Encouraging adversaries to have more interpersonal contact to find common ground may work on occasion, but not necessarily in the U.S. Senate, according to new research.
A new study finds that many U.S. adults — roughly one in five — are deeply religious, know a lot about science, and support many practical uses of science and technology in everyday life, but reject scientific explanations of creation and evolution.
University of Kentucky Department of Computer Science's Brent Seales is on his way to making history, and uncovering it, with revolutionary software and 2,000-year old Herculaneum scrolls.
Pope Francis on Thursday visits the Philippines—one of the most devoutly Catholic countries in the world. Professors at the University of Michigan are available to discuss the pope's leadership challenges and the Church's influence in the country and other parts of Asia.
For Jewish Americans, going to synagogue makes a difference for health, according to a study of five large Jewish urban communities by Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR).
More than a third of American clergy members are obese, with stress, longer hours, being underpaid and lack of self-care among the reasons, according to a Baylor University study. But the pastoral profession has some built-in prevention methods that can help clergy be healthier if they take advantage of them.
“My client said I was different than all other therapists in the sense that I was genuinely caring about him and paying attention to what he was saying and also to what he was not saying. It was like time had stopped and we were two vulnerable human beings connected at a very deep level—a ‘sacred’ moment.” New research from Bowling Green State University shows that these kinds of “sacred moments” between therapists and their clients lead to improved well- being for both sides, demonstrating the value of paying close attention to the spiritual dimension between providers and their patients.
The University of Chicago Divinity School has launched a two-year, interdisciplinary project aimed at understanding what it means to enhance life and how the human aspiration for a better life can be fulfilled.
Employees who openly discuss their religious beliefs at work are often happier and have higher job satisfaction than those employees who do not, according to a collaborative study that involves a Kansas State University researcher.
Six official clay seals found by a Mississippi State University archaeological team at a small site in Israel offer evidence that supports the existence of biblical kings David and Solomon.
Adolescents who attend religious services with one or both of their parents are more likely to feel greater well-being while romantic partners who pray for their “significant others” experience greater relationship commitment, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Each year, millions of U.S. couples walk down aisles in churches, temples and mosques to get married. Many only occasionally return to a place of worship together. Does that mean their marriage is devoid of spirituality? Do spiritual dimensions of marriage help or hurt couples’ unions, especially when they become parents?
When he set out to do research in Iraq last June, Matthew Barber was not expecting a front-row seat for a humanitarian crisis. A doctoral student in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Barber intended to study Kurdish and pursue his interest in the Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking religious minority group.
A new model of ministry that empowers residents in at-risk West Dallas to transform their communities has resulted in crime reduction, better meeting of health needs, obtaining jobs and improved student academic performance, according to a study by Baylor University.
College students’ views on evolution are shaped significantly more by religiosity than education, according to a survey of Southern students.
The effects of discrimination are long-lasting, both for the aggressor and the persecuted — passed through the years, consciously or not. Previous research has shown a striking historical persistence of anti-Semitic views, and, according to new research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, areas in which Jewish people historically were persecuted have lower stock market participation today.
Astronomer David Weintraub’s new book, Religions & Extraterrestrial Life, explores the question of what the world’s various religions have to say about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
Reports of religion’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, says Byron Johnson, Ph.D., co-director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion. Close examination of data from the General Social Survey and other data sources show that across 40 years, church attendance has varied only slightly, Johnson wrote in the recently published 2014 Index of Culture and Opportunity: The Social and Economic Trends that Shape America.
Young people who regularly attend religious services and describe themselves as religious are less likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol, according to a new study.
People struggling with mental illness often turn to pastors for help, but seminaries do very little to train ministers how to recognize serious psychological distress and when to refer someone to a doctor or psychologist, Baylor research shows.
Young men receiving support after they pledge to abstain from sex until marriage, can find themselves without advisors and help once they do marry.
Bragging of sexual conquests, suggestive jokes and innuendo, and sexual one-upmanship can all be a part of demonstrating one’s manhood, especially for young men eager to exert their masculinity. But how does masculinity manifest itself among young men who have pledged sexual abstinence before marriage?
