A Buddhist temple that sits next to a spring many hope will bring luck and long life. A hill with over 100,000 crosses. And the deepest lake in Central America. These are just three of the amazing spiritual places featured in our latest rankings for Sacred Spaces: The 100 Most Holy Places on Earth. This week we are unveiling our Top 90-81 as determined by a unique algorithm that considers a myriad of factors, including combined rankings from world-class... Read more
Patheos is excited to announce the launch of our groundbreaking content initiative: Sacred Spaces: The 100 Most Holy Places on Earth. This remarkable project aims to redefine the way religious locations are ranked and provide a comprehensive guide to the world’s most sacred sites. For 10 weeks, we will unveil an exclusive selection of ten of the most revered spiritual destinations on the planet until we reach our top selection of The Most Holy Place on Earth. Jump To Rankings... Read more
Results of one of the most in-depth surveys of its kind on prayer show more than 85 percent of Americans are connecting with a higher power on a daily basis. The 2023 National Day of Prayer Study, commissioned by Skylight and conducted by City Square Associates, surveyed a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18-64 about ways they connect with God. Because this year’s National Day of Prayer coincided with the unofficial national Star Wars day “May The Fourth,” some... Read more
Utilizing emerging technology is key to promoting and defending religious freedom worldwide, according to tech leaders speaking at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2023. Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, was a premiere partner of the summit, which brought together a large gathering of diverse religious leaders to Washington D.C. for the cause of religious freedom around the world. Patheos, the world’s homepage for all religions, is a summit partner. On Wednesday morning Joshua Althouse, Meta Public Policy... Read more
A rare glimpse of bipartisanship in the volatile political atmosphere of Washington D.C. kicked off the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2023 Tuesday, setting a tone of cooperation and mutual understanding for the event. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee joined Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat, on the stage at the Washington Hilton as part of a panel to address why international religious freedom is key to U.S. foreign policy. The panel followed a welcome... Read more
Ukraine. The death of Queen Elizabeth. Polarizing politics. And a hit television show based on the life of Jesus. All of these topics factored into what people read this year when consuming religious content. Below is our top 12 Patheos articles by month in 2022 based on website traffic. To be considered the top article for a month in this list, the article had to be published during that particular month. We have some seemingly timeless intimate relationship articles (such... Read more
The largest-ever Global Faith and Media Study launched earlier this year and is shaking up the way people look at media’s relationship with faith coverage. The study, commissioned by the Faith and Media Initiative (FAMI) and conducted by global market research company HarrisX, shows that demand for media coverage of faith topics is high, while journalists admit that coverage of those topics is low and often not encouraged. An overwhelming amount of the 9,000 global citizens interviewed also believe that media... Read more
The James Webb Telescope captures the imagination of the world. As images roll in from the largest optical telescope in space, scientists and theologians alike look for signs from the heavens. NASA has plans for the telescope to “study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.” Here’s... Read more
The United States Supreme Court on Friday, June 24, 2022, ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.” The decision overturns Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey. The Court wrote that “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.” Here are some reactions from prominent religious writers: Catholic writer and American Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong: “I have personally been... Read more
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