Aaron W. Hughes, University of Rochester Islamic State’s seemingly sudden prominence has led to much speculation about the group’s origins: how do we account for forces and events that paved the way for its emergence? In today’s instalment of our series on the origins of Islamic State, religious studies scholar Aaron Hughes considers whether this […]
Heart to Heart Adoptions is a non-profit adoption agency located in Sandy Utah. They also have additional offices in Illinois, New York, and Florida. This adoption agency works with potential adoptive families and birth mothers across the United States. Their staff have adopted kids themselves and have worked amongst the adoption field for quite some […]
We’ve talked about the connection between religion, spirituality, and nature in previous posts. While not overtly religious or spiritual, there’s a great video from Melaleuca.com about Mother Earth and the importance of maintaining a healthy planet for future generations. There is also a connection between religion and politics. This connection goes back thousands of years, […]
A few weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country. Now that that has happened, there are religious organizations that fear they will be compelled to change their view of the institution of marriage as being between a man and a woman. At stake for many is the definition of liberty […]
A recent study by the Pew Research Center shows a future that could be quite desolate when it comes to religion. In the study, one out of every six Americans surveyed claimed no religious affiliation of any kind. That still means that 83 percent of the respondents say they are affiliated with one religion or […]
What is religion’s place in modern society? It’s an interesting question that is very hard to answer. Looking back in history, most civilizations and empires were religious in nature. They were founded and shaped by their reverence for deity. Now? Not so much. Ever since the creation of the United States of America, government and […]
In our last post, we looked at a Pew Survey that shows how major religions in the U.S. compare to each other based on beliefs and practices. It’s such a fascinating survey that we thought we’d share some more of the interesting results. According to those surveyed, the five most populous religion groups in the […]
Indiana is at the center of controversy over a “religious freedom” bill that the state’s governor signed into law last week. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act states that the government can’t “substantially burden” someone’s ability to follow their religious conviction, unless there is proof of compelling reason to impose such a burden. Many see the […]