Why the Bible Cannot and Should Not Be Taken LiterallyThere are at least five reasons why the claim that the Bible is to be taken literally...
Religion
The Origins and Growth of Yazidism since the Ancient WorldFor thousands of years, Yazidism incorporated elements of Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Gnosticism, Christianity, and Islam. By Seth EislundStudentCarleton...
Why California’s Godless Governor Was Ahead of His TimeA friend of FDR but not of big business, Culbert Olson believed humans had to save themselves....
The Kellogg Brothers, Breakfast, and ReligionInformed by their religious faith, the siblings merged “spiritual” with physical health. The popular singer and movie...
Archaeology and Religion in Late Bronze Age CanaanNumerous excavations and a fairly large number of contemporary written documents give us a good picture of...
Why Spinoza Was ExcommunicatedHe was an upstanding member of the Talmud Torah congregation – until he wasn’t. Bento de Spinoza was a young...
Ancient Monasticism and the Quest for SilenceMonasticism developed in part because people were seeking the solace of quiet places But finding solitude was...
Atheism Has Been Part of Many Asian Traditions for MillenniaIt might appear to many that atheism is a modern idea. However, in parts of Asia, particularly...
The Religion–Politics Divide in Sikh Politics from Pre- to Post-Colonial IndiaExamining the intersection of religion and politics in the evolution of the Sikh tradition in the pre-colonial,...
The Wild, the Innocent, and the Quaker’s StrugglesIt made sense for the Quakers to cultivate an exaggerated presence in order to make their voices...
Jewish Cosmology in its Ancient Near Eastern ContextConsidering the spread of Judaism from the viewpoint of other cultures in the Ancient Near East. Introduction...
Global Monotheism: The Contribution of the Israelite ProphetsExamining the transitions from “selective polytheism” to henotheism and subsequently, from henotheism to global monotheism. Introduction In...
From Ancient Rome to Hollywood: Witches as Figures of FunHow Romans overcame their fear of witches by finding them funny. Introduction For centuries, when people thought...
The Monster That Stoked Americans’ Devotion to Faith Over ScienceHow a New York farmer’s elaborate hoax “proved” giants roamed the Earth. One Sunday afternoon in October...
The Ancient Samaritans and Greek CultureIn a gradual process of Hellenization, the Samaritans developed their own variant of Hellenism. When Alexander the...
Divine Reverie: Revelation, Dream Interpretation, and Teeth in AntiquityYou might say the Roman emperor Septimius Severus was a dreamer, but he wasn’t the only one....
Ritual Sacrifice May Have Shaped Dog DomesticationAn ancient Arctic site suggests a complex relationship between humans and dogs. By Lea Surugue In the...
The Sacrificial Puppies of the Shang DynastyA new study suggests young dogs were frequently buried with humans in China some 3,000 years ago,...
Shamanic Trance Journeys: Prehistoric Attempts to Understand the Natural WorldEarly spiritual and religious concepts developed to deal with an occasionally but worldwide seen natural phenomenon which...
A History of Changing Western Attitudes Toward IslamSince its beginnings in the Arabia of the 7th century CE, the religion of Muhammad the prophet...
Leonardo’s Depiction of Mary and Jesus Tells Us about His Religious BeliefsLeonardo da Vinci emphasized the naturalness of the relationship of Jesus and Mary in his art, while...
Times Like Good Friday Were Dangerous for Medieval JewsLanguage about Jews in the medieval Good Friday liturgy often carried over into physical violence toward local...
Antisemitism in the Middle AgesThe medieval period saw Jews experience intense antisemitism. Introduction The roots of antisemitism can be found in...
Divine Light and Melodies Lead the Way: The Medieval Santmat Tradition of Bihar, IndiaExamining the branch of Santmat, prevalent in the rural areas of Bihar, India. Abstract This paper focuses...
A Brief History of Ancient BuddhismThe origin of Buddhism points to one man, Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who was born in...
Abel Beth Maacah: A 3,000-Year-Old Oracle Cult in Ancient IsraelA shrine to a “wise woman” fulfilling an oraculor role. By Philippe BohstromArchaeologist The town of Abel Beth...
Archaeological Evidence of Ancient Philistine Cult and ReligionExamining cult and religion in Philistia during the Iron Age. By Dr. David Ben-ShlomoProfessor of ArchaeologyAriel University...
The Bacchanalia: A Greek Dionysian Mystery Cult in Ancient RomeThe Bacchanalia were Roman festivals of Bacchus based on various ecstatic elements of the Greek Dionysia. Introduction...
Mystery Cults in the Greek and Roman WorldShrouded in secrecy, ancient mystery cults fascinate and capture the imagination. Shrouded in secrecy, ancient mystery cults...
The Religion of the Ancient CanaanitesCanaanite religion was polytheistic, and in some cases monolatristic. Introduction Canaanite religion refers to the group of...