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An open dictionary page with the word 'atheist' circled in red ink.

The number of religious ‘nones’ has soared, but not the number of atheists – and as social scientists, we wanted to know why

Christopher P. Scheitle, West Virginia University and Katie Corcoran, West Virginia University

Two boys in white uniforms and colored, puffy vests bow to each other and make eye contact in an all-white room.

As humans, we all want self-respect – and keeping that in mind might be the missing ingredient when you try to change someone’s mind

Colin Marshall, University of Washington

For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond

James L. Fitzsimmons, Middlebury

A painting on a yellow background that shows a jaguar with fangs, bloodshot eyes and rabbit ears surrounded by other figures.
How ‘apocalypse’ became a secular as well as religious idea

Erik Bleich, Middlebury and Christopher Star, Middlebury

Thick clouds of smoke emerging from fires below fill the entire sky.
The biblical character who goes ‘down the rabbit hole’ into an alternate reality − just like Alice in Wonderland

Ryan M. Armstrong, Oklahoma State University

Yellow and white figures of a man and woman in fancy robes and a grinning cat's head.
Gender-nonconforming ancient Romans found refuge in community dedicated to goddess Cybele

Tina Chronopoulos, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A marble relief with several figures engraved on it: on the side is a column with an adorned woman with another companion. Next to them is a man with a crown, with one hand on a pedestal.
Read our latest religion articles

NONES

Read more about 'nones'
A man in a hat bowing his head before an altar on which are candles, flowers and other items.

How ‘nones’ − the religiously unaffiliated − are finding meaning, purpose and spirituality in psychedelic churches

Morgan Shipley, Michigan State University

Not religious, not voting? The ‘nones’ are a powerful force in politics – but not yet a coalition

Evan Stewart, UMass Boston

A silver pen sits on a piece of paper that says 'atheist,' and the box next to the word has a red check in it.
From atheist churches to finding healing in the ‘sacred flower of cannabis,’ spiritual but not religious Americans are finding new ways of pursuing meaning

Morgan Shipley, Michigan State University

A church with a flamboyant technicolor interior, with a mural on the wall showing two figures smoking weed.
Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans

Ryan Burge, Eastern Illinois University

A woman looks upward in front of a stained-glass window
The changing nature of America’s irreligious explained

Richard Flory, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The changing nature of America’s irreligious explained

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Politics and religion

Woman dressed in blue and yellow screams at security personnel.

Indian protesters pull from poetic tradition to resist Modi’s Hindu nationalism

Krupa Shandilya, Amherst College

Bollywood is playing a large supporting role in India’s elections

Preminda Jacob, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A silhouette of a man walking past three identical posters showing a gray-haired man, dressed in a long saffron-color shirt, with the flag of India in the background.
Mormon leaders – whose church is often associated with the GOP – push back against one-party politics

David Campbell, University of Notre Dame

A golden statue of a man in a robe blowing a trumpet atop a steeple, seen against a gray sky.
Talk of ‘Christian nationalism’ is getting a lot louder – but what does the term really mean?

Eric McDaniel, The University of Texas at Austin

A hand puts a Bible into a locked box in front of a U.S. flag.
There’s no one ‘Latino vote’ – religion and geography add to voters’ diversity

Laura E. Alexander, University of Nebraska Omaha and Cristian Doña-Reveco, University of Nebraska Omaha

Three people laugh as they sit at a table in a conference room, with markers and snacks scattered around them.
Read more on sacred sites

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Ancient texts

What a second-century Roman citizen, Lucian, can teach us about diversity and acceptance

Eleni Bozia, University of Florida

A grainy black and white drawing showing the face of a young man with curly hair.
From ancient Jewish texts to androids to AI, a just-right sequence of numbers or letters turns matter into meaning

Rhona Trauvitch, Florida International University

A white grid of dots set against a larger grid of interlocking circle designs, with a black and pink illustration of the cosmos behind.
Ancient texts depict all kinds of people, not just straight and cis ones – this college course looks at LGBTQ sexuality and gender in Egypt, Greece and Rome

Tina Chronopoulos, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A faded mural depicting two men looking into each other's eyes with their faces very close to each other.
Sunzi, ‘shì’ and strategy: How to read ‘Art of War’ the way its author intended

Scott D. McDonald, Tufts University

Many thin planks of bamboo tied together to form a book, with Chinese characters written on them.
Read more stories on ancient texts

Religion and immigration

How race and religion have always played a role in who gets refuge in the US

Laura E. Alexander, University of Nebraska Omaha; Jane Hong, Occidental College; Karen Hooge Michalka, University of Mary, and Luis A. Romero, Texas Christian University

Men and women huddled together near the U.S. border near a yellow and blue Ukrainian flag.
Evangelical Christians are racially diverse – and hold diverse views on immigration

Janelle Wong, University of Maryland

Evangelical Christians are racially diverse – and hold diverse views on immigration
From church to the mosque, faith and friends help Iowa’s African immigrants and refugees build a sense of home

Osamamen Oba Eduviere, University of Iowa and Brady G'Sell, University of Iowa

A green-gray statue is lightly covered in snow, standing in front of a brick building with a tower.
What history reveals about surges in anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiments

Ingrid Anderson, Boston University

What history reveals about surges in anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiments
Read more about Valentine's Day

Movies and religion

The back of people's heads as they sit in rows staring at a blank white screen in a movie theater.

Reeling religion: From anime and sci-fi to rom-coms, films are full of faith in unexpected places

David W. Stowe, Michigan State University

Scorsese’s gods of the streets: From ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ to ‘Silence,’ faith is rarely far off in his films

Anthony Smith, University of Dayton

A dark-haired woman in a dark dress and a white-haired man in a button-down shirt sit looking at each other seriously in a church pew.
How non-English language cinema is reshaping the Oscars landscape

Kerry Hegarty, Miami University

Young Korean man sits near a young Korean woman with a carousel in the background.
Oppenheimer often used Sanskrit verses, and the Bhagavad Gita was special for him − but not in the way Christopher Nolan’s film depicts it

Vasudha Narayanan, University of Florida

Faint image of the words 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'
The real priest behind ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ was a fan of Hollywood horror films

Joseph P. Laycock, Texas State University

A man with a white beard, dressed in a priest robe, pointing a circular disc towards the forehead of another man.

Read more on Islam

Most read this week

1.
The biblical character who goes ‘down the rabbit hole’ into an alternate reality − just like Alice in Wonderland

Ryan M. Armstrong, Oklahoma State University

The biblical character who goes ‘down the rabbit hole’ into an alternate reality − just like Alice in Wonderland
2.
How ‘apocalypse’ became a secular as well as religious idea

Erik Bleich, Middlebury and Christopher Star, Middlebury

How ‘apocalypse’ became a secular as well as religious idea
3.
As humans, we all want self-respect – and keeping that in mind might be the missing ingredient when you try to change someone’s mind

Colin Marshall, University of Washington

As humans, we all want self-respect – and keeping that in mind might be the missing ingredient when you try to change someone’s mind
4.
Gender-nonconforming ancient Romans found refuge in community dedicated to goddess Cybele

Tina Chronopoulos, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Gender-nonconforming ancient Romans found refuge in community dedicated to goddess Cybele
5.
The number of religious ‘nones’ has soared, but not the number of atheists – and as social scientists, we wanted to know why

Christopher P. Scheitle, West Virginia University and Katie Corcoran, West Virginia University

The number of religious ‘nones’ has soared, but not the number of atheists – and as social scientists, we wanted to know why
6.
For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond

James L. Fitzsimmons, Middlebury

For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond