bremerton: The Praying Coach Returns

On Friday night, September 1, 2023, an event happened that will be a footnote in...

August 2023

August 25, 2023

The Ancient Secret of the Dunhuang Cave

The discovery of a long-hidden library in a cave near Dunhuang, China, was one of...

August 20, 2023

Oklahoma Approves a Religious Charter School

Last month, the state of Oklahoma approved the first religious charter school in the nation....

August 07, 2023

A Tale of the Buddha’s Tooth

Sri Lanka's Festival of the Tooth is possibly the oldest Buddhist festival in Asia. Indeed,...

July 2023

July 28, 2023

The Meaning of Faith

What is the meaning of faith? In particular, what is the meaning of the word...

July 17, 2023

Defining Religion, and Why That’s So Hard

What does the word religion mean? I often hear that Buddhism is not a religion,...

July 12, 2023

The Prophet’s 100th Birthday

I recently moved, and this morning while unpacking a box of books I came across...

July 03, 2023

The Rev. Edgar Gardner Murphy and the Movement to End Child Labor

Child labor is making a comeback in the U.S. Several states are passing laws to...

June 2023

June 18, 2023

Getting Juneteenth Right

Juneteenth -- June 19 -- is an official holiday now, commemorating the ending of slavery...

June 18, 2023

The Christian Temperance Movement

The Temperance movement was one of the most long-lasting and influential religious/social activist movements in...

June 16, 2023

The Afterlife of the Bamiyan Buddhas

The giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, were destroyed in March 2001 on orders of...

June 09, 2023

The First Buddhist Same-Sex Wedding

The first Buddhist same-sex wedding (that we know of) took place in about 1970 in...

June 08, 2023

Pat Robertson’s Legacy

Pat Robertson died today, June 8, in his home at the age of 93. He's...

June 04, 2023

New Insight Into the Life of Maimonides

A long overlooked document has shed a bit of new light on the life of...

May 2023

May 25, 2023

Tina Turner’s Buddhism

Tina Turner (1939-2023) was a force of nature, and her music touched countless people. She...

May 22, 2023

The Maya Civilization Was More Advanced Than We Knew

New discoveries promise new insight into the ancient Maya civilization and its religion. Archeologists have...

May 18, 2023

The Mystery of the Emerald Buddha

The Emerald Buddha is the most sacred object in Thailand. It is the nation's palladium,...

May 17, 2023

The Real Story of Anna and the King of Siam

The King and I, the classic musical by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, premiered on Broadway...

May 12, 2023

Buddhism in Egypt?

Buddhism in Egypt? Nearly two millennia ago? Maybe. A statue of the Buddha dating to...

May 08, 2023

The Origins of Dragons

What are the origins of dragons? It isn't clear when and where dragons first appeared...

May 03, 2023

Saint George of England

Saint George is the patron saint of England, and he is famous for slaying a...

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