Religion Archives

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), wearing a traditional Palestinian robe, takes the oath of office on Thomas Jefferson's Quran, with family members present in a swearing-in ceremony at the start of the 116th Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 3rd, 2019.

News in Brief

Using a Quran to Swear in to Congress: A Brief History of Oaths and Texts

This year, members of the most diverse Congress ever opted for over a dozen different religious and non-religious texts in their swearing-in ceremonies.

Jack Herrera

Indian Hindu activists burn an effigy of Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan during a demonstration in the southern state of Kerala, in New Delhi, on January 3rd, 2019. Clashes broke out in southern India for a second day on January 3rd as Hindu hardliners went on a rampage, seeking to enforce a general shutdown in protest over two women entering Sabarimala Ayyapa, one of the country's holiest temples. The women were the first to enter the temple since a historic ban was lifted. A day after violence—both among rival groups and with police—left one man dead and 15 people injured; authorities said that 266 protesters had been arrested across the state of Kerala.

Viewfinder: Protests Continue in India After Two Women Enter One of the Country’s Holiest Temples

Clashes broke out in southern India for a second day on January 3rd as Hindu hardliners went on a rampage, seeking to enforce a general shutdown in protest over two women entering Sabarimala Ayyapa.

Pacific Standard Staff

President Donald Trump bows his head during a prayer at a cabinet meeting in the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 20th, 2017.

Economics

Did the Prosperity Gospel Help Elect Trump?

New research finds some voters conflate worldly success with morality.

Tom Jacobs

Christmas lights are displayed on a house on December 1st, 2008, in Melksham, England.

Social Justice

Inside an Idaho Homeowners Association’s Frosty War Over One Resident’s Lurid Christmas Pageant

A federal jury awarded $75,000 to a couple after their homeowners association tried to prevent them from putting on a week-long Christmas extravaganza. It's a rare loss for homeowners associations, which usually have a broad authority for Grinchiness.

Jack Denton

Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal (right) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier light Europe's largest menorah during a public lighting ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah, on December 2nd, 2018, in Berlin, Germany.

Viewfinder: Celebrating Hanukkah in Berlin

Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal (right) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier light Europe's largest menorah during a public ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah, on December 2nd, 2018, in Berlin, Germany.

Pacific Standard Staff

Social Justice

The North Carolina Sanctuary Church Resident’s Arrest Highlights a Growing Divide Among American Christians

While many Christians are struggling to offer immigrants sanctuary, others are in favor of the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Massoud Hayoun

Vigil participants hold candles and sing a Jewish prayer in front of the White House on October 27th, 2018, during a vigil for the victims of the Tree of Life Congregation shooting.

News in Brief

To Discuss the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, We Have to Discuss Trump

In his two years in office, Trump has done plenty to legitimize views previously considered too extreme for political discourse—and that, in turn, has opened the door for political violence.

Jared Keller