Churches started to use ashes early as the ninth century as a symbol of repentance. In 1091, Pope Urban II ritualized their…
Valentine's Day originated as a feast to celebrate the decapitation of a third-century Christian martyr, or perhaps…
It was aboard a steamship that Mark Twain first laid eyes on a photograph of Olivia Langdon, known as Livy. It was love…
The long, dark days of winter can be a particularly lonely time for some people. But hermits, in many religious traditions,…
A scholar narrates the complex history of the phrase and why it is not a universally accepted 'American way,' as…
In the 1960's many Americans may have only known Hinduism through meditation, but the story of this country's relationship…
America has been promoting religious liberty abroad since its founding, but there has always been disagreement on what exactly…
Public apologies are a type of performance before a larger audience, and they are to be understood in terms that are different…
A scholar suggests a few approaches that have withstood the test of time.
The way Bangladesh has taken in Rohingyas stands in stark contrast to Europe, which faced an influx of Syrian refugees in…
Only a few parts of Buddhism's much larger practice were transplanted into American soil in the late 19th century. Here's…
We disapprove of distraction and consider attention as being valuable. What if they were, in fact, morally charged words,…
An affair between a philosophy professor and his teenage student became the subject of ballads in the streets of Paris in…
King led one of the most successful resistance movements in American history. A scholar explains King's strategies in…
African-American minister, theologian and mystic, Howard Thurman, left a profound influence on Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of love was not sentimental. It demanded that individuals tell their oppressors what…
California megachurches played a significant role in how millions of people - Christian or not - understand Christianity.
Nearly one of every four people in the US is unaffiliated, which has prompted speculation that this would increase support…
The Massachusetts Medical Society recently reversed its long-held opposition to physician-assisted suicide. A psychiatrist…
We often rush by without looking, but America’s rich spiritual and religious life is reflected in these sanctuaries.