Religion Unplugged

Religion Unplugged We are an award-winning, non-profit magazine on the topic of religion in public life.

Thank you Editor and Publisher for honoring our journalism once again!
11/17/2025

Thank you Editor and Publisher for honoring our journalism once again!

The 2025 EPPY Awards, celebrating the best in digital journalism and innovation, once again spotlighted excellence from newsrooms large and small. This year’s winners showcase how technology, collaboration, and storytelling continue to evolve across the media landscape — from bold investigative ...

“A living part of the memory of the city,” “a symbol of its identity,” say the people of La Paz when asked what the San ...
11/17/2025

“A living part of the memory of the city,” “a symbol of its identity,” say the people of La Paz when asked what the San Francisco church means in their lives. Paceños, as the inhabitants of the Bolivian city are called, feel identified with the temple of the Franciscan order.

It’s been occupied twice by military forces; it’s been expanded to house Franciscan friars, and these days, it’s part museum, part sacred space. The Church of San Francisco’s building tells the history of its host city, La Paz.

Don’t get me wrong, I mostly love giving – and, yes, receiving – gifts during the holidays. But as a researcher who stud...
11/14/2025

Don’t get me wrong, I mostly love giving – and, yes, receiving – gifts during the holidays. But as a researcher who studies consumer psychology, I see how those same forces, amplified by constant buying opportunities and frictionless online payments, make us especially vulnerable and often unwise this time of year.

(ANALYSIS) Every fall I anticipate the winter holidays with almost childlike joy. I look forward to familiar traditions with friends and family, eggnog in my coffee, and the sense that everyone is feeling a little lighter and more connected.

You probably read about Charlie Kirk. Or the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. But did you hear about animal-rights activists’ feu...
11/14/2025

You probably read about Charlie Kirk. Or the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
But did you hear about animal-rights activists’ feud with the pope? Or the popularity of the Hindu holiday of Diwali in the United States?

Religion Unplugged publishes news from across the globe. We take religion seriously. It’s a force that shapes politics, culture and everyday life. We tell the stories no one else is.

Support our boots-on-the-ground journalism this giving season. Right now, your gift will be doubled through the annual NewsMatch campaign — every dollar you give before Dec. 31 will be matched.

In a world saturated with sound bites and headlines that often miss the heart of the matter, your support helps us stay committed to something deeper: Thoughtful, well-reported and global stories on faith and spirituality.

As the first American pope, Leo XIV has largely avoided speaking out about domestic politics in the United States.He wad...
11/14/2025

As the first American pope, Leo XIV has largely avoided speaking out about domestic politics in the United States.

He waded into controversy, however, by commenting on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s plan to honor Sen. Dick Durbin, who has represented Illinois since 1997, with a lifetime achievement award for his work on immigration issues.

Some Catholic critics were opposed to Durbin, who has supported the right to a legal abortion, receiving such an award — and he ultimately declined it.

(ANALYSIS) It would be a mistake to assume that everyone in these movements adheres to one viewpoint, or is interested only in stopping abortion. In reality, there are many motivations that lead to people using the phrase “pro-life.” When reporters asked Pope Leo, he said, “It’s important to...

The shrine of Nura Pagla, once crowded day and night with devotees, now stands eerily deserted. For more than a month, i...
11/13/2025

The shrine of Nura Pagla, once crowded day and night with devotees, now stands eerily deserted. For more than a month, it has remained sealed as a crime scene after a mob attack on Sept. 5 left one of his followers dead and dozens injured in Bangladesh’s Rajbari district.

The attackers, who identified themselves as Touhidi Janata — meaning “Believers in the Oneness of God” — beat to death Russel Molla, 32, a van driver, when he and about 200 other devotees tried to resist a mob assault on the shrine.

The assault on Nura Pagla’s shrine is part of a wider wave of attacks on Muslim Sufi shrines and followers across Bangladesh. Since August 2024 — when the country’s longest-serving government, the secular-leaning Awami League, was toppled by a student-led uprising — more than 100 shrines have been attacked or vandalized, according to rights groups.

