A media scholar who studied Carter and interviewed him explains how he attempted to translate Jesus’ teachings into action through his life of public service.
An empty church in Hiers-Brouage, France.
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Secularization has fascinated sociologists for 200 years – but that doesn’t mean they always agree on what it is, or how much it’s happening.
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.
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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
Trauma can affect how people remember and describe experiences. Many survivors express their pain through objects and physical symptoms, an anthropologist explains.
White sage is being commonly used for purification rituals.
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Employers navigating employees’ requests for religious accommodations face some confusing guidance. A new Supreme Court case could clarify – and shift the norm.
A view of the destruction in Antakya, Turkey, caused by the recent earthquake.
AP Photo/Hussein Malla
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.
In the Hindu tradition, the story of the divine love of Radha and Krishna features prominently.
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On Valentine’s Day, a scholar of South Asian religions tells the story of the divine love of Radha and Krishna and the lessons in it for our world today.
Lucian of Samosata, a high-ranking Roman official.
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Lucian’s work provides insight into the second-century Roman world, which fostered multilingualism and multiculturalism.
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
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.
‘Cupid and Psyche’ by Italian sculptor Antonio Canova.
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Ancient Greece and Rome may have handed down the image of rosy-cheeked Cupids, but their myths about him explore the messier – sometimes scarier – sides of love.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests celebrating Sunday Mass in Lviv, in western Ukraine.
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has a history going back to the 16th century, when some Orthodox bishops and their followers agreed to become Catholic.
People gather around the body of a man who was killed when an enraged mob stoned him to death for allegedly desecrating the Quran, in eastern Pakistan in February 2022.
AP Photo/Asim Tanveer
A political scientist explains the history of blasphemy laws in Muslim-majority nations and how they play a role in silencing dissent.
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
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.
The cultural significance of Tu BiShvat has taken on new meaning in modern Israel.
Teddy Brauner/National Photo Collection, Government Press Office (Israel)
It was in the 1990s that the idea of Christian environmental stewardship disappeared from the rhetoric of the religious right, paving the way for the anti-environmental position it holds today.
Pope Francis leads the second vespers service at St. Paul’s Basilica on Jan. 25, 2023, in Rome.
Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis via Getty Images
Catholic leaders’ attitudes toward LGBTQ people have shifted dramatically – but the actual theology behind them, not so much.
The depiction of Prophet Muhammad at Hamline University has opened up a debate about what sacred images can or cannot be shown in a classroom.
Friscocali via Flickr
Fierce debates about visual depictions of the sacred have existed for centuries. An art historian explains the controversies in the Byzantine Empire over images of Christ.
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
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.