Religion News

April 10, 2020

Top Headlines

People With a Sense of Oneness Experience Greater Life Satisfaction

Apr. 11, 2019 People who believe in oneness -- the idea that everything in the world is connected and interdependent -- appear to have greater life satisfaction than those who don't, regardless of whether they ... read more

Messages of Stewardship Affect Christians' Attitudes About Climate Change

Mar. 11, 2019 Christians' attitudes toward the environment and climate change are shaped by whether they hold a view of humans as having stewardship of the Earth or dominion over the planet, and reading material ... read more

Sociologists Study the Impact Religion Has on Child Development

Feb. 7, 2019 Do children raised by religious parents have better social and psychological development than those raised in non-religious homes? In a new study, researchers found that religion can be a mixed ... read more

On Facebook and Twitter Your Privacy Is at Risk -- Even If You Don't Have an Account, Study Finds

Jan. 21, 2019 New research shows that on social media, like Facebook, privacy can be at risk, even if a person doesn't have an account. Scientists demonstrated ... read more

Latest Headlines

updated 5:54pm EDT

Some Surprisingly Good News About Anxiety

Jan. 7, 2020 Anxiety disorders are the most common type of psychiatric illness, yet researchers know very little about factors associated with recovery. A new study investigated three levels of recovery in a ... read more

Psychology of Attraction to Religious Deities and Super-Heroes

Sep. 30, 2019 A new psychological study has addressed centuries-old questions about how and why supernatural beings are ... read more

Rising Summer Heat Could Soon Endanger Travelers on Annual Muslim Pilgrimage

Aug. 22, 2019 Over two million Muslim travelers just finished the annual religious pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, traveling during some of the country's ... read more

Texas Cities Increasingly Susceptible to Large Measles Outbreaks

Aug. 21, 2019 The growing number of children arriving at Texas schools unvaccinated makes the state increasingly vulnerable to measles outbreaks in cities large and small, according to a computer simulation. The ... read more

People Are Essential to Conserving Pollinators

Mar. 11, 2019 A global study has concluded that people are essential to conserving the pollinators that maintain and protect biodiversity, agriculture and ... read more

Illuminating Women's Role in the Creation of Medieval Manuscripts

Jan. 9, 2019 Researchers have revealed direct evidence of medieval women's involvement in the production of illuminated manuscripts. Lapis lazuli in the dental calculus of a woman buried at a 12th-century German ... read more

How a Rat and Bat Helped Heal a 90-Year Cultural Rift

Nov. 29, 2018 Mammalogists went to the Solomon Islands in search of a giant rat and monkey-faced bat -- and ended up playing a role in fostering peace between the Kwaio people of Malaita and the Western world. A ... read more

AI Systems Shed Light on Root Cause of Religious Conflict: Humanity Is Not Naturally Violent

Oct. 31, 2018 Artificial intelligence can help us to better understand the causes of religious violence and to potentially control it, according to new research. ... read more

Secular Countries Can Expect Future Economic Growth, Confirms New Study

July 18, 2018 New research measuring the importance of religion in 109 countries spanning the entire 20th century has reignited an age-old debate around the link between secularization and economic growth. The ... read more

What Is the Meaning of Life? Ask a Conservative

July 17, 2018 A deep analysis of a series of surveys across 16 countries that spanned several years shows that people who are on the conservative end of the political spectrum believe their lives are meaningful ... read more

Earlier Headlines

Increase in Calls to US Poison Control for Natural Psychoactive Substances

Nov. 26, 2019 A new study found there were more than 67,300 calls to US Poison Control Centers regarding exposures to natural psychoactive substances. The study looked at calls from January 2000 through December ... read more

Prayers Can Crowd out Donations for Disaster Victims

Nov. 26, 2019 A new study finds that people who prayed for hurricane victims before donating gave less than they would have otherwise: Because those who prayed believed that prayers improved the victims' ... read more

What We Can Learn from Indigenous Land Management

Nov. 5, 2019 First Nations peoples' world view and connection to Country provide a rich source of knowledge and innovations for better land and water management policies when Indigenous decision-making is ... read more

