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

Ropes of many different colors are interwoven to create a strong circle.

Ropes of many different colors are interwoven to create a strong circle.

Why corporate inclusion policies are moral decisions, not just business ones

Shreyans Goenka, Virginia Tech and Sankar Sen, Baruch College, CUNY

A man with gray hair, a gray mustache and glasses sits pensively in front of a large plant.

A man with gray hair, a gray mustache and glasses sits pensively in front of a large plant.

Everyone wants to think they’re open-minded – here’s why most people aren’t

Daryl Van Tongeren, Hope College

What the tattoos of World Cup players say about their love, life and religious beliefs

Gustavo Morello, Boston College

Tattooed legs of a football player running on the field.

Tattooed legs of a football player running on the field.

Cincinnati, where Vance converted, gives a glimpse of Catholicism’s history in America’s heartland

Matthew Smith, Miami University

A pastel painting of a broad river with green hills and buildings in the background.

A pastel painting of a broad river with green hills and buildings in the background.

Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI

Ross Channing Reed, Missouri University of Science and Technology

A yellow cartoon of a brain rests on one side of a perfectly balanced beam, set against a teal backdrop.

A yellow cartoon of a brain rests on one side of a perfectly balanced beam, set against a teal backdrop.

Who are hospital ethics consultants, and why should you care?

Jennifer McCurdy, Michigan State University

A medical professional in blue scrubs holds the hands of a patient lying in a hospital bed.

A medical professional in blue scrubs holds the hands of a patient lying in a hospital bed.

Read our latest religion articles

America 250

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.'

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

Steven K. Green, Willamette University

For 2 centuries, Latter-day Saints have revered religious freedom – but their definition is evolving

Benjamin Park, Sam Houston State University and Nicholas Shrum, University of Virginia

A tall white building with dramatic spires stands amid trees on a day with bright blue sky.

A tall white building with dramatic spires stands amid trees on a day with bright blue sky.

America’s musical founding father: ‘Liberty songs’ by a self-taught singer and tanner helped fuel the Revolution

David W. Stowe, Michigan State University

A faded illustration of seven men in formal coats sitting around a table, with a musical score surrounding the image.

A faded illustration of seven men in formal coats sitting around a table, with a musical score surrounding the image.

America’s founding promise of religious freedom has long coexisted with prejudice, even as many Christians have worked to confront it

David Mislin, Temple University

Several people view artwork displayed on screens outside a brick building.

Several people view artwork displayed on screens outside a brick building.

What the Declaration of Independence does – and doesn’t – say about God

Thomas Tweed, University of Notre Dame

A black and white illustration shows a crowd of well-dressed people in 18th century garb milling outside a stately building.

A black and white illustration shows a crowd of well-dressed people in 18th century garb milling outside a stately building.

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War and peace

A man in ornate white robes and a tall gold-colored hat waves and holds a staff.

A man in ornate white robes and a tall gold-colored hat waves and holds a staff.

‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries – including criticism of Iran war

Valerie Morkevičius, Colgate University

Christian satellite TV has broadcast evangelical faith – and end-times prophecies – into Iran for decades

Febe Armanios, Middlebury College

An apartment building with three satellite dishes hanging out of windows, illuminated against the night sky.

An apartment building with three satellite dishes hanging out of windows, illuminated against the night sky.

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.

Shiite grief over attacks on Iran’s sacred cities has deep historical roots

Mary Thurlkill, University of Mississippi

Several men, holding photos of Ayatollah Khamenei, raise their arms in protest.

Several men, holding photos of Ayatollah Khamenei, raise their arms in protest.

Iran’s ruling structure explained

Eric Lob, Florida International University

Hundreds of people gathered, holding green, white and red flags and carrying a large portrait.

Hundreds of people gathered, holding green, white and red flags and carrying a large portrait.

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Global religion

The sacred cloth at the center of the Hajj pilgrimage

Iqbal Akhtar, Florida International University

A large cube-like structure covered with a black cloth with minarets in the background.

A large cube-like structure covered with a black cloth with minarets in the background.

Trump administration pledges $100M in aid for Cuba, but only if Catholic or other faith-based groups distribute it

Dulce Suarez, Florida International University

A group of people eat a communal meal served by a nun.

A group of people eat a communal meal served by a nun.

Three women sit for Israeli Rabbinate’s exam, amid growing recognition for Orthodox Jewish women’s religious leadership

Michal Raucher, Rutgers University

Two women and two girls smile and seem to chant or sing as they stand in a large crowd of women in an auditorium.

Two women and two girls smile and seem to chant or sing as they stand in a large crowd of women in an auditorium.

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.

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AI ethics

Is AI really ‘writing’? From a priestess to philosophers, ancient authors would have said ‘no’

Ryan Leack, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A pale stone disk with a relief in the middle depicting four figures standing in a line, facing left.

A pale stone disk with a relief in the middle depicting four figures standing in a line, facing left.

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.

AI’s fluency in other languages hides a Western worldview that can mislead users − a scholar of Indonesian society explains

Gareth Barkin, University of Puget Sound

An Asian woman reads on her tablet

An Asian woman reads on her tablet

Moral metrics: Are corporate algorithms becoming our new moral authorities?

Beth DuFault, University of Portland

Hands type on a keyboard, as the words 'credit score' and a colored chart float above.

Hands type on a keyboard, as the words 'credit score' and a colored chart float above.

AI ethics

Read more about AI ethics

Ancient texts

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.

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

Jue Liang, Case Western Reserve University

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.

The apocrypha, Christianity’s ‘hidden’ texts, may not be in the Bible – but they have shaped tradition for centuries

Christy Cobb, University of Denver

Two open books rest on a table next to a pile of three more books.

Two open books rest on a table next to a pile of three more books.

How women are reinterpreting the menstrual taboos in Chinese Buddhism

Megan Bryson, University of Tennessee

Painting of women in a pond of blood with monks standing above them on land.

Painting of women in a pond of blood with monks standing above them on land.

An epic border: Finland’s poetic masterpiece, the Kalevala, has roots in 2 cultures and 2 countries

Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison

An illustration in shades of red, blue and green shows a line of men rowing a boat.

An illustration in shades of red, blue and green shows a line of men rowing a boat.

Read more on ancient texts

Most read:

1.
Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI
Ross Channing Reed, Missouri University of Science and Technology