A valedictorian at Brigham Young University came out in his address as a ‘gay son of God.’ And his admission met with loud applause. An expert explains how big a change this is for the Mormon Church.
Several parents do not want their children vaccinated, for religious or other reasons.
Tatevosian Yana/Shutterstock
Measles cases in the US have reached their highest in 25 years. A bioethicist argues why parents opposed to vaccination are not just wrong about the science, but about the morals.
Chaplain of the Paris Fire Department, Jean-Marc Fournier.
AP Photo/Thibault Camus
A chaplain of the Paris Fire Brigade helped save several items during the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. Rarely seen, fire chaplains often take enormous risks to provide support during disasters.
The burnt ruins of the St. Mary Baptist Church, one of three that recently burned down in Louisiana.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
When three African American churches were burned down in southern Louisiana, the man accused was said to be linked to black metal, a subgenre of heavy metal with a history of violence.
Professional mountain climbers installing synthetic, waterproof tarps over the gutted, exposed exterior of Notre Dame Cathedral.
AP Photo/Thibault Camus
The influence of Notre Dame Cathedral extended into every part of the life of Paris. The cathedral school was the training ground for medieval thinkers and the place of birth of the first university.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks.
National Gallery London
Suicide bombers struck Sri Lanka’s churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, killing and injuring hundreds of people. Seven percent of Sri Lanka’s population is Christian – most of them Roman Catholics.
Flames and smoke rise as fire rages in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
AP Photo/Thierry Mallet
The Notre Dame Cathedral was long a powerful symbol of church authority - but it wasn’t static. The design kept changing to keep up with the changing times.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Pete Buttigieg’s recent comments on Christian values, have drawn much attention. They might be quite similar to the ideals espoused by the Midwestern progressive Social Gospel Movement.
A Good Friday procession in Riverdale, Maryland.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
On Good Friday, Christians give thanks for their salvation, which they believe was made possible by the suffering of Jesus. But for Jews, it was common in the Middle Ages to be attacked with stones.
President Russell M. Nelson, center, during the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints conference on April 6, 2019.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
In 2015, the Mormon Church barred children from same-sex marriage from the church. An expert explains why this policy was tied to a larger conservative battle against gay rights.
An attorney for the Muslim enclave of Islamberg prays in a mosque in Tompkins, New York. American Muslims have a history going back 400 years.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Pope Francis has discouraged homosexual men from entering priesthood. Prior to the 12th century, even celebrated priests could write about same-sex desires and the church paid little attention.
A group of millennials are working to bring Catholic religious practice to American college campuses.
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Many young Catholics are moving away from their faith and joining the growing number of the religiously unaffiliated. The missionary group FOCUS is evangelizing on campuses, though there are concerns.
Conservative lawmakers in dozens of U.S. states have raised fears that Islamic fundamentalists want to impose Sharia on Americans.
Reuters/David Ryder
There is no inherent tension between Islam and democratic values. Like any use of religion in politics, the application of Sharia as law depends on who is using it – and why.
Human beings want more even if it comes at the expense of others.
svershinsky/Shutterstock.com
Some parents were recently charged with paying bribes for their children’s admission to top colleges. Religious thought can help us understand what drives such greed and also provide ethical guidance.
It might appear to many that atheism is a modern idea. However, in parts of Asia, particularly in India, atheism has been part of beliefs for thousands of years.
What can philosophers tell you about paying taxes?
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Many Americans are fretting over paying their taxes. A philosopher says the moral question isn’t as much about a duty toward the government, but being fair to fellow tax-paying citizens.
The 40-foot Peace Cross dedicated to World War I soldiers.
AP Photo/Kevin Wolf
A case regarding the constitutional validity of a cross shaped war memorial, is pending before the Supreme Court. An expert explains why these symbols have different meanings.
The Vatican will open its archives on Pope Pius XII next year. An expert explains the papacy of Pope Pius XII and the fear of communism confronting much of the Western world at the time.
Margareta, head of the women’s community at Lippoldsberg (in modern-day Germany) clasps hands with an Augustinian monk as he hands her a book.
Lippoldsberg Evangeliary. Kassel, Landesbibliothek, MS theol. 2o 59, f. 73v.
Pope Francis recently confirmed that clergy members abused nuns. Since the early days of monasticism, the presence of nuns led to restrictions that limited contact between men and women.
Muslims praying in a Chicago mosque following the shooting in New Zealand, on Friday, March 15.
AP Photo/Noreen Nasir
Last Friday, Muslims were killed while praying at two mosques in New Zealand. For Muslims, Friday is the day of gathering, the most important prayer day of the week.
Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
AP Photo/Richard Vogel
Devotees from many parts of the world are visiting the ailing 92-year-old monk, who has retired to a Buddhist temple. He taught how the practice of mindfulness could be combined with daily actions.
William ‘Rick’ Singer founder of the Edge College & Career Network, pleaded guilty to charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal.
AP Photo/Steven Senne
An expert explains the many reasons why people behave in an unethical manner and what research shows on why the wealthy have a need to maintain their higher status.