Native Americans are more than twice as likely to be victims of violent crime than the U.S. population as a whole.
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Thousands of cases of missing and murdered Native Americans remain unsolved. A scarcity of reliable data is only part of the problem, a tribal justice scholar explains.
‘Moby-Dick’ inspired the Warner Brothers film starring Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab – and perhaps can inspire readers today amid the climate crisis.
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Melville’s epic novel about life aboard a wayward whaling ship holds lessons for the climate crisis today.
An antisemitic cartoon called “The Dream of the Jew Realized,” in The Judge magazine.
The Judge magazine 1882
In the late 19th century, a satiric weekly stoked fears about how Jewish immigrants would change New York City’s character.
Politics, social justice and faith come together each week in many religious leaders’ sermons.
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Race, politics and religion have a long and tangled history in the US. And it all comes together each week in sermons across the country.
Research suggests that about 20% of all prescriptions are administered “off-label.”
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The CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine provider agreement prohibits health care professionals from administering the vaccines in people for whom they are not yet authorized or approved. But this departs from longstanding norms.
A family holds hands and prays before a Thanksgiving meal.
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Cultures around the world say ‘thank yous’ in many different ways. Two communication scholars explain what these expressions can reveal to us.
Giving a portion of one’s wealth annually is part of the spiritual practice in Islam.
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Zakat, or charity, is a fundamental practice within the Islamic faith.
French officer Alfred Dreyfus spent five years as a prisoner on Devil’s Island, off the coast of South America.
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Alton Levy may not be a household name today, but his court-martial put a spotlight on unequal treatment in the military.
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, holding a jewel between his folded hands.
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On World Kindness Day, a scholar of Buddhist studies explains its idea of compassion and the diverse ways to think about and express kindness.
Members of the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh take part in a march in Ahmedabad, India.
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A scholar on South Asian affairs traces the growth of Hindu nationalism, started by an atheist anti-colonial revolutionary, to the one adopted under Modi’s government.
A Muslims Giving Back volunteer delivers warm food to a homeless man in New York City in April 2020.
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Muslims also gave more to causes tied to relief from economic and health problems that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A still from the Netflix series “Midnight Mass.”
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A scholar of religion in film explains the varied representation of Catholicism in horror. In some films, it is used in the fight against evil, while others show the Church itself as evil.
Crosses in honor of fallen Marines stand atop a hill near Camp Pendleton, California.
Katrina Finkelstein
For some military members, a hillside in California embodies the sacrifices of serving.
Explosions outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 26, 2021, worsened the devastation in Afghanistan.
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Hiding the suffering and deaths of some from public view while showing others implies that certain lives are more valuable.
The public often assumes that scientists are atheists. The reality, however, is more complex.
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Two sociologists conducted interviews with atheist scientists and found that their views on religion are not as strident as the public perceives. Some even go to church.
When overrused phrases reach the point of aggravation, they become cliches.
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National Cliche Day is Nov. 3. So what makes a cliche a cliche? And why do we find ourselves rolling our eyes when we hear certain ones?
The Reformation’s leading figures had diverse views, and some might have recognized themselves in “spiritual but not religious” people today.
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So-called Spiritualists split off from Martin Luther’s Reformation 500 years ago, but some of their ideas carry on.
Physical touch at the end of life has a special significance in many cultures and offers solace.
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When death is looming, the warmth of a held hand can communicate deeply where words fail.
A church in St. Paul, Minn., distributed food obtained through a USDA program in December 2020.
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Congregations can help bridge gaps left by government programs, especially for many immigrants and others who are not eligible for SNAP benefits.
Pope John Paul I, who was pope for about a month before his death, has moved one step closer to sainthood.
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To qualify as a Catholic ‘saint,’ someone must have two miracles credited to them. But how does the church define a miracle in the first place?
The mass-marketing of the Day of the Dead is evident in the costumes that people buy for the day.
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A Mexican-American scholar writes that in the 1700s, Day of the Dead generated the largest annual market in Mexico City.
Pope John Paul II met with President Ronald Reagan in Miami in 1987.
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Joe Biden may be only the country’s second Catholic president, but a long line of U.S. leaders have met with popes over the years.
A powerful explosion Oct. 8, 2021, in a mosque in northern Afghanistan left several dead.
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A scholar of Afghan affairs explains the religious affiliations of different ethnic groups in Afghanistan and why they may not share a common understanding of Islam.
The ‘Malleus Maleficarum,’ a medieval handbook, was used to try and execute supposed witches. Its influence lasted for centuries – including at the Salem Witch Trials.
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Witch trials relied on a medieval text called the “Malleus Maleficarum” – a book this reference librarian can hold in her hands.
A protein-rich shake is often the way many people try to get more of this nutrient into their diets.
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A food historian spent a month at the Library of Congress trying to answer the question of why we have historically been, and remain, so focused on dietary protein. Here is what she found.