When I started studying sociology of religion, one of the interesting human activities I found is what anthropologists call “rites of intensification.” These activities have been found by ...

(The Conversation) — When the 5,300-year-old mummy of Ötzi the Iceman was found 30 years ago, researchers found 61 tattoos on it. A scholar explains how tattoos have been a sacred part of many ...

Spiritual leaders are called upon to officiate at a variety of celebrations — baptisms, bat and bar mitzvahs, weddings — and, of course, services marking the upcoming religious holidays. This week’s ...

THE foremost Jewish seer, the great Greek philosopher, and that Englishman whose “ genius was excellent above all his nation,” tell us, each in his own way, that the ideal commonwealth will have a ...

NAGASAKI >> Descendants of Kakure Kirishitans, or “hidden Christians” of the 17th to 19th centuries, are planning to make a video about the lives of their ancestors for posterity. The chronicle will ...

LONDON -- With its jewels and horse-drawn carriages, today's coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla is the stuff of fairy tales. For Anglicans, it is also a rare and holy religious rite. Held at ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has given the remains of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic custom after he was ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Faith groups are adapting their religious rites in a bid to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus during worship. Some churches, mosques and temples are encouraging less personal ...

The worldwide pandemic has threatened many of the businesses you rely on every day, but don’t let it take away your source for local news. Now more than ever, we need your help to ensure nothing but ...