It stands to reason that if two people of different religions can fall in love and marry, that couple may face the possibility of raising kids in an interfaith household. A married interfaith couple is made up of two adults who can draw their own conclusions a…
Read MoreKwanzaa 101: A Holiday Heritage Celebration
Kwanzaa encourages black heritage and pride while honoring important values that uplift the community and promote positive growth and development.
From Yule commemorations of ancient Germanic cultures to Jewish Hanukkah festivities, midwinter is often a time when p…
Hare Krishna 101: Beyond the Stereotypes
Hare Krishna, originally a division of Hinduism dedicated to worshipping Krishna, was established in the United States during the 1960s.
You might be familiar with the stereotype of Hare Krishna followers selling books in airports, but the religion’s roots predat…
Smudging 101: History, Uses, and Modern Issues
Smudging involves the burning of herbs or other kinds of plant matter.
Sage smudging is used for a wide variety of purposes by people following traditional Indigenous spiritual paths as well as New Age, Neopagan and various shamanic belief systems. To fully underst…
Diwali: Hinduism’s Autumn Festival of Lights
Diwali is the Hindu autumnal “Festival of Lights”.
Religion and culture are often closely tied together, so it’s no surprise that many seasonal holidays also hold spiritual significance for their celebrants. A bountiful harvest was regarded as a gener…
Honoring the Dead in Different Cultures
Cultures throughout history have had different unique ways of honoring the dead.
Loss is a natural part of life. Since the concept of death goes back as far as life itself, it makes sense that cultures throughout history have had different ways of honoring the dead…
The History of Incense in Religious Practice
The art of combining fragrant plant-based materials and burning them in the form of incense has ancient roots.
Since the dawn of time, humans have integrated aspects of the natural world into their spiritual beliefs and rituals. It’s unclear exactly who invented …
Magical Thinking: Facts About Modern Paganism
Here are some of the more interesting beliefs surrounding modern paganism.
Modern Paganism is a belief system with ancient roots. In fact, most people do not realize that a majority of pagan rituals predate religions like Christianity and Islam. A large number of t…
Fictional Faiths: Creators, Religion and World-Building
Fictional Faiths appear in popular shows from Doctor Who to Star Trek.
Crafting a fictional world is no easy task. To infuse these realms with realism, one must consider every aspect of their inhabitants’ daily lives, from commerce to relationships to religion. J…
A Deeper Understanding of Paganism
Table with items commonly used in for rituals of paganism.
The term “paganism” elicits many different connotations, depending on who you ask. Images based on stereotypes, such as people practicing “strange rituals” and “taboo” customs, are sadly conjure…