The worship of the goddess Lakshmi on Diwali is said to bring prosperity.
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Shri is the earliest name given to the goddess Lakshmi in Hindu texts. The word originally meant splendor and refers to all that is auspicious.
Gender-affirming care and social support can help trans youth thrive.
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A wealth of evidence supports the protective mental health effects of gender-affirming care, despite ongoing legislation that asserts otherwise.
Damaging a mirror was believed to invite the wrath of the gods in ancient cultures.
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In both ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, reflected images were thought to hold mysterious powers. Damaging a mirror was believed to invite the wrath of the gods.
Lent is a period of fasting and reflection for many Chistians.
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The 40-day Lenten season, when many Christians observe fasting, began in mid-February. A scholar explains how the practice may have emerged around the fifth century.
Indian farmers hold a protest on the outskirts of Amritsar in the northern state of Punjab.
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The term was first used in 1917 for a political agitation that Mahatma Gandhi launched against the British, on behalf of farmers.
A 1979 image that shows disciples of Rajneesh lying on the ground, in meditation at the mystic’s headquarters in Poona, India.
AP Photo/Eddie Adams
A scholar explains the popular use of the label ‘cult,’ and what makes it problematic.
Entrance to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, burial place of the founder of the Bahá’í faith, near Acre, Israel.
Bahá’í World News Service © Bahá'í International Community
The Baha'i faith originated in Iran and today has 100,000 communities across the globe, including the United States. Here is their history.
Crosses placed in memory of those killed in the shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland, Texas on Nov. 6, 2017.
REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Four articles from The Conversation archive offer insight on mass shootings in America.
Heart pierced by a rusty nail.
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Fewer people are getting married. What gives?