Music Was Form of Resistance for Women During Civil Rights Movement

Aug. 2, 2019 'Freedom songs' were key in giving motivation and comfort to those fighting for equal rights, in addition to helping empower Black women to lead others when formal leadership positions were ... read more

Initially Threatened by Change, People Adapt to Societal Diversity Over Time

May 23, 2019 With time, people can adapt to societal diversity and actually benefit from it, according to a new study. Those in power especially set the tone for integrating people into a new ... read more

Power to the People: How Everyday Acts of Defiance Can Shape and Change Markets

Apr. 15, 2019 Subtle, hidden and everyday acts of resistance and defiance by people with limited resources could have an impact on markets in societies where state and religion is all-powerful. These are the key ... read more

Complex Societies Gave Birth to Big Gods, Not the Other Way Around

Mar. 20, 2019 Big data analyses by an international research team suggest that moralizing gods are rather the product than the drivers of social ... read more

Culturally Sensitive Conservation Approaches Needed to Protect Ethiopian Church Forests

Mar. 6, 2019 Human disturbance reduces forest density, biomass, and richness of species in sacred church forests of northern Ethiopia, according to new ... read more

Study Calls on Feds to Invest in Local Volunteer Disaster Response, Recovery Groups

Feb. 13, 2019 Data from 2017 Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and California natural disasters highlights key collaboration gaps and better ways to save money, time and lives in future disasters. After 2017's ... read more

Neuroimaging Shows Social Exclusion Spurs Extremism in Those Vulnerable to Radicalization

Jan. 10, 2019 A new study used neuroimaging techniques to show that social exclusion increases the number of ideological and group values worth fighting and dying for in populations vulnerable to radicalization. ... read more

Are the Late Stephen Hawking's Religious Beliefs Typical of U.K. Scientists?

Dec. 19, 2018 The late Stephen Hawking famously didn't believe in God. Neither does the renowned Richard Dawkins. But is that typical for U.K. ... read more

Study of Traditional Medicine Finds High Use in Sub-Saharan Africa Despite Modern Medicine

Dec. 18, 2018 Researchers who have undertaken the first systematic review of into the use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAM) in Sub-Saharan Africa found its use is significant and not ... read more

Addressing Research Gaps Could Help With Development of Disability-Inclusive Workplaces

Dec. 10, 2018 Filling key gaps in the research and understanding of the treatment of people with disabilities in the workplace could help improve employee success on the job and develop more disability-inclusive ... read more

Conversion 'Therapy' Begins at Home

Nov. 8, 2018 A new study finds that attempts by parents and religious leaders or therapists to change the sexual orientation of LGBT adolescents ('conversion therapy') contribute to multiple health and ... read more

Huge Fall in Prevalence of FGM/genital Cutting Among Girls Across Africa

Nov. 6, 2018 The prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting among girls up to the age of 14 has fallen sharply in most regions of Africa over the past three decades, reveals a new ... read more

Who Believes in Conspiracies? New Research Offers a Theory

Sep. 25, 2018 Conspiracy theories have been cooked up throughout history, but they are increasingly visible lately. So what draws people to them? New research suggests that people with certain personality traits ... read more

Commitment to Democratic Values Predict Climate Change Concern, Study Finds

Sep. 20, 2018 In a new study comparing climate change attitudes across 36 countries, including the United States, commitment to democratic values is the strongest predictor of climate change concern ... read more

When God Is Your Only Friend: Religion and the Socially Disconnected

Aug. 30, 2018 New research finds that religious people who lack friends and purpose in life turn to God to fill those voids. However, the findings do not suggest that people who are socially disconnected are more ... read more

The God of Small Things

Aug. 30, 2018 New research suggests people who are religious gain happiness from believing there is a deeper meaning to everyday ... read more

Steep Decline in Student Belief That God Created Humans, 32-Year Australian Study Reveals

Aug. 21, 2018 Australian university students give far more credit than the previous generation to the science of human evolution and far less to creationism or divine guidance, according to a landmark new study. ... read more

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