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Religion Behind the Scenes

Seven Facts About Baptism In Judaism

By Alonzo Gaskill

The roots of Jewish baptism underscore an important purification process that shapes identity and faith, influencing even Christianity.

A Complete Summary Of The April 2024 General Conference

By About Patheos

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently convened for its 193rd General Conference. President Nelson announced 14 new temples and he,...

Muslim Funeral Rites and the Islamic Society that Performs...

By Dr. Salman Masud

Muslims have a very specific set of practices associated with preparing oneself for death, readying the deceased’s body for burial, and holding an...

What is Apotropaic Magic and Who Practices it?

By Alison Chicosky

How you ever worn green on St. Patrick’s Day, knocked on wood, made the sign of the cross, owned a rabbit’s foot, or crossed your fingers? If you have,...

How and Why Latter-day Saints Practice Baptisms For the...

By Thurman Lambson

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, we will talk with Thurman Lambson, a life-long Temple-going Latter-day Saint. Thurman has regularly...

How First Nation Totem Poles are Made and Used

By EagleSon Williams

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, we’ll learn a bit about First Nation totem poles, how they are made, who makes them, and how they’re...

How Jehovah's Witness Memorial Bread is Made and Used

By Catalina P.

In this installment of “Religion Behind the Scenes,” we’ll delve into how “Memorial Bread” is made and used in Witnesses tradition, but also into how...

How Church Altars are Made and Used

By Rick Lair

Numerous religious traditions—Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shinto, and various Pagan traditions—each have a history of altar-use as part of their...

How Muslim Prayer Rugs Are Made and Used

By Tara Citinkaya

Once the pre-prayer-ablution has taken place, practitioners of Islam stand and kneel on a prayer mat as they converse with Allah—thereby ensuring that...

How Are Buddhist Monastic Robes Made and Used

By Bhante Subhūti

Westerners seldom genuinely understand Buddhism—and most of us, at some point, have been introduced to some caricature of Buddhism, which ends up getting...

How Eastern Orthodox Wedding Crowns Are Made and Used

By Ann Clough

Marriage is sacramental in almost every religion. Eastern Orthodoxy, the second largest Christian tradition, is no different. Holy matrimony is one of...

How the Hindu Janeu or “Sacred Thread” is Made

By by Deepak Pandeyji

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, Deepak tells us a bit about the process of making a janeu, why they are worn, and the spiritual side...

How Religious Idols Are Made

By Amrita Singh

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, Amrita tells us a bit about the process of making an idol, why they are used, and the spiritual side...

How Jewish Prayer Shawls Are Made and Used

By Ori Faran

In this Religion Behind the Scenes interview, Ori tells us a bit about how he got into this sacred work, how he makes tallitot (or prayer shawls), and...

How Are Zoroastrian Sudrehs and Kustis Made?

By PalV's Kasti

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, we will learn about two articles of sacred clothing worn by practitioners of Zoroastrianism.

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