Ethics + Religion – The Conversation – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and more

Middle-aged man wearing a suit and wide-framed eyeglasses gestures and grins while holding a microphone.

Middle-aged man wearing a suit and wide-framed eyeglasses gestures and grins while holding a microphone.

How Jim Bakker became the Johnny Carson of Christian TV

John Wigger, University of Missouri-Columbia

People walking along a trail lined with lush green trees, seen from behind.

People walking along a trail lined with lush green trees, seen from behind.

AI is changing pilgrims’ journeys, but sacred journeys have always adapted to new technology

Shay Rabineau, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Why people keep looking for Noah’s Ark in a natural rock formation in Turkey: A scholar of early Christianity explains

Eric Vanden Eykel, Ferrum College

A boat-like formation with grass growing around it.

A boat-like formation with grass growing around it.

Columbus’ own writings reveal how tightly religion and conquest were intertwined from the start

Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A yellowed manuscript with many lines of faded cursive handwriting.

A yellowed manuscript with many lines of faded cursive handwriting.

What 1,000 years of golden roses tell us about popes’ authority and influence, from Leo IX to Leo XIV

Joëlle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island

A rose made of gold, with a sapphire set in the center of the flower.

A rose made of gold, with a sapphire set in the center of the flower.

A Colorado preschool case will be the Supreme Court’s latest to test boundaries of LGBTQ rights and religious freedom

Mark Satta, Wayne State University; Institute for Humane Studies

A tall white building with ornate pillars is seen through a hole in a row of trees.

A tall white building with ornate pillars is seen through a hole in a row of trees.

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AI ethics

Two robotic hands hover above a glowing crystal ball.

Two robotic hands hover above a glowing crystal ball.

Chatbots as oracles: How AI is giving new life to the ancient practice of seeking answers from inscrutable sources

Webb Keane, University of Michigan and Ambuj Tewari, University of Michigan

Why AI resembles a charismatic religious leader

Morgan Shipley, Michigan State University

A female robot with four arms, in the image of the Hindu goddess Kali, stands against a dark blue background, surrounded by colorful digital graphics and glowing geometric shapes.

A female robot with four arms, in the image of the Hindu goddess Kali, stands against a dark blue background, surrounded by colorful digital graphics and glowing geometric shapes.

The Catholic principle guiding popes through tech upheavals, from the Industrial Revolution to AI

Walter Scheirer, University of Notre Dame

Pope Leo speaks in a microphone addressing a crowd.

Pope Leo speaks in a microphone addressing a crowd.

Large language models often prioritize Western moral values, overlooking other cultures

Aliah Zewail, UMass Amherst and Alexandra Figueroa, University of California, Berkeley

A compass placed on a world map with its needle directed toward the U.S.

A compass placed on a world map with its needle directed toward the U.S.

AI is showing up in court cases – but only a human jury can grapple with the moral weight of assessing guilt

Sonali Chakravarti, Wesleyan University

An illustration of a blindfolded woman holding up the scales of justice, but all the images are made up of tiny 1s and 0s.

An illustration of a blindfolded woman holding up the scales of justice, but all the images are made up of tiny 1s and 0s.

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Religion and politics

Someone wearing jeans and a green jacket cups soil in their hands.

Someone wearing jeans and a green jacket cups soil in their hands.

What Wendell Berry meant to Christian farmers going green

Sydney Giacalone, University of Virginia

A journalist coined ‘the Bible Belt’ 100 years ago – it’s been oversimplifying the South ever since

John Hayes, Augusta University

A rural road runs alongside a field of tall crops, with a small sign that says 'Jesus is the one for you' hanging from an electrical pole.

A rural road runs alongside a field of tall crops, with a small sign that says 'Jesus is the one for you' hanging from an electrical pole.

What Jefferson and Madison would have thought about ‘rededicating’ the US to God

Steven K. Green, Willamette University

A black and white postage stamp with a small red illustration of a hand holding a flaming sword, and the words 'I have sworn...Hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.'

A black and white postage stamp with a small red illustration of a hand holding a flaming sword, and the words 'I have sworn...Hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.'

Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?

Joëlle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island

A medieval-looking illustration of a man in a tall hat placing a crown on a kneeling man's head, set against a red backdrop.

A medieval-looking illustration of a man in a tall hat placing a crown on a kneeling man's head, set against a red backdrop.

