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Man in a suit speaks at a church service.

IRS says churches may endorse political candidates despite a decades-old federal statute barring them from doing that

Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, University of Notre Dame

A man in a gray suit and tie gestures with his hand as he speaks into the microphone.

Jimmy Swaggart’s rise and fall shaped the landscape of American televangelism

Diane Winston, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

A woman with gray hair peers out from a narrow window next to a red door that says 'Death Row A&B.'
Exploring questions of meaning, ethics and belief through Japanese anime

Ronald S. Green, Coastal Carolina University

A cartoon showing a young child running with dark clouds in the background.
From the marriage contract to breaking the glass under the chuppah, many Jewish couples adapt their weddings to celebrate gender equality

Samira Mehta, University of Colorado Boulder

A beautifully illustrated parchment with a bird on the top and two gold rings positioned on the page.
What is the ‘Seven Mountains Mandate’ and how is it linked to political extremism in the US?

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

Three individuals stand in prayer with their eyes closed, while several others sit nearby. One of the standing individuals is wearing a MAGA hat
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Christian nationalism

Read more about Christian nationalism
Three police officers, wearing helmets and carrying guns, walk near a home with a red outer wall.

The term ‘lone gunman’ ignores the structures that enable violence

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

How Christian nationalism played a role in incorporating the phrase ‘so help me God’ in the presidential oath of office

David B. Parker, Kennesaw State University

A man in a brown coat, waistcoat and breeches putting one hand on his heart while standing among several other men, who are looking at him.
What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support

Samuel Perry, Baylor University

Three men in navy blue suits sit with their heads bowed in prayer, while one man stands behind.
A field guide to ‘accelerationism’: White supremacist groups using violence to spur race war and create social chaos

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

Men wearing helmets and holding shields stand near a monument of a man on horseback in a park.
Attitudes toward Christian nationalism don’t just boil down to views on race, religion and history − research suggests ‘moral foundations’ play a critical role

Kerby Goff, Rice University; Eric Silver, Penn State, and John Iceland, Penn State

A copy of the King James version of the Bible rests on top of the American flag.

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Superheroes, comics and religion

A statue of Spider-Man, positioned by a large window in a high-rise, shows him poised to jump as people walk below.

Spider-Man’s lessons for us all on the responsibility to use our power, great or small, to do good

George Tsakiridis, South Dakota State University

See you in the funny papers: How superhero comics tell the story of Jewish America

Miriam Eve Mora, University of Michigan

A large sign depicts a man in a tight blue suit and red cape.
For superfans, comic-con culture is more than fun – it’s sacred, a sociologist explains

Michael Elliott, Towson University

A woman in a white outfit with huge blue wings attached to her poses in a large convention atrium.
How Japanese anime draws on religious traditions to explore themes of destiny, sacrifice and the struggle between desire and duty

Ronald S. Green, Coastal Carolina University

A cartoon sketch of a young man with long, bright yellow hair streaked with red, resembling flames. He has black, forked eyebrows and golden eyes with red and white pupils.
Luce, a cartoon mascot for Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, appeals to a younger generation while embracing time-honored traditions

Virginia Raguin, College of the Holy Cross

An inflatable cartoon depicts a girl wearing rosary beads with a crucifix, and scallop shells in her eyes.
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Ancient texts

What the ancient Indian text Bhagavad Gita can teach about not putting too much of our identity and emotions into work

Robert J. Stephens, Clemson University

A colorful painting showing a carriage being drawn by two white horses, with the charioteer holding a conch shell and a warrior prince seated at the back, with a bow and arrows.
What is the ‘way of the warrior’? Students investigate the arts of war and peace in this course about virtue and the ethics of violence

Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo, Hamilton College

A brightly colored illustation of two men fighting with swords on a beach as a crowd of people look on.
Ancient texts depict all kinds of people, not just straight and cis ones – this college course looks at LGBTQ sexuality and gender in Egypt, Greece and Rome

Tina Chronopoulos, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A faded mural depicting two men looking into each other's eyes with their faces very close to each other.
3 things to learn about patience − and impatience − from al-Ghazali, a medieval Islamic scholar

Liz Bucar, Northeastern University

A yellowed page of a book cover with Persian inscriptions and a design with concentric circles set in the middle of two rectangular bars with intricate art.
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AI and Religion

Tool of faith or digital distraction? Catholic Church offers indulgences to faithful who fast from social media

Heidi A. Campbell, Texas A&M University

An elderly man in a white skullcap passes through a crowd of people holding up phones to take pictures of him.
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality

Patrick van Esch, Coastal Carolina University and Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui, Coastal Carolina University

a couple from the back walking in a park, the woman and background in black and white, the man a silhouette enclsoing a color view of trees and sky
AI Jesus might ‘listen’ to your confession, but it can’t absolve your sins − a scholar of Catholicism explains

Joanne M. Pierce, College of the Holy Cross

A hologram of an AI Jesus behind a latticework screen.
Reeling religion: From anime and sci-fi to rom-coms, films are full of faith in unexpected places

David W. Stowe, Michigan State University

The back of people's heads as they sit in rows staring at a blank white screen in a movie theater.

AI and Religion

Read more about AI and Religion

Native American Traditions

A black and white photo of marchers in warm weather passing a building with a high dome.

Activism on foot: When Indigenous activists walk the land to honor their past and reshape their future

Meaghan Weatherdon, University of San Diego

Unthanksgiving Day: A celebration of Indigenous resistance to colonialism, held yearly at Alcatraz

Shannon Toll, University of Dayton

Several people, some in traditional Native American attire, gather outside a building whose sign says - United States Penitentiary.
The story of Ohio’s ancient Native complex and its long journey for recognition as a World Heritage site

Stephen Warren, University of Iowa

A park ground with a serpent-shaped mound.
Maria Tallchief made the ballet world reimagine itself and find a place for a Native American prima ballerina

Shannon Toll, University of Dayton

A ballet dancer taking a leap with her toes pointed outward and arms raised.
Indigenous languages make inroads into public schools

Mneesha Gellman, Emerson College

A teacher writes some words in an Indigenous language on a white board while a student looks.

Read more on Native American Traditions

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