Could it be that religion is more like sex than school?
Arguments over religion miss the point that we have religious urges, whether or not we think they are justified.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on religious belief
Displaying all articles
In spite of their differences, Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God
The founder of Islam, Muhammad, saw himself as the last in a line of prophets that reached back through Jesus to Moses, Abraham and Noah. But while the three religions worship the same God, he divides as much as he unites.
Contraceptive use in Nigeria is incredibly low. A lack of knowledge may be why
Nigeria must reduce its population growth to increase the quality of life for people in the country. A better knowledge of contraceptives can help achieve this.
Anthill 7: On belief
The Antill 7: On belief.
The Conversation, CC BY-ND46.9 MB (download)
Four stories on belief: from the allure of cults and conspiracy theories, to the effect of trauma on faith, to the way dogma has influenced science – and if technology can actually shift our beliefs.
What is extremist belief? An answer from medieval Islamic philosophy
Abu Nasr al-Farabi can teach us about the thinking behind radicalisation, and offers a warning to terrorists guilty of 'over-belief'.
Don’t believe those who commit violence in the name of their faith
Terrorism is a denial of the basic tenets of almost all religions.
Can a burgeoning satanic movement actually effect political change?
What, exactly, are the political goals of The Satanic Temple, which formed in 2013? A religion professor attended a recent satanic ritual to find out.
Why so many Americans think they’re #blessed
The prosperity gospel – a uniquely American strand of Christian theology – creates a dilemma for its adherents.
Have faith: civil religion can counter the lure of eternal life for jihadists
The tradition of republicanism offered us civil religion, a foundation of belief that could counter any politics or policy that demands sacrifice in this world to be compensated in some “beyond”.
Celebrating Christmas in an age of religious extremism
How should we celebrate Christmas during a time when religious extremism inspires terrorist attacks and young people are abandoning the church?
Purging daily demons: what’s behind the popularity of exorcisms?
The belief in demonic possession – often thought to be a relic of The Dark Ages and the Salem Witch Trials – remains surprisingly mainstream.
Book review: a hard-hitting look at The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Members of a church expect to find mutual support from one another - emotionally and spiritually. This is not the case at the South African branch of The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
In free speech debates, consider Christianity’s history of liberalism
The furore around freedom of sexual orientation vs religious freedom at a South African university should lead to deeper thinking about Christianity's historical role in promoting liberalism.
Philosophical toolkit in tow, scholar travels to conflict zones
Does God exist? Is piety worth it? Can violence be justified? Philosophy can offer a way to engage with these questions on which there are often widely differing beliefs.
For believers, fear of atheists is fueled by fear of death
Why are atheists deemed as untrustworthy as rapists?
State view won’t change marriage in eyes of a man and woman’s God
The sacrament of marriage does not depend on the law, which exists only to regulate the rights and responsibilities arising from the practice. For religious believers, same-sex marriage won't change their union.
Beware secular fundamentalism: we need to be open to religion’s role in a troubled world
There are religious and non-religious extremists and we should not confuse violent believers with religion itself, which has a long history of peacemaking.
Caveman instincts may explain our belief in gods and ghosts
Notions of gods arise in all human societies, from all powerful and all-knowing deities to simple forest spirits. A recent method of examining religious thought and behaviour links their ubiquity and the…
Top contributors
-
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University
-
Chair of Cognitive Psychology, University of Bristol
-
John Zerilli is a Friend of The Conversation.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Otago
-
Research Fellow, Sydney Democracy Network, University of Sydney
-
Senior Lecturer & UG Programme Director, Department of International Politics, City, University of London
-
Visting Research Fellow, Queen's University Belfast
-
PhD Candidate at the Institute for Social Justice, Australian Catholic University
-
Senior Lecturer, Strathclyde University
-
Professor Emeritus of Cognitive NeuroImaging, Aston University
-
Assistant researcher, University of Sydney
-
Lecturer of Psychology, University of Washington
-
Professor of Psychology, Skidmore College
-
James McGill Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies, McGill University
-
Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland
-
Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Stellenbosch University
Most read on The Conversation
Have children? Here’s how kids ruin your romantic relationship
Our calculator will guess how many healthy years of life you have left
The enduring power of print for learning in a digital world
How China’s skewed sex ratio is making President Xi’s job a whole lot harder
Until youth soccer is fixed, US men’s national team is destined to fail
To Uber or not? Why car ownership may no longer be a good deal
Why astrophysicists are over the moon about observing merging neutron stars
Do people like government ‘nudges’? Study says: Yes
How a growing Christian movement is seeking to change America
