religion
Washington believed that particular Thanksgiving in 1789 was a crucial occasion.
The early colonists thought they were being pulled by God into a void left by plague.
This map of Hutterite colonies in North America says something about religion and evolution — and more precisely, speciation.
By taking Satan out of the religious context, storytellers explored the nature of sin in new ways.
Our social instincts can lead us to adopt models of desire that might not serve our interests.
Discover the history of homemade sugar skulls, home altars, and fantastical spirit animals.
Growing up in the United States, I remember on Halloween my mother used to say, “Honey, this is not just a day for costumes and candy. You must also remember […]
There’s more to miracles than turning water into wine.
Frank Herbert’s “Dune” refers to a religious desert people who are desperate for a savior to overthrow an evil empire. Sound familiar?
How we handle grief largely depends on our worldview. Here is how three famous philosophers handled the certainty of grief and despair.
In hell, we assume a position of moral superiority, looking down over the sinners and the poor decisions that led them to this wretched place. In heaven, Dante is looking down upon us.
The book Buddha Takes the Mound delivers an engaging and sophisticated account of Buddhism’s worldview through the prism of baseball.
It’s better to pursue moral actions instead of the ephemeral state of happiness, according to the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
Studio Ghibli movies celebrate the natural world using a very Japanese mixture of Shinto, Buddhist, and Daoist themes.
Jains believe that karma weighs the soul down. This can be overcome through extreme asceticism, in which one slowly withdraws from life.
A 5,300-year-old mummy teaches us the global history of tattoos.
Ultrarunning is a celebration of living and a rehearsal of dying all rolled up in a single intense experience.
This is a time for family and friends to gather, watch the full moon and eat mooncakes and other delicacies.
Which philosopher had the strongest arguments? David Hume, who raised some of the best challenges for science, ethics, and religion.
For some reason, the bodies of deceased monks stay “fresh” for a long time.
For the ancients, hospitality was an inviolable law enforced by gods and priests and anyone else with the power to make you pay dearly for mistreating a stranger.
Brain-based technologies of spiritual enhancement can induce mystical experiences in many people on demand. What does this mean for spirituality today?
A Nazi institute produced a Bible without the Old Testament that portrayed Jesus as an Aryan hero fighting Jewish people.
Apart from divine authority, is there an ethical basis for right and wrong?
Must a religious story be confirmed as a true fact to be effective and inspiring?
There were at least four major climate catastrophes that reshaped global religion. It could be happening again.
No. But Buddhism and quantum mechanics have much to teach each other.
Seek pleasure and avoid pain. Why make it more complicated?
Studies show that religion and spirituality are positively linked to good mental health. Our research aims to figure out how and why.
The mummy was first thought to be a male priest. But a recent radiological analysis revealed a surprising anomaly.