Menu Close

Articles on Religion and society

Displaying 881 - 900 of 962 articles

A still from the 1946 classic ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’ National Telefilm Associates

What makes Christmas movies so popular

Holiday movies offer us a glimpse into how the world is could be, often in sharp contrast to our lives as they are. In that way, the annual act of viewing them is like a religious ritual.
All voting-age Indians may soon be asked to submit government-issued ID to prove citizenship. That may be a challenge for women, religious minorities and members of oppressed castes. AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

India’s plan to identify ‘illegal immigrants’ could get some Muslims declared ‘foreign’

Many women, Muslims and members of oppressed castes in India lack government-issued ID. Yet these documents may soon be required to prove their citizenship.
A portrait from 1868 of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz

Faith made Harriet Tubman fearless as she rescued slaves

Among Tubman’s most daring feats was helping slaves escape. She believed she went into trances and had visions. These, to her, were God’s way of guiding her, which made her quite fearless.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks during an event about the environment at the White House on July 8, 2019, as President Trump looks on. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Rick Perry’s belief that Trump was chosen by God is shared by many in a fast-growing Christian movement

A Christian movement led by independent religious entrepreneurs, often referred to as ‘apostles,’ is changing the religious landscape of the US.
Dilbar Ali Ravu, 10, is kissed by his aunt, Dalal Ravu, as Yazidi children are reunited with their families in Iraq after five years of captivity with the Islamic State group, March 2, 2019. AP Photo/Philip Issa, File

5 years after Islamic State massacre, an Iraqi minority is transformed by trauma

Interviews with the Yazidi survivors of IS attacks that killed 3,100 people in 2014 reveal the emotional, cultural and spiritual scars of religious persecution.
A new housing project in the West Bank settlement of Naale, part of the Israeli government’s recent push to increase its presence in the disputed territory, Jan. 1, 2019. AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

Israel’s West Bank settlements: 4 questions answered

The US delighted Israel and outraged Palestinians by announcing it sees nothing illegal with Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Here, a brief history of this hotly disputed land.
A mother hugs her son at the memorial of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 2019, the first anniversary of the shooting at the synagogue. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

How American anti-Semitism reflects the centuries-long struggle over the meaning of religious liberty

The US Constitution is supposed to protect freedom of religion. But in the 20th century, white Christian nationalists used this ideal to discriminate against Jews and justify their exclusion.
Supporters of former Bolivian president Evo Morales rally with indigenous flags outside the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, Nov. 18, 2019. AP Photo/Juan Karita

Old religious tensions resurge in Bolivia after ouster of longtime indigenous president

Indigenous people, symbols and religious practices filled the halls of power in Bolivia during Evo Morales’ 14-year tenure. Now a new conservative Christian leader seems to be erasing that legacy.
A Hindu woman prays to the bricks that are expected to be used in constructing the Ram temple in Ayodhya, following a verdict from the Indian Supreme Court. AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Why Hindu nationalists are cheering moves to build a temple, challenging a secular tradition

India’s Supreme Court has allowed a Hindu temple to be built on the disputed site of a 16th-century mosque. The verdict could have long-term ramifications for India’s tradition of religious diversity.
Jean Marcellis Destine, dressed as Haitian independence hero Jean-Jacques Dessalines, heads to a protest against President Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 4, 2019. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Haiti protests summon spirit of the Haitian Revolution to condemn a president tainted by scandal

Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who freed Haiti from French colonial rule in 1804, is revered as a spirit in the Haitian religion. Now he’s become an icon of the uprising against President Jovanel Moïse.
Cats can be happy in apartments, but the space needs features that enable their natural desire to climb, jump, hide and scratch. Kuznetcov_Konstantin/Shutterstock.com

Is it ethical to keep pets and other animals? It depends on where you keep them

Animals don’t just need enough space to live – they need the right kind of space, too. An animal welfare lawyer defends our pets’ ‘right of place.’
Darren Spencer at a memorial for his childhood friend Saheed Vassell, a 34-year-old father of a teenage son, fatally shot by police in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, April 5, 2018. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

To stop police shootings of people with mental health disabilities, I asked them what cops – and everyone – could do to help

Police are almost always the first responders in cases of mental health crisis. Too often these encounters turn bad, even deadly. But police were never meant to be in charge of US mental health care.
Vice President Mike Pence joins military officers and a chaplain on Aug. 23, 2019 in a prayer for two Army men who died during operations in Afghanistan. AP Photo/Cliff Owen

How the US military has embraced growing religious diversity

When the US entered World War I in 1917, military chaplains catered to majority white and Christian soldiers. Today the armed forces recognize over 200 denominations and religious groups.
A looted Jewish shop in Aachen, Germany on the day after Kristallnacht, Nov. 10, 1938. Wolf Gruner and Armin Nolzen (eds.). 'Bürokratien: Initiative und Effizienz,' Berlin, 2001.

The forgotten mass destruction of Jewish homes during ‘Kristallnacht’

Most histories highlight the shattered storefronts and synagogues set aflame. But it was the systematic ransacking of Jewish homes that extracted the greatest toll.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg leads supporters on a march to the Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration event in Des Moines, Iowa on Nov. 1, 2019. AP Photo/Nati Harnik

How Pete Buttigieg is reviving the pragmatic, progressive ideals of the Social Gospel movement

Pete Buttigieg has said that Christianity teaches ‘skepticism of the wealthy and the powerful and the established.’ These ideals are similar to those espoused by a Midwestern Social Gospel movement.

Top contributors

More