How Christians Hold Differing Views On The Resurrection

March 29, 2024 By The Conversation

Resurrection of Christ depicted in 14th-century fresco in Chora Church, Istanbul, Turkey. LP7/Collections E+ via Getty Images By Jason Oliver Evans of University of Virginia Every year, Christians from around the world gather for worship on Easter Sunday. Also known as Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, Easter is the final day of a weeklong commemoration of the story of Jesus’ final days in the city of Jerusalem leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection. Most Christians refer to the week before... Read more

Tattooing Dates Back To The Crucifixion

March 26, 2024 By The Conversation

Historically, many Christians got tattoos around Holy Week − usually a cross − to honor Christ’s martyrdom. Read more

Cherry Blossoms Show Appreciation Of Impermanence And Spring

March 20, 2024 By The Conversation

The first cherry blossom viewing was organized in Japan by Emperor Saga in 812 C.E. In the ensuing years, poetry on cherry blossoms came to have a special place in Japanese culture. Read more

Oscars 2024: Films are full of faith in unexpected places

March 7, 2024 By The Conversation

Seeing the light − at the movies. igoriss/iStock via Getty Images By David W. Stowe of Michigan State University In some movies, religion hits viewers over the head – including films that take home the industry’s biggest prizes. No one could miss religion’s importance in “The Exorcist” or “Jesus Christ Superstar,” both nominated for Oscars 50 years ago. Martin Scorsese, whose “Killers of the Flower Moon” is up for 10 at the 2024 Academy Awards, is working on a new... Read more

Faith leaders have been protecting migrant rights for years

March 2, 2024 By The Conversation

Religious beliefs can provide motivation, hope and endurance in the long and often discouraging task of mobilizing people for social change. Read more

The divine matchmaker in Chinese mythology helps couples

February 12, 2024 By The Conversation

Looking for love − a store in Huaian, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province, selling flowers on Valentine’s Day. STR/AFP via Getty Images By Megan Bryson of University of Tennessee In China, people celebrate Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, but there are at least three holidays and cultural traditions centered on romantic love. A figure that ties together these other holidays is the Old Man Under the Moon – Yuexia Laoren in Mandarin, or Yuelao for short – who is believed... Read more

Latin America’s colonial period was less Catholic

January 22, 2024 By The Conversation

Conversion was often a violent affair, but that doesn’t mean it was 100% successful. Colonial Latin America was home to many different spiritual traditions from Indigenous, African and Asian cultures. Read more

Pope Francis called surrogacy ‘deplorable’

January 10, 2024 By The Conversation

Surrogacy can exploit women, but others may choose to be involved for altruistic reasons. A scholar points out that surrogacy’s ethical value is dependent upon the people and systems who use it. Read more

How religion and politics will mix in 2024

January 5, 2024 By The Conversation

The 2024 elections may see a more intense end-times rhetoric, claims of divine support and a failure to condemn the rise in Christian nationalism, writes a religion scholar. Read more

100 years ago, the KKK planted bombs at a US university

January 3, 2024 By The Conversation

Most of the Klan’s victims were African American, but many other groups have been targeted during the hate group’s century and a half of history. Read more