Religion News

December 22, 2024

Top Headlines

Lost Score Revives Sound of Music and Voices from Centuries Past

Dec. 18, 2024 — A fragment of 'lost' music found in the pages of Scotland's first full-length printed book is providing clues to what music sounded like five centuries ago. Scholars have been investigating the origins of the musical score -- which contains only 55 ...

Multilingual Gossip in Elizabethan London

Sep. 24, 2024 — Stranger churches in early modern London had 'eyes everywhere' to hear, spread and dispel gossip in multiple languages, according to new ...

'Out-of-Body' Research Could Lead to New Ways to Promote Social Harmony

Sep. 9, 2024 — Out-of-body experiences, such as near-death experiences, can have a 'transformative' effect on people's ability to experience empathy and connect with others, new research ...

Crucial Insights on Loneliness and Death Ideation Among Older Adults

Aug. 28, 2024 — New research highlights the growing problem of death ideation and the increasing rates of both loneliness and suicidal thoughts among older individuals. The study explores the critical issue of social disconnection and its link to a 'wish to die' ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:26pm EST

Ritual Sacrifice at Chichén Itzá

June 12, 2024 — Rising to power in the wake of the Classic Maya collapse, Chichen Itz was among the largest and most influential cities of the ancient Maya, but much about its political connections and ritual life ...

Brain Injury Expert Says Important Changes Still Needed to Law Defining Death Despite Reform Pause

Oct. 25, 2023 — After surveying the views expressed by 41 advocacy, medical, and transplant-focused organizations on the Uniform Determination of Death Act, a brain ...

Curiosity About Religion Is Viewed as Morally Virtuous, New Research Finds

Sep. 21, 2023 — People from diverse religious backgrounds in the United States view curiosity about religion as morally virtuous, according to new research. Atheists also view this curiosity as moral, although less ...

Emphasizing the Need for Energy Independence Could Change the Views of Climate Deniers, Study Says

Aug. 30, 2023 — Emphasising the need for energy independence and environmental stewardship could help to change people’s minds about the climate crisis, a new ...

High Infant Mortality Rates and Global Human Population Rise

Feb. 22, 2023 — New research showing high infant mortality rates are contributing to an incessant rise of the global human population supports arguments for greater access to contraception and family planning in ...

Typical Movement Behavior at Large Events Increases Risk of Spreading Infectious Diseases

Sep. 15, 2022 — What is the typical movement behavior of visitors to large events, such as concerts, and what does this mean for the risk of spreading infectious ...

Historic Graffiti Made by Soldiers Sheds Light on Africa Maritime Heritage, Study Shows

May 6, 2022 — Historic graffiti of ships carved in an African fort were drawn by soldiers on guard duty watching the sea, experts ...

Disbelief in Human Evolution Linked to Greater Prejudice and Racism

Apr. 4, 2022 — A disbelief in human evolution was associated with higher levels of prejudice, racist attitudes and support of discriminatory behavior against Blacks, immigrants and the LGBTQ community in the U.S., ...

Mindfulness Meditation Can Reduce Guilt, Leading to Unintended Negative Social Consequences, Study Finds

Mar. 4, 2022 — Mindfulness meditation is a stress-management practice with ancient lineage that cultivates nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, often by ...

Only Certain Paranormal Beliefs May Be Linked With More Stress and Distress

Nov. 13, 2024 — In a new study, feelings of distress and reduced ability to cope with stress were associated with traditional paranormal beliefs, but not with new age ...

Growth from Adversity: How Older Adults Bounced Back from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aug. 20, 2024 — The study highlights the remarkable resilience of older adults (median age 86) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruptions to their routines led many to discover new hobbies like gardening and painting ...

Perceived Warmth, Competence Predict Callback Decisions in Meta-Analysis of Hiring Experiments

July 10, 2024 — Perceived warmth and competence predict the influence of race, gender and age on callback decisions, suggesting social perceptions might underlie such hiring bias, according to a new ...

