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Articles on Religion and society

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In her efforts to build a new relationship with the Catholic Church, Queen Elizabeth II had interactions with several pontiffs. She is seen here with Pope John Paul II. AP Photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Pool, File

Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne at a time of deep religious divisions and worked to bring tolerance

Queen Elizabeth II encouraged tolerance in a multifaith United Kingdom. To appreciate the significance of her efforts, it is important to understand the country’s complicated religious history.
German Bishop Georg Bätzing talks with members of various Catholic youth organizations holding up umbrellas reading “Consecration for All” and “Jesus had two fathers.” Sebastian Gollnow/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

The Catholic Church is increasingly diverse – and so are its controversies

The Catholic Church’s membership numbers are growing fastest outside Europe and the Americas, and Catholics’ priorities look very different across the world.
A wooden effigy of a man is erected each year in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and later burned down. AP Photo/Ron Lewis

Burning Man highlights the primordial human need for ritual

In Nevada, people create a makeshift city toward the end of summer and later burn it down. What’s behind this event, and what makes it meaningful?
People gather at a vigil pray and observe a moment of silence after an attack on author Salman Rushdie on Aug. 12, 2022, in Chautauqua, New York. AP Photo/Joshua Goodman

What is a fatwa? A religious studies professor explains

The attack on Salman Rushdie promptly led to speculation on whether the attacker had been influenced by the 1989 fatwa against the author. A scholar explains what a fatwa is, and isn’t.
Muslim refugees sit on the roof of an overcrowded coach railway train near New Delhi, trying to leave India after the 1947 Partition. AP Photo

5 books and films that tell the story of the trauma of the Partition of India and its aftermath

On the 75th anniversary of India’s partition, scholars from the US, Canada, France, UK and Australia write about their favorite book or film that best explains the trauma of a violent division.

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