DHAKA, Bangladesh — The shrine of Nura Pagla, once crowded day and night with devotees, now stands eerily deserted. For more than a month, it has remained sealed as a crime scene after a mob attack left one of his followers dead. Since August 2024, more than 100 shrines have been attacked or vanda...

What I experienced that evening mirrors a broader phenomenon in Morocco: Some young, educated urbanites are returning to...
11/12/2025

What I experienced that evening mirrors a broader phenomenon in Morocco: Some young, educated urbanites are returning to Sufism, Islam's mystical tradition, seeking spiritual depth in an age of digital distraction and ideological exhaustion.

Around me, bodies pressed together. Sweat mixed with tears as the chant intensified: "Allah... Allah..." What I experienced that evening mirrors a broader phenomenon in Morocco: Some young, educated urbanites are returning to Sufism, Islam's mystical tradition, seeking spiritual depth in a

How did a formerly homeless high school dropout end up with a doctorate in public policy and a poverty relief organizati...
11/11/2025

How did a formerly homeless high school dropout end up with a doctorate in public policy and a poverty relief organization? Matthew Peterson interviews Dr. Terence Lester about his new book “From Dropout to Doctorate.” Lester explains how education and faith changed his life and how he is fighting poverty in Atlanta.

How did a formerly homeless high school dropout end up with a doctorate in public policy and a poverty relief organization? Matthew Peterson interviews Dr. T...

A recent essay published by Patheos by Dr. Micah Ben David Naziri stretches for thousands of words trying to prove what ...
11/11/2025

A recent essay published by Patheos by Dr. Micah Ben David Naziri stretches for thousands of words trying to prove what centuries of biblical scholars have rejected: that Scripture not only permits but prescribes cannabis use.

Published under the provocative headline "Yes, the Bible Really Talks About (and Allows) Cannabis," the piece attempts to baptize modern drug culture in ancient authority. This isn’t the first effort to combine cannabis with Christianity, and it won’t be the last.

The desperation is palpable. The reach is breathtaking. The scholarship is shoddy.

Some cannabis proponents baptize modern drug culture in ancient authority. This isn’t the first effort to combine cannabis with Christianity, and it won’t be the last.

President Trump recently designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freed...
11/10/2025

President Trump recently designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act. Like most of his acts, this ignited major controversy, much of it reflecting longstanding and now renewed disputes about what is really happening in that country.

(ANALYSIS) President Trump recently designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act. Like most of his acts, this ignited major controversy, much of it reflecting longstanding and now renewed disputes about what is really happening in th

Two soccer teams — each comprised of eight Muslims and eight Christians — faced off as a mixed crowd cheered. Only month...
11/08/2025

Two soccer teams — each comprised of eight Muslims and eight Christians — faced off as a mixed crowd cheered. Only months earlier, 52 people were killed in yet another religious massacre nearby. Some of the players on the field had lost relatives in that attack. Yet, they chose sports over revenge.

Two football teams — each comprised of eight Muslims and eight Christians — faced off as a mixed crowd cheered. Only months earlier, 52 people were killed in yet another ethnoreligious massacre nearby. Some of the players on the field had lost relatives in that attack. Yet, they chose football o...

When other boys his age were trading Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards, Eric Lavin was collecting saints’ relics.Relics — includ...
11/07/2025

When other boys his age were trading Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards, Eric Lavin was collecting saints’ relics.

Relics — including swatches of saints’ veils or clothing and even full bones or skulls — have long been collected and displayed in Catholic churches across the world. The faithful engage with them during prayer, touching or kissing the encased objects, as they request the saint’s intercession on their behalf.

In seventh grade, Lavin began writing to other dioceses to request relics, and now, more than 16 years later, Lavin has grown one New Jersey church’s collection from 20 to more than 600 relics.

When other boys his age were trading Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards, Eric Lavin was collecting saints’ relics. In seventh grade, Lavin began writing to other dioceses to request relics, and now, more than 16 years later, Lavin has grown one New Jersey church’s collection from 20 to more than 600 rel...

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