A new report released on Monday revealed that majority of Americans continue to identify with the religion in which they were raised — but more than one-third have departed from their childhood faith. The findings — put together by the Pew Research Center — draw on two major surveys.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With 15 civilians and one gunman dead so far, and another 40 people injured, Australia is reeling from its worst act of terrorism on home soil. Two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish community gathering to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah at Archer Park on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach.
Read MoreTwo married pastors at Greg Locke’s central Tennessee church have resigned, claiming the founding pastor created a spiritually abusive and manipulative culture.
Read MoreActivists advocating for the repatriation of artifacts “stolen by Pope Pius XI and his missionaries” from First Nations communities are unhappy by Pope Leo XIV labeling of these items as a “gift” despite his agreement to return them. The Holy See said the pope “gifted to the CCCB the 62 artifacts belonging to the ethnological collections of the Vatican Museums” as “an act of ecclesial sharing.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Along the 2024 presidential campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to make in vitro fertilization, or IVF, free — part of his party’s wider push for a new American “baby boom.” In October, when the administration revealed its IVF proposal, many health care experts pointed out that it falls short of mandating insurance companies to cover the procedure.
Read More“Religion Unplugged covers religions around the globe, giving you a broader view of faith,” she said. “In my reporting, I look for religion in art, culture and politics. Religion is more present in our lives than we sometimes think, and it can change our decisions.”
Read MoreA Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach turned deadly on Sunday with updated reports of at least 15 dead, including a Chabad rabbi, a Holocaust survivor and a 12-year-old girl. One suspect was killed at the scene and the other was arrested, in a targeted attack on Jews that authorities are investigating as terrorism.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a region known for its tumultuous change, one idea remained remarkably consistent for centuries: Latin America is Catholic. The region’s 500-year transformation into a Catholic stronghold seemed capped in 2013, when Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected as the first Latin American pope. Once a missionary outpost, Latin America is now the heart of the Catholic Church.
Read MoreWhen nuns listed a vacant Catholic girls’ school for sale in this sleepy French village in 2017, American Jerry Jones saw an opportunity to expand Christian influence and higher education in Europe. But his British wife, Zoobi Jones, gave a quick, succinct reply to his suggestion that the couple use their savings to buy La Maison de Perrine — “The House of Perrine” in English.
Read MoreDespite cannabis's central role in Rastafarian worship, adherents face persistent criminalization and face a minimum 10-year prison term for simple possession. Police raids on tabernacles remain routine across Kenya, with officers confiscating plants, destroying drums and sometimes forcibly cutting dreadlocks. Now, adherents are trying to legalize it.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Obituaries preserve what families most want remembered about the people they cherish most. Across time, they also reveal the values each era chose to honor. In a study published in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” we analyzed 38 million obituaries of Americans published from 1998 to 2024.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On his recent visit to Turkey and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV met with political and religious leaders, celebrated Mass and visited historical sites. The trip also marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which resolved core doctrinal differences, with the aim of advancing Christian unity at the time.
Read MoreThe cause of the Nov. 10 plane crash that killed a Christian evangelist and his daughter in Coral Springs, Florida, remains a mystery following the release of a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Read MoreRed post boxes are one of the most well-known and iconic British symbols — but at Christmastime, they take on a very different ambiance, often virtually overnight. Posting Christmas cards becomes even more fun as you never know quite what might appear on top of the post box in many part of the U.K.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Living in a culture that largely closes down each Dec. 25, many Jews have found ways of making meaning in the day — be that sharing family time over beef and broccoli, followed by a holiday blockbuster, or working to make sure that more of their colleagues can have a family day. And those, too, are Christmas traditions.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Case for Miracles” attempts to encourage all of these groups with belief in the miraculous. Unfortunately, it tries to do too much and please too many potential audiences. The result is that, though its heart is in the right place, almost everyone, even those who agree with it, will likely go away unpersuaded and unsatisfied.
Read MoreFor the fourth time in six years, Isaiah 41:10 was the most downloaded Scripture of the year on the YouVersion family of Bible apps, which according to its founder has been installed on one billion devices nationwide. “I think this verse keeps rising to the top because it addresses one of our deepest needs, the assurance that we’re not alone,” YouVersion Founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald said.
Read MoreOne of Christianity’s last strongholds in the Middle East is rapidly losing Christians, who are fleeing the country after years of wars and economic failures. Pope Leo XIV visited Lebanon earlier this month to encourage the nation’s young Catholics. But local young adults say it could be too little, too late.
Read MoreHolocaust denier Nick Fuentes appeared to acknowledge that “at least” 6 million Jews were killed in Nazi Germany, in a tense interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan on Monday. Yet, he doubled down on his past statement that Adolf Hitler was “f—ing cool” and claimed that the true “genocide” is against white Christians.
Read MoreWhen Julian Voloj heard about the first Jewish Comic Con, he had to meet its creator, Fabrice Sapolsky. Voloj had authored a number of graphic novels, including “Ghetto Brother,” the story of former gang leader Benji Melendez. Voloj and Sapolsky connected at the 2016 convention and realized they shared a vision: A comic recounting diverse Jewish stories.
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