Meet Eva Frank: The First Jewish Female Messiah
Was this revered female figurehead an empowered leader or a tragic victim in her father's wake?
A Passover Tradition to Promote Jewish Unity
Freeing a prisoner—a gesture of generosity and benevolence—may have been a way to bring together a fractured spiritual community.
Muslim Women and the Politics of the Headscarf
For many women, wearing the hijab was—and is—an element of piety, but it's been coopted into a political symbol.
What Do Chicago Gangs Provide to Their Members?
Confronted with discrimination and violence, gangs evolve and serve members differently, even when patterned after existing groups.
Behind the Curtain of the Heaven’s Gate Cult
On the 25th anniversary of UFO cult Heaven's Gate's mass suicide, a religion scholar examines its theology and doctrines in the context of the New Age Movement.
The Nation of Islam’s Role in US Prisons
The Nation of Islam is controversial. Its practical purposes for incarcerated people transcend both politics and religion.
Gender and Caste at Holi
The Hindu festival of Holi celebrates love, colors, and the arrival of spring. How it's celebrated can vary significantly throughout India.
Terence McKenna’s Anarchic Psychedelic Religion
Terence McKenna was an evangelist for the use of psilocybin and other mind-altering drugs, as a way to transcend and escape “untrammeled rationalism.”
Navigating Dating Apps While Disabled
How disabled people use dating apps, whether specific to their communit(ies) or not, can raise personal questions about how to present themselves.
What Happens When Police Use AI to Predict and Prevent Crime?
With the dawn of artificial intelligence, a slew of new machine learning tools promise to help protect us with data.