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Religion – Analysis and Comment

The harmful belief that Christianity ‘replaced’ Judaism is partly rooted in the erroneous view that Jesus told his followers that rules regarding ritual purity were outdated. (Wikimedia)

Jesus the faithful Jew: How misreadings of the Christian Gospels miss this and fuel anti-Judaism

Easter and Passover begin on the same weekend this year. This is an opportunity to revisit misconceptions about Jesus’s ministry and to address anti-Jewish uses of Christian scripture.
Apparitions of the Virgin Mary have inspired pilgrimages – and souvenirs – in Lourdes, France, for more than a century. Culture Club/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

How Lourdes became a byword for hope

St. Bernadette’s visions of the Virgin Mary in the 19th century inspired the pilgrimage site millions of Catholics flock to each year.
Some Bitcoin evangelists see the currency as an answer to problems that plague society. mustafa akman/iStock via Getty Images

Why are people calling Bitcoin a religion?

With mantras, a mysterious founder and promises of societal salvation, there are echoes of religious traditions in the cryptocurrency.
The number of women religious leaders is growing, but the 2018-2019 National Congregations Study, which surveyed 5,300 U.S. religious communities, found that only 56.4% of these communities would allow a woman to “be head clergy person or primary religious leader.” AP Photo/Young Kwak

Women are finding new ways to influence male-led faiths

Three female academics discuss how women are forging new pathways in faith leadership throughout religions that traditionally have been patriarchal.