Religion Unplugged

Religion Unplugged We are an award-winning, non-profit magazine on the topic of religion in public life.

This month marks 181 years — on October 15, 1844 — since the birth of a man with a magnificent mustache. That man is Fri...
10/24/2025

This month marks 181 years — on October 15, 1844 — since the birth of a man with a magnificent mustache. That man is Friedrich Nietzsche.

So often cast as the very symbol of atheism, the German philosopher is widely misunderstood. To read him as a cheerleader for unbelief is to miss the point entirely.

When he declared “God is dead,” he wasn’t smirking. He was mourning. He saw what others refused to, or perhaps lacked the capacity to see: a West severed from its spiritual anchor would drift into darkness. His words, so often mistaken for triumph, were in fact prophetic.

When Nietzsche declared “God is dead,” he wasn’t smirking. He was mourning. So often cast as the very symbol of atheism, the German philosopher is widely misunderstood. To read him as a cheerleader for unbelief is to miss the point entirely.

The military in Myanmar has been increasingly abducting young men on the street or during household inspections to boost...
10/23/2025

The military in Myanmar has been increasingly abducting young men on the street or during household inspections to boost the number of military conscripts.

The regime has been targeting men and boys across all segments of society — including the urban poor, displaced populations and ethnic and religious minorities.

Among those affected are also the Rohingya, who, despite being officially barred from military service due to their lack of citizenship, are being targeted.

(ANALYSIS) In Myanmar, when the military has a hard time conscripting enough residents into their ranks, they turn to monks for help. The religious leaders, who have been well-connected to the government, are backing the recruitment drive.

In the wake of the historic schism that has fractured the worldwide Anglican Communion, lazy and ignorant narratives hav...
10/22/2025

In the wake of the historic schism that has fractured the worldwide Anglican Communion, lazy and ignorant narratives have already begun to emerge. The secular media and even some progressive Christian outlets would have you believe this is a simple story of progress versus bigotry — a misogynistic, homophobic and unenlightened conclave of Global South bishops mostly from the African continent breaking away because a woman was put in charge.

(OPINION) In the wake of the historic schism that has fractured the worldwide Anglican Communion, lazy and ignorant narratives have already begun to emerge. The secular media and even some progressive Christian outlets would have you believe this is a simple story of progress versus bigotry — a mi...

This past weekend, people of faith marched with clergy, college students, seniors and families in downtown San Diego and...
10/22/2025

This past weekend, people of faith marched with clergy, college students, seniors and families in downtown San Diego and elsewhere — as part of the second “No Kings” protests that swept across America and beyond.

(OPINION) After participating in multiple protests this year opposing authoritarianism, a Christian minister reflects on how people of faith can help sustain the growing No Kings movement — with hope, humor, and moral clarity. The “No Kings” movement, thank God, has only just begun.

Among American churchgoers, roughly half are concentrated within a small fraction — less than 10% — of the nation’s chur...
10/21/2025

Among American churchgoers, roughly half are concentrated within a small fraction — less than 10% — of the nation’s churches, according to data reported earlier this year on church attendance and size. The other half of America’s churchgoers are most likely to attend one of the 70% of U.S. churches that have 100 or fewer people in their weekly services. That’s a lot of small churches dotted across our country.

(OPINION) Among American churchgoers, roughly half are concentrated within a small fraction — less than 10% — of the nation’s churches, according to data reported earlier this year on church attendance and size. The other half of America’s churchgoers are most likely to attend one

The King’s College, a Christian liberal arts school in New York City founded in 1938, closed after its last graduating c...
10/20/2025

The King’s College, a Christian liberal arts school in New York City founded in 1938, closed after its last graduating class walked in May 2023. Documentary photographer and videographer Olivia Bolling looks back at the college’s final days and the memories that remain of a community that had been committed to faith, academic rigor and public engagement.

The King’s College, a Christian liberal arts school in New York City founded in 1938, closed after its last graduating class walked in May 2023. Documentary ...

