In recent years, the number of people traveling to sites of death, natural disaster, acts of violence, tragedy and crimes against humanity has dramatically increased. Is it immoral?
A solar eclipse observed over Grand Canyon National Park in May 2012.
Grand Canyon National Park
On the day of Rakshabandhan, sisters tie a protective thread around the right wrist of their brothers to affirm their bond. This bond is not limited by faith or blood relationships.
For many, the heart of the health care debate is the ability of patients to choose their own health care, including whether to buy insurance and which doctor to see.
Alpa Prod/Shutterstock.com
The Republican position on health care has been based upon a belief in individual choice. Here's how their own versions of health care bills eroded choice, however, and how they also did harm.
The Roman army at the Battle of Cannae. The painting depicts the death of Roman consul Paulus Aemilius.
John Trumbull (The Athenaeum / Yale University Art Gallery), via Wikimedia Commons
Tom Sapsford, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
An ancient Roman fable imagines a cinaedus, well-known for his brazen effeminacy, fighting heroically. This story raises concerns over gender identity in the military like those seen in current times.
Psalm 137 – best known for its opening line, 'By the Rivers of Babylon' – is a 2,500-year-old Hebrew psalm that deals with the Jewish exile -remembered each year on Tisha B'av.
Can services be refused to same-sex couples?
Brennan Linsley/AP Photo
The story of a six-year-old boy with dyslexia who, with support from friends and teachers, became a successful professor. Now he teaches teachers how to help children like him.
A worshipper receives Communion.
Amr Nabil/AP Photo
Brian Levin, California State University San Bernardino
FBI data show that in 2015 anti-Muslim hate crimes spiked to the highest level since 2001. A scholar finds political rhetoric correlates to both sharp increases and decreases in hate crime.
A Moral Monday protest led by a preacher, Rev. William Barber.
AP Photo/Martha Waggoner
The 19th-century social gospel, which emphasized how Jesus’ ethical teachings could address poverty and inequality, continues to live on in the activism of the religious left.
Are cows sacred to all Hindus?
PRODaniel Incandela
Vigilante Hindu groups in India have lynched several people for eating beef. A scholar traces the history of beef-eating in ancient India.
Archbishop of Granada Francisco Javier Martinez and priests prostrate in front of the altar to seek pardon for sexual abuse in the Church at the cathedral in Granada, southern Spain, Nov. 23, 2014.
Pepe Marin/Reuters
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church requires nearly absolute obedience. This makes it difficult to speak up against superiors. And by the same token, superiors too can protect offending priests.
Port chaplains provide much-needed services for those who make their living at sea.
Randall Armor
With 90 percent of global goods coming to us by ship, who are the men and women who care for the crews?
U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. after delivering keynote address at commencement in Lynchburg, Virginia, May 13, 2017.
Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Richard Flory, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Falwell Sr. was a pastor who founded the Moral Majority, a conservative Christian political lobbying group. He changed the way American Christians think about their faith and politics.
What does the shrinking of the Colorado River mean for Native American religions?
Ken Lund
Historically, indigenous peoples used the natural seasonal cycles of weather, plants and animals as part of their religious calendar. What will be the impact of climate change on their practices?
What is the meaning of the 2,500-year old Hebrew psalm for oppressed groups?
Gebhard Fugel [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Frederick Douglass used the words of Psalm 137 in his famous speech, 'What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?' For centuries, this poem has resonated with writers and composers, with its consideration of how humans deal with trauma.
Oak Grove Acapella Singers, a Gospel group of Chester County, Tennessee, being recorded while singing in the office of the preacher at the Oak Grove Church of Christ.
Tennessee State Library and Archives
Trisha Tucker, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
As Harry Potter turns 20, a scholar says protesters who try to censor books do not trust young readers to discern the difference between fantasy and reality. But why?
Muslims praying in Puerto Rico.
AP Photo/Tomas van Houtryve
