April 24, 2023 By Bob Smietana (RNS) — Religion is often seen as a source of conflict — giving insiders a source of community and support while drawing boundaries against outsiders. A new study suggests religion can also prompt people to be generous to outsiders, even those from groups they distrust. For the study, entitled

January 10, 2023 By Ryan Burge (RNS) — Every major religious tradition has one thing in common: They all highly encourage reproduction among their adherents. The Roman Catholic Church, however, stands out on this issue. While other religious traditions permit their members to use various types of birth control to manage the number of kids

January 13, 2022 By Jack Jenkins   WASHINGTON (RNS) — A religion scholar believes major trends in religion and politics can be traced back to the rise of the religious right in the 1990s, a sea change moment that set in motion an array of phenomena ranging from an uptick in religious disaffiliation to the

Hopes for a revived religious left may be based more on a wing and a prayer than solid evidence of any such new awakening. Rather, there are several signs indicating “a notable decline” in political activity among religious liberals, new research indicates..

A new study finds that individuals who are open to new ideas and recognize both the strengths of others and their own limitations, have not succumbed to political apathy or indifference. The study also suggests these intellectually humble individuals are better able to seek accurate information rather than reflexively defend their own beliefs, and to pursue discussions on critical issues with an attitude of mutual respect.

A national study finds prayer, worship and a strong spiritual life have a significant association with a
satisfying sex life. That ageless staple of male comics – that women lose interest in sex after the
wedding ceremony – also doesn’t seem to apply to married couples of strong faith.

Clergy with a mix of members with “red” and “blue” political views in the pews tend to tread lightly when it comes to preaching on controversial topics in sermons. Abortion, fossil fuels, a critique of capitalism, and LGBTQ issues were more often avoided in the pulpit, a new study found.

Religious attendance and congregational involvement may reduce loneliness among millennials, a new study suggests.

Where have all the young adults gone? Not as far from religion as one might think, according to a new study finding large numbers of twentysomethings are combining a spiritual life with religious practice.

Low pay. Great expectations and scrutiny. And a job where a knack for effective begging comes in handy. So who would want to be an editor of an academic journal on religion? Some who do this work say there needs to be a larger conversation about how journal editors are supported and compensated, and how these issues matter to their mission of disseminating excellent scholarship on religion from throughout the world.