The Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary does a ritual of remembrance at the grave of a Wiccan soldier killed in Afghanistan.
Courtesy of Selena Fox
Samhain will be particularly poignant this year for Wiccans who are members or veterans of the US military as they process the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Perfumes, potions and witches have been entwined for centuries.
Frederick Stuart Church/Smithsonian American Art Museum/Wikimedia Commons
Scent and magic have been entwined in our imaginations for centuries – right up to today’s witch-inspired perfumes.
The leaders of Ireland’s major churches have been cooperating more closely amid challenges like Brexit and the pandemic.
David Ritchie/Church of Ireland Press Office
A church service marking Northern Ireland’s centenary has stirred up debate. But amid the past few years’ tensions, the island’s Christian leaders have coordinated closely.
Modern vampires like Dracula may be dashing, but they certainly weren’t in the original vampire myths.
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The past century’s vampires have often been a bit dashing, even romantic. That’s not how the myth started out.
The Catholic Church’s two-year synodal process formally opened Oct. 10 at the Vatican.
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
Pope Francis formally opened a two-year process called a “synod on synodality” for the Catholic Church on Oct. 10.
Afghan women hold ‘silent’ protests in Kabul against repressive measures under the Taliban regime.
Bilal Guler/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Two Afghan women scholars write about how Afghan women’s groups have been fighting for human rights, both now and historically.
A makeshift memorial for the Indigenous children who died more than a century ago while attending a boarding school, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File
For Indigenous Peoples Day, a scholar of Native American studies explains why understanding the tragic history of Indian boarding schools is important for healing to take place.
Pope Francis has laid emphasis on protecting the environment, but he’s not the only pope to speak about caring for nature.
AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
Environmentalism may seem like a new mindset, especially in the Church. But care for creation has been woven into Catholicism for centuries.
People pray for the victims of child sex abuse during a special service at a Catholic church outside Paris on Oct. 5, 2021. A new French report estimates that more than 200,000 children were abused by clergy since 1950.
AP Photo/Michel Euler
A French report on the scale of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy is the latest revelation in the crisis, but its roots go back decades – or more. Here are a few of our many related articles.
Nurses holding babies born to Ukrainian surrogate mothers in capital city, Kyiv.
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Surrogacy can be exploitative, but a theologian writes how it can also remind individuals that family is not just biological but also social and relational.
Many people are using Bible verses to justify their stance against vaccines.
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A historian of the Bible in American life explains how Bible verses are being picked out of context to make a case for the anti-vaxxer movement.
The 160-year-old John Wesley AME Zion Church is one of the few predominantly African American churches that still exists in downtown Washington, D.C.
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images
More houses of worship are offering mental health programs, especially African American congregations.
People in attend a talk at the American Atheists National Convention in 2014. Many Americans remain distrustful of atheists, surveys show.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Americans are getting more comfortable with new forms of spirituality, but their views of atheists are still complicated.
A popular delicacy eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the mooncake.
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The Moon Festival, rooted in China’s long history and rich cultural traditions, will be celebrated on Sept. 21. In China, though, the festival is a three-day public holiday.
When asked how she wanted to be remembered, Tammy Faye replied, “My eyelashes and my walk with the Lord.”
John Storey/Getty Images
The subject of a new biopic, Tammy Faye was a televangelist icon. But she also represented another side of the evangelical coin – one that was big-hearted, vulnerable and accepting.
Many churches propped up white supremacist beliefs through pulpit rhetoric and segregationist policies.
AP Photo
Race and religion have intertwined since the earliest days of the US. Critical race theory can explore how white supremacy has operated through religious establishments.
A woman holds a rosary and a picture of the Virgin Mary during a 2019 hearing in Albany, N.Y., challenging the constitutionality of the state’s repeal of the religious exemption to vaccination.
AP Photo/Hans Pennink
Plenty of groups are offering religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but their legal basis isn’t as rock-solid as that might suggest.
Chilean Muslims reflect significant diversity. The Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufis, a global Sufi order that originated in Central Asia, are among them.
John Albert
Two scholars – both converts to Islam – set out to understand the Muslim community in Chile. Here is what they found.
The Hazara have long been targeted in Afghanistan, and many fear violence will intensify with the Taliban in power.
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With the Taliban again in power in Afghanistan, minorities like the Hazara may have the most to lose.
Fifty years ago, did John Lennon tell us not to pray?
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Regularly topping lists for ‘greatest song of all time,’ the former Beatle’s classic 1971 song is taken by many as an atheistic anthem.