A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is giving rise to speculations that it is the same astronomical event as the biblical Star of Bethlehem. An expert explains why it is not.
‘Going To Church,’ N.C. Wyeth (1941).
Archival photograph, Brandywine River Museum library, Edward J. S. Seal Collection.
The differences in the Gospels are hard to reconcile. That’s because, says a scholar, they offer an important insight into the Greco-Roman views of ethnic identity.
The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral was damaged earlier this year during fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images
Speculation has swirled over whom President Trump may pardon before leaving office. But why do presidents have the right to pardon, and how should it be used?
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree…do you violate the establishment clause?
Jack Riddle/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Educators walk an fine line when it comes to marking religious holidays. But in so doing, are they missing an opportunity for teachable moments on faith issues?
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks during a campaign event in December 2022.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
The annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City will instead be held online due to the pandemic. A scholar explains its history and its connection to Mexican people.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Hanukkah reception at the White House in 2019.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
For much of American history, the only December holiday to be recognized in the White House was Christmas, but menorah lightings are now an annual tradition.
Buddhist literature is used for teaching children about environmental issues in Taiwan.
Photo credit should read SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images
Taiwan has made significant efforts in protecting its environment. A scholar writes about how the country educates its children on protecting the environment through Buddhist stories.
The push to tighten Poland’s restrictive abortion laws has proved a lightning bolt moment for protesters.
Wojtek Raadwanski/AFP via Getty Images
Brian Grodsky, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Tens of thousands of people have defied bans on gatherings to protest abortion restrictions. A scholar of democracy says the policy push during a pandemic has echoes elsewhere.
Hilye, or calligraphic panel containing a physical description of the Prophet Muhammad made in 1718 in the Galata Palace, Istanbul.
Dihya Salim al-Fahim, (1718), via Wikimedia Commons
Visual depiction of Prophet Muhammad is a sensitive issue for many Muslims. Islamic literature shows how Muslims used textual imagery to give a vivid picture of the prophet.
Muslim schools can provide a place for girls to study while wearing headscarves.
Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images
School reforms pushed by French President Emmanuel Macron are aimed at pushing Muslim students into public schools. An expert explains why this may be the wrong approach.
An early case will test Justice Barrett’s credentials as a favorite of religious conservatives.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Many Indian Americans will be celebrating the festival of Diwali soon. A scholar of Asian religion explains what this festival of lights means – especially in chaotic times.
World Vision sponsors could choose a child in the mid-1970s by pasting one of these stamps with their likeness on a mail-in card.
World Vision International archives
No matter who chooses whom, many sponsors of children in need see God as the real driving force when they enter this arrangement with far-away strangers.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks on Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
On Nov. 7, when President-elect Joe Biden urged in his address that we “give each other a chance,” his words summoned Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address of 1865.
An image of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis during his beatification ceremony in Assisi, Italy.
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Many saints are venerated for specific reasons, professions or even nations. There are saints who are believed to provide assistance in selling a property.
Voters mark their ballots at a church in Stamford, Conn.
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Diane Winston, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
A religion scholar explains how Ronald Reagan invoked religion and shifted the American notion of a good society – a vision that might resonate with the politics of today.