The Protestant Work Ethic Could Explain a Liking for 'Natural' Healthcare

June 6, 2024 — A strong belief in the Protestant Work Ethic might underpin the decision-making of many people choosing 'natural' approaches to healthcare, new research suggests. Academics say their paper ...

Thinking About God Inspires Risk-Taking for Believers, Study Finds

Dec. 14, 2023 — Does thinking about faith make religious people more likely to take leaps? A new study says yes, finding that participants were more likely to take risks when thinking about God as a benevolent ...

'A Ticking Clock': First Ground-Based Survey of Damage to Ukrainian Cultural Sites Reveals Severity, Need for Urgency

Dec. 13, 2023 — And after nearly two years of fighting, war is destroying Ukraine’s cultural heritage on a scale not seen since World War II, according to new ...

New Heat Map Charts Unequal Civic Opportunity in the United States

Nov. 13, 2023 — People in many parts of the United States possess few chances for the robust community engagement that underpins healthy democracies, according to a new report that for the first time maps civic ...

Robot Preachers Get Less Respect, Fewer Donations

July 24, 2023 — As artificial intelligence expands across more professions, robot preachers and AI programs offer new means of sharing religious beliefs, but they may undermine credibility and reduce donations for ...

Social Group Values Are Most Readable in the Way We Write, New Research Finds

Dec. 12, 2022 — Analyzing the style of language used by social groups could offer insight into their values and principles that goes beyond what they publicly say about ...

Five Precepts of Buddhism May Be Linked to Lower Depression Risk

Nov. 30, 2022 — A new study suggests that people with high levels of neuroticism and stress may be at greater risk for depressive symptoms, but those links could be buffered for people who observe the five precepts ...

Witchcraft Beliefs Are Widespread, Highly Variable Around the World, Study Finds

Nov. 23, 2022 — A newly compiled dataset quantitatively captures witchcraft beliefs in countries around the world, enabling investigation of key factors associated with such ...

Learning Science in a Hurry

Nov. 7, 2022 — With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, people were plunged into a situation that required them to acquire information about an emerging scientific issue to assess the adequacy of government ...

Vaccine Confidence Declined Considerably During COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Reveals

Nov. 7, 2022 — Researchers comparing pre and post-pandemic surveys have found confidence in vaccinations is considerably lower post pandemic among all demographic ...

People With Paranormal Beliefs Spooked by Science and the COVID-19 Vaccine, Sociologists Suggest

Oct. 26, 2022 — Previous research has shown that people with conservative religious beliefs are more likely to lack confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, but most studies have observed only mainstream or ...

Climate Change Is Making the Arba'een Pilgrimage Dangerously Hot

Oct. 19, 2022 — Hotter Iraqi summers could make dangerous heat commonplace for millions of Shia Muslim pilgrims according to a new ...

Amber Fossils from Myanmar

Oct. 19, 2022 — Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia, is plagued by political and economic crises. The fall of a president, a military putsch and the crackdown on religious minorities have had an impact not only on ...

Lower Mortality Rates for Men 50-Plus Who Attend Religious Services, Study Suggests

Sep. 29, 2022 — Can regularly attending religious services actually extend your life? A new study suggests that men of color are discovering life affirming -- and life extending -- rewards of belonging to a ...

Religiousness, Spirituality Linked to Better Heart Health Among African Americans

Aug. 24, 2022 — In a study of nearly 3,000 African American adults, those who reported more frequent church attendance, private prayer and 'feeling God's presence' were more likely to meet the ...

Overconfidence Bolsters Anti-Scientific Views, Study Finds

July 20, 2022 — Historically, the scientific community has relied on educating the public in order to increase agreement with scientific consensus. New research suggests why this approach has seen only mixed ...

Being Mindful Can Improve Your Interactions With Co-Workers, New Study Finds

June 29, 2022 — Although mindfulness originates within an individual, a new study has found the benefits do not end with this person. The real payoffs emerge when an individual's mindfulness is translated into ...