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Articles on Religion and society

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A pride flag flies in front of the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City during a 2015 protest against church policy toward same-sex couples. George Frey/Getty Images

What’s going on with the wave of GOP bills about trans teens? Utah provides clues

The relationship between faith, politics and LGBTQ rights is more complicated than it can appear at first glance.
Ukrainian designer Margarita Chala stands next to shoes symbolizing war crimes committed against Ukrainian civilians at the Old Town Square in Prague in 2023. Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images

When there are no words: Talking about wartime trauma in Ukraine

Trauma can affect how people remember and describe experiences. Many survivors express their pain through objects and physical symptoms, an anthropologist explains.
A view of the destruction in Antakya, Turkey, caused by the recent earthquake. AP Photo/Hussein Malla

Turkey’s historic city of Antakya, known in Roman and medieval times as Antioch, has been flattened by powerful earthquakes in the past – and rebuilt itself

A historian of the late Roman world, who visited earthquake-devastated Antakya several times, writes about the city’s rich history and recovery after being devastated in the past.
Figuring out what to do with the ‘Song of Songs’ has preoccupied people reading the Bible for centuries. 'Song of Songs' illustrated by Florence Kingsford/Southern Methodist University/Wikimedia Commons

Why is a love poem full of sex in the Bible? Readers have been struggling with the Song of Songs for 2,000 years

The famous biblical book alludes to God only once. Historically, though, most interpreters have argued the poem’s about love between the divine and his people.
The exterior view of the Bethel African American Methodist Episcopal Church at 125 S. 6th St. in Philadelphia. Breton, William L., circa 1773-1855 Artist via the Library of Congress, World Digital Library

A brief history of the Black church’s diversity, and its vital role in American political history

Millions of enslaved Africans were forcefully converted to the Christian faith. The Black church came about when African Americans began to establish their own congregations.
People pray in front of the tomb of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI inside the grottos of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, on Jan. 8, 2023. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Calls for Pope Benedict’s sainthood make canonizing popes seem like the norm – but it’s a long and politically fraught process

A specialist in Catholic liturgy and rituals explains that while several popes have been canonized, it is a long process that may take several years to examine and uncover any hidden flaws.

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