Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett, 2009

New Atheism and the Trouble with Literalism

Gaining strength in the early 2000s, the New Atheism movement was fueled by a fear of Christian fundamentalism and a belief that secularism was under attack.
A diverse polyamorous family cuddling in bed, genders and relationships, pansexual lifestyle

Is Consensual Nonmonogamy a (Good) Thing?

Social biases can restrict research into consensual nonmonogamy, especially when it's harder to understand the processes involved in these relationships.
Saint Clare of Montefalco

A Religious Studies Roundup

Stories from JSTOR Daily about religious traditions around the world and how they’ve shaped our politics, pleasures, and self-perceptions.
Opera di M. Bartolomeo Scappi, cuoco secreto di Papa Pio V

The Wild West of Papal Conclaves

In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the death of a pope led to all sorts of chaos, from the destruction of art to armed violence in the streets.
Famous Chicken Rice in Singapore

The Singaporean State on a Styrofoam Plate

Hawker centers, a uniquely Singaporean institution, bring a form of street commerce practiced around the world under the authority of state regulators.
Gift for the grangers

The Gift of the Grange

Originally a secret society, the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry today is an important health and education resource in rural communities.
Aerial shot of Brooklyn, New York city on an overcast day in summer, taken from over the Bedford-Stuvesant neighborhood.

Where Are the Trees?

Why some neighborhoods get all the shade, and how can we make sure that changes.
Close-up portrait of Border Collie dog on Rainbow Bridge background

Do All Dogs Go to Heaven?

The belief that animals cross the “Rainbow Bridge” to an afterlife is relatively new and not part of any formal theology, yet many Americans embrace it.
An image tiled "A strange gathering of Anabaptists and Quakers" depicting a naked woman and Anabaptists and Quakers before a pulpit

The Naked Quakers

Today, the international feminist group FEMEN uses nudity as part of its protests. But appearing naked in public was also a tactic used by early dissenters.
Human base on a new planet, aerial view

Astronomers Have Warned against Colonial Practices in the Space Industry

A philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them.