Results of the study indicate that violence decreases as spirituality increases in persons who received the non-alcohol beverage. However, quite unexpectedly, violence actually increased as spirituality increased in persons who received the alcoholic beverage.
Whether the problem is health, enemies, poverty or difficulty with aging, “Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there,” suggested the late gospel musician Charles A. Tindley. But when it comes to easing anxiety-related disorders, prayer doesn’t have the same effect for everybody, according to a Baylor University researcher.
Married women who live in communities in which more of the population belongs to conservative religious traditions are less likely to work outside the home, even if they do not belong to those faith groups, a Baylor study shows.
As the United States grows more diverse than ever, organizations from Fortune 500 companies to political parties are scrambling to keep pace. But in doing so, they face the challenge of uniting people from very different backgrounds in a single purpose. A new study suggests that if they want to succeed, they could learn a lot from how an unlikely practice — prayer — is used in one set of diverse organizations.
A congregation’s beliefs about work attitudes and practices affect a churchgoer on the job — but how much depends partly on how involved that person is in church, according to a Baylor study funded by the National Science Foundation.
Volunteer lay leaders serve as political opinion leaders within churches, with considerable power to deepen — or bridge — gaps between religion and politics, according to a Baylor University study.
World War I — the “war to end all wars” — in fact sowed seeds for future international conflicts in a way that has been largely overlooked: through religion, says a Baylor University historian and author.
“Heaven Is For Real” contends the current movie by that name. But which heaven? Several versions of heaven are depicted in art, literature, music and pop culture — many of which don’t mesh with faith doctrines, says pop culture critic Greg Garrett, Ph.D., of Baylor University.
The cultural heritage of Syriac, an important language in the spread of early Christianity in the Middle East, is being preserved through the international collaboration known as Syriaca.org.
American Muslims who interpret negative events in life as punishment from God are less likely to believe that donating organs after death is ethical than those with a more positive outlook, according to a survey conducted by researchers from the University of Chicago’s Program on Medicine and Religion.
the individuals and two-fifths of the congregations surveyed still prefer the King James Bible. And of the Bible readers surveyed, African Americans reported the highest levels of Bible engagement.
In an effort to broaden reach and to continue innovating, the official journal of the Vincentian Studies Institute, Vincentian Heritage, will change to an open source, interactive PDF version on March 6. The peer-reviewed journal includes articles on Vincentian history, spirituality and praxis.
The Rev. Gregory I. Carlson, S.J., Creighton University has amassed more than 6,000 books and 4,000 related fable objects. Fables entertain us but often use the story to provide a moral insight. Father Carlson shares his thoughts on fables to reflect on for Lent.
The project’s first initiative revolves around studying the brains of people who have returned from serving missions on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Despite their strong pro-family values, evangelical Christians have higher than average divorce rates — in fact, being more likely to be divorced than Americans who claim no religion, according to findings as cited by researchers from Baylor University.
A new Boston University study led by postdoctoral fellow Natalie Emmons and published in the January 16, 2014 online edition of Child Development suggests that our bias toward immortality is a part of human intuition that naturally emerges early in life.
More than 20 percent of Americans believe God has a say in sports -- for example, whether the Seahawks beat the Broncos. But that's troubling theology, says a Baylor professor. A survey conducted in January 2014 by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that many people believe God has a say in who wins, say, the Super Bowl.
The ultimate play-off is the ultimate unifier, chasing away everyday cares and cutting across cultural, economic and gender lines that divide people, says pop culture observer Greg Garrett of Baylor University. But then what?
It is not uncommon for prison inmates to claim that a spiritual experience has changed their nature and made them a better person. Kent Kerley, Ph.D., associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Justice Sciences, has heard these stories and examined religion-based programs to discover the effect they have on inmates who are still imprisoned. His findings will be published next month in his book, “Religious Faith in Correctional Contexts.”
Most religions teach their followers to “Love thy neighbor” — including those of different races, nationalities or beliefs. But is religiousness really related to love of neighbors? A Baylor University study provided partial support for that idea.
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