The Genderless Eighteenth-Century Prophet
In 1776, a 24-year-old Quaker woman named Jemima Wilkinson died of fever, and came back to life as a prophet known as the Publick Universal Friend.
Satan, the Radical
There is a long history of leftist thinkers embracing Satan, usually just as a way to shake up political rhetoric.
Nuns Don’t Have Midlife Crises
Why Benedictine nuns report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction than their non-monastic counterparts -- and what we can learn from them.
Will AI Restore Our Sense of Wonder?
According to philosopher Max Weber, science led to humanity's disenchantment. But reaching AI Singularity might spark our sense of wonder all over again.
Smells Like Divine Spirit
The 4th century was a turning point for the role of scent in the Christian church.
An Unhealthy Obsession with Avoiding Sin
In the early 20th century, "scruples" meant a neurotic fixation on sin. It seemed to mostly affect Roman Catholics.
These Gravity-Defying Sculptures Provoked Accusations of Demonic Possession
Demons and artists, it seems, pull from the same bag of tricks. They take ordinary matter and transform it into something more wondrous, more terrifying.
How Florida Got Its Name
506 years ago, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed in what he christened "Florida." Historians still wonder where the name came from.
The Mixed Environmental Legacy of Missionaries
The recent murder of Christian missionary John Chau has drawn attention to the effects outsiders have on native tribes and ecology.