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Articles on Religion and society

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A procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed by many Christians to be the site of the crucifixion and burial place of Jesus Christ. AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner

Easter 2024 in the Holy Land: a holiday marked by Palestinian Christian sorrow

A Christian Palestinian human rights scholar who grew up in Bethlehem writes about the special time of Easter, but also about the restrictions on Palestinian Christians.
Thousands of Catholics travel by foot to Santuario de Chimayo, in northern New Mexico, during an annual Good Friday pilgrimage. AP Photo/Morgan Lee

An annual pilgrimage during Holy Week brings thousands of believers to Santuario de Chimayó in New Mexico, where they pray for healing and protection

Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Santuario de Chimayó throughout the year, but the pilgrimage during the week before the celebration of Easter is the high point.
Esther denouncing Haman, who, according to the Purim story, attempted to have all Jews within the Persian Empire massacred. Hutchinson's History of the Nations/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Purim’s original queen: How studying the Book of Esther as fan fiction can teach us about the roots of an unruly Jewish festival

Whether thousands of years ago or right now, fans have always created new stories based on familiar characters, weaving their own experiences into the tale.
One of the earliest depictions of flying witches is in a 15th-century text entitled “Le champion des dames,” or “The Defender of Ladies.” Martin Le Franc/W. Schild. Die Maleficia der Hexenleut' via Wikimedia Commons

Can witches fly? A historian unpacks the medieval invention − and skepticism − of the witch on a broomstick

The iconic image of a witch on a broomstick has apocryphal origins. But whether they could actually fly didn’t stop Christian society from persecuting them.

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