American politicians talk about persecuted Christians abroad – but here’s what happens when those Christians migrate to the US

Candace Lukasik, Mississippi State University

A congregation gathers for a church service, facing an altar adorned with images of Jesus, where priests in white robes stand conducting the service.

A congregation gathers for a church service, facing an altar adorned with images of Jesus, where priests in white robes stand conducting the service.

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Global religion

What the Eiffel Tower controversy reveals about a Hindu monastic practice – known as ‘brahmacharya’

Bhakti Mamtora, University of Arizona

Several monks in saffron robes pray with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Several monks in saffron robes pray with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Even the Buddha experienced challenges with meditation: Historical texts reveal its potential downsides

Pierce Salguero, Penn State

People seated in rows on yoga mats meditate with their eyes closed.

People seated in rows on yoga mats meditate with their eyes closed.

Floods in Nepal-Tibet disrupt pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred mountain with centuries of evolving tradition

Catherine Hartmann, University of Wyoming

A torrent of muddy floodwater rushes through a Nepalese valley, with houses along the banks and lush green hills and mist-covered mountains in the background.

A torrent of muddy floodwater rushes through a Nepalese valley, with houses along the banks and lush green hills and mist-covered mountains in the background.

Most Westerners know Buddhism through meditation, but everyday Buddhist life looks quite different in Thai temples

Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College

Several people pray while seated before a golden Buddha statue in a temple.

Several people pray while seated before a golden Buddha statue in a temple.

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Wisdom from around the world

What a Muslim folk trickster can teach us about the danger of holding a single worldview

Perin Gürel, University of Notre Dame

A man in a fake white beard and white turban leads a long line of children through a park.

A man in a fake white beard and white turban leads a long line of children through a park.

What an ancient devotional text means for the women of Nepal

Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, Penn State

Hundreds of women dressed in red sit closely together, many with heads bowed and one hand raised in a gesture of ritual offering.

Hundreds of women dressed in red sit closely together, many with heads bowed and one hand raised in a gesture of ritual offering.

For centuries, owls were considered to bring bad luck in many cultures, but the outpouring of grief in New York over Flaco shows how times have changed

Arjun Guneratne, Macalester College

Flowers and candles left as offerings in front of pictures of an owl, resting against the base of a tree trunk, while a man in dark sunglasses sits nearby.

Flowers and candles left as offerings in front of pictures of an owl, resting against the base of a tree trunk, while a man in dark sunglasses sits nearby.

‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ is actually not just about death

Jue Liang, Case Western Reserve University

A Tibetan painting depicts a wrathful, multi-armed deity rendered in blue and gold, surrounded by a circle of smaller attendant figures.

A Tibetan painting depicts a wrathful, multi-armed deity rendered in blue and gold, surrounded by a circle of smaller attendant figures.

Read more about wisdom from around the world

Religion and immigration

A close-up photograph of two people holding hands, with the rest of the room in front of them blurred.

A close-up photograph of two people holding hands, with the rest of the room in front of them blurred.

‘Sanctuary people’ redefine what it means to protect immigrants in uncertain times

Gina Perez, Oberlin College and Conservatory

American politicians talk about persecuted Christians abroad – but here’s what happens when those Christians migrate to the US

Candace Lukasik, Mississippi State University

A congregation gathers for a church service, facing an altar adorned with images of Jesus, where priests in white robes stand conducting the service.

A congregation gathers for a church service, facing an altar adorned with images of Jesus, where priests in white robes stand conducting the service.

Why Christian clergy see risk as part of their moral calling

Laura E. Alexander, University of Nebraska Omaha

People kneel in the snow wearing winter hats and jackets as law enforcement officers stand and walk behind them.

People kneel in the snow wearing winter hats and jackets as law enforcement officers stand and walk behind them.

Catholic clergy are speaking out on immigration − more than any other political issue except abortion

Evan Stewart, UMass Boston and Diane Beckman, UMass Boston

A line of men in black robes and red sashes lead a small march through city streets.

A line of men in black robes and red sashes lead a small march through city streets.

Why standing in solidarity with immigrants is an act of accompaniment in Catholic philosophy

Kristy Nabhan-Warren, University of Iowa

People wearing winter jackets, hats and gloves stand with posters saying, 'ICE out now,' and 'Justice for all those murdered by ICE,' among others.

People wearing winter jackets, hats and gloves stand with posters saying, 'ICE out now,' and 'Justice for all those murdered by ICE,' among others.

Read more on religion and immigration

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