In the year 610 CE, a 40-year-old Arabian caravan merchant from the commercial capital of Mecca was meditating in a hill...
10/20/2025

In the year 610 CE, a 40-year-old Arabian caravan merchant from the commercial capital of Mecca was meditating in a hilltop cave near the city when the angel Gabriel suddenly appeared to him.

Grasping him tightly around the chest, the heavenly being commanded him to “Read! In the Name of your Lord.” Though the merchant, Muhammad, claimed to be illiterate, he nonetheless obeyed the divine messenger and began to utter verses from what would come to be known as the Qur’an.

Twenty-two years after his death, Muhammad was regarded by his growing band of followers as a prophet, successor to Jesus, Moses and other major figures from the Hebrew Bible and the founder of a new faith: Islam.

Following the narrative of Islam’s journey from tribal origins to world religion, scholar John Tolan offers those new to the study of the faith a firm foundation in its rich past and current status in his new book.

On a crisp fall morning in Amritsar, Jagjit Singh stood at the gates of his local Sikh temple clutching a folder thick w...
10/20/2025

On a crisp fall morning in Amritsar, Jagjit Singh stood at the gates of his local Sikh temple clutching a folder thick with documents, identity papers, passport copies, and the pilgrimage forms he had painstakingly filled out since June.

Last month, his hopes had been dashed by an advisory from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs barring the pilgrimage following “Operation Sindoor.”

Like thousands of other Sikh devotees across Punjab, he had been preparing for months to make the sacred journey across the border to Sri Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, for Prakash Purab, which celebrates the birth of the Guru.

For thousands of devotees, the journey across the border is not just a trip; it is a reclamation of history, heritage and faith. As Prakash Purab approaches, the pilgrimage carries more than spiritual meaning. It represents the enduring resilience of a community whose beliefs and traditions transcen

Mixed reactions have followed the recent appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. The...
10/17/2025

Mixed reactions have followed the recent appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. The 63-year-old was appointed on Oct. 3, and will succeed Justin Welby, who resigned last year over his failure to report serial child abuser John Smyth, who was affiliated with the Church of England.

Liberal Anglicans have welcomed Mullally’s appointment. However, conservative church leaders have crticized it. The Church of Nigeria, for example, has formally rejected both the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury, citing Mullally’s support for same-sex marriage and her position as the first woman chosen for the role.

African bishops’ reactions to the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury are mixed. On the conservative side, leaders in Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda and other nations oppose the move. They argue it departs from scriptural teaching.

Diwali – the annual Hindu fall “Festival of Lights” – is gaining mainstream popularity in places with large Indian and S...
10/16/2025

Diwali – the annual Hindu fall “Festival of Lights” – is gaining mainstream popularity in places with large Indian and Southeast Asian immigrant populations — and businesses of all shapes and sizes are taking notice, modifying existing products or services or launching new ones to tap into the group’s sizable buying power.

Immigrant parents are eager to pass down their cultural traditions, and some experts call Diwali a “multi-billion dollar” opportunity.

Such church clocks have long been an iconic part of United Kingdom life, perched high on church towers, visible across t...
10/16/2025

Such church clocks have long been an iconic part of United Kingdom life, perched high on church towers, visible across the countryside. Over time, many have fallen into disuse or broken.

Three ancient clocks in Montacute, Somerset and in Wi******er, Hampshire, have been returned to full working order — and their restoration projects turned up some unexpected discoveries.

At Wi******er Cathedral, the clock was only visible from the south side of the tower, facing away from the city itself — a decision thought to avoid reminding most workers how many hours they had worked.

For years, church leaders have sounded the alarm about the departure of younger generations. We’ve analyzed the data on ...
10/16/2025

For years, church leaders have sounded the alarm about the departure of younger generations. We’ve analyzed the data on Millennials. We’ve debated how to reach Gen Z. Entire conferences are devoted to the “next generation” and what the church must do to keep them engaged.

(ANALYSIS) This overlooked exodus matters. In many congregations, senior adults are the backbone of weekly attendance. They are often the most faithful givers, the most consistent volunteers, and the most reliable prayer warriors. When they drift away, the church feels it in the offering plate, in t

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