Ethics + Religion – The Conversation – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and more

A tall white building with ornate pillars is seen through a hole in a row of trees.

A tall white building with ornate pillars is seen through a hole in a row of trees.

A Colorado preschool case will be the Supreme Court’s latest to test boundaries of LGBTQ rights and religious freedom

Mark Satta, Wayne State University; Institute for Humane Studies

Several monks in saffron robes pray with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Several monks in saffron robes pray with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

What the Eiffel Tower controversy reveals about a Hindu monastic practice – known as ‘brahmacharya’

Bhakti Mamtora, University of Arizona

As Jewish college students look South, some discover a long but overlooked history

Ashley Walters, College of Charleston

A religious sanctuary with stained-glass windows and young people sitting in wooden pews.

A religious sanctuary with stained-glass windows and young people sitting in wooden pews.

Chatbots as oracles: How AI is giving new life to the ancient practice of seeking answers from inscrutable sources

Webb Keane, University of Michigan and Ambuj Tewari, University of Michigan

Two robotic hands hover above a glowing crystal ball.

Two robotic hands hover above a glowing crystal ball.

Are religious charter schools constitutional? After deadlocked SCOTUS decision, another Oklahoma case is trying to find out

Charles J. Russo, University of Dayton

An American flag flies in front of a large building with ornate marble pillars.

An American flag flies in front of a large building with ornate marble pillars.

The medieval world had its own ‘deepfakes’ – church officials cited a fake imperial decree for centuries

Vanessa Corcoran, Georgetown University

A painting in muted colors shows a man with a tall white hat, wearing robes, handing a triangular object to another man as people on city walls look on.

A painting in muted colors shows a man with a tall white hat, wearing robes, handing a triangular object to another man as people on city walls look on.

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America 250

Men and women stand in separate rows, bowing their heads in prayer.

Men and women stand in separate rows, bowing their heads in prayer.

Muslims were part of America’s story long before the republic began

Iqbal Akhtar, Florida International University

What Jefferson and Madison would have thought about ‘rededicating’ the US to God

Steven K. Green, Willamette University

A black and white postage stamp with a small red illustration of a hand holding a flaming sword, and the words 'I have sworn...Hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.'

A black and white postage stamp with a small red illustration of a hand holding a flaming sword, and the words 'I have sworn...Hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.'

For 2 centuries, Latter-day Saints have revered religious freedom – but their definition is evolving

Benjamin Park, Sam Houston State University and Nicholas Shrum, University of Virginia

A tall white building with dramatic spires stands amid trees on a day with bright blue sky.

A tall white building with dramatic spires stands amid trees on a day with bright blue sky.

How enslaved African Muslims resisted bondage through their faith and writing

Nareman Amin, Michigan State University and Leila Tarakji, Michigan State University

Two portraits displayed side by side. On the left is a man wearing a headdress and a white robe, with a Qur'an suspended around his neck. On the right is a signed black-and-white sketch depicting a man in a high-collared jacket.

Two portraits displayed side by side. On the left is a man wearing a headdress and a white robe, with a Qur'an suspended around his neck. On the right is a signed black-and-white sketch depicting a man in a high-collared jacket.

America’s musical founding father: ‘Liberty songs’ by a self-taught singer and tanner helped fuel the Revolution

David W. Stowe, Michigan State University

A faded illustration of seven men in formal coats sitting around a table, with a musical score surrounding the image.

A faded illustration of seven men in formal coats sitting around a table, with a musical score surrounding the image.

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War and peace

A large building with a green dome and tall minarets, with people walking in front of it.

A large building with a green dome and tall minarets, with people walking in front of it.

Why French officials placed a Muslim war memorial in the intellectual heart of Paris in the 20th century

Shannon Fogg, Missouri University of Science and Technology

‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries – including criticism of Iran war

Valerie Morkevičius, Colgate University

A man in ornate white robes and a tall gold-colored hat waves and holds a staff.

A man in ornate white robes and a tall gold-colored hat waves and holds a staff.

Christian satellite TV has broadcast evangelical faith – and end-times prophecies – into Iran for decades

Febe Armanios, Middlebury College

An apartment building with three satellite dishes hanging out of windows, illuminated against the night sky.

An apartment building with three satellite dishes hanging out of windows, illuminated against the night sky.

Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?

Joëlle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island

A medieval-looking illustration of a man in a tall hat placing a crown on a kneeling man's head, set against a red backdrop.

A medieval-looking illustration of a man in a tall hat placing a crown on a kneeling man's head, set against a red backdrop.

Shiite grief over attacks on Iran’s sacred cities has deep historical roots

Mary Thurlkill, University of Mississippi

Several men, holding photos of Ayatollah Khamenei, raise their arms in protest.

Several men, holding photos of Ayatollah Khamenei, raise their arms in protest.

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Global religion

Even the Buddha experienced challenges with meditation: Historical texts reveal its potential downsides

Pierce Salguero, Penn State

People seated in rows on yoga mats meditate with their eyes closed.

People seated in rows on yoga mats meditate with their eyes closed.

Floods in Nepal-Tibet disrupt pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred mountain with centuries of evolving tradition

Catherine Hartmann, University of Wyoming

A torrent of muddy floodwater rushes through a Nepalese valley, with houses along the banks and lush green hills and mist-covered mountains in the background.

A torrent of muddy floodwater rushes through a Nepalese valley, with houses along the banks and lush green hills and mist-covered mountains in the background.

Most Westerners know Buddhism through meditation, but everyday Buddhist life looks quite different in Thai temples

Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College

Several people pray while seated before a golden Buddha statue in a temple.

Several people pray while seated before a golden Buddha statue in a temple.

A Hindu soldier and a Muslim poet show how religious identities overlapped in 19th-century India

Aishwarya Lakshmi, Rice University

An Indian child holds a placard listing Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity, with the word "Indian" running through the names.

An Indian child holds a placard listing Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity, with the word "Indian" running through the names.

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AI ethics

Why AI resembles a charismatic religious leader

Morgan Shipley, Michigan State University

A female robot with four arms, in the image of the Hindu goddess Kali, stands against a dark blue background, surrounded by colorful digital graphics and glowing geometric shapes.

A female robot with four arms, in the image of the Hindu goddess Kali, stands against a dark blue background, surrounded by colorful digital graphics and glowing geometric shapes.

The Catholic principle guiding popes through tech upheavals, from the Industrial Revolution to AI

Walter Scheirer, University of Notre Dame

Pope Leo speaks in a microphone addressing a crowd.

Pope Leo speaks in a microphone addressing a crowd.

Large language models often prioritize Western moral values, overlooking other cultures

Aliah Zewail, UMass Amherst and Alexandra Figueroa, University of California, Berkeley

A compass placed on a world map with its needle directed toward the U.S.

A compass placed on a world map with its needle directed toward the U.S.

Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI

Ross Channing Reed, Missouri University of Science and Technology

A yellow cartoon of a brain rests on one side of a perfectly balanced beam, set against a teal backdrop.

A yellow cartoon of a brain rests on one side of a perfectly balanced beam, set against a teal backdrop.

AI ethics

Read more about AI ethics

Ancient texts

A Tibetan painting depicts a wrathful, multi-armed deity rendered in blue and gold, surrounded by a circle of smaller attendant figures.

A Tibetan painting depicts a wrathful, multi-armed deity rendered in blue and gold, surrounded by a circle of smaller attendant figures.

‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ is actually not just about death

Jue Liang, Case Western Reserve University

What a Muslim folk trickster can teach us about the danger of holding a single worldview

Perin Gürel, University of Notre Dame

A man in a fake white beard and white turban leads a long line of children through a park.

A man in a fake white beard and white turban leads a long line of children through a park.

The apocrypha, Christianity’s ‘hidden’ texts, may not be in the Bible – but they have shaped tradition for centuries

Christy Cobb, University of Denver

Two open books rest on a table next to a pile of three more books.

Two open books rest on a table next to a pile of three more books.

How women are reinterpreting the menstrual taboos in Chinese Buddhism

Megan Bryson, University of Tennessee

Painting of women in a pond of blood with monks standing above them on land.

Painting of women in a pond of blood with monks standing above them on land.

An epic border: Finland’s poetic masterpiece, the Kalevala, has roots in 2 cultures and 2 countries

Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison

An illustration in shades of red, blue and green shows a line of men rowing a boat.

An illustration in shades of red, blue and green shows a line of men rowing a boat.

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