Religion

Religion
(Image credit: Halfpoint | Shutterstock.com)

Live Science keeps you up to date on the discoveries and insights around religion, from how religious beliefs impact a person's health, to the reasons some people believe and others are atheists, to the history of religion.

Latest about Religion

Colorful Easter eggs on the grass at sunrise

Why does the date of Easter change every year?

By Tom Metcalfe published

Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. The date took millennia to standardize for surprisingly complex reasons.

Here we see a family (woman, child and man) lighting a Menorah together (a sacred candelabrum with eight branches).

Why is Hanukkah 8 days?

By Tom Metcalfe published

Is Hanukkah eight days because of an ancient miracle that oil burned for that long? It turns out there's more to the story.

Father and daughter decorating Christmas tree in bay window at home, tradition, anticipation, childhood

Why is Christmas celebrated on Dec. 25?

By Owen Jarus published

There are two major theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25.

What does the devil look like? This 5th-6th century mosaic depicts the parable of the Kingdom of God and the Last Judgement. The mosaic can be found at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy.

What does the devil look like? Historical depictions of Satan

By All About History published

Reference From the fallen angel to the horned goat, we look at the historical origins behind depictions of Satan.

Reference

Texas Sect Earns Cult Status

By Jeanna Bryner last updated

A polygamous sect living on a Texas ranch raises the cult v. church question.

celebrities

Americans Muddled on Obama's Religion

By Stephanie Pappas last updated

Only a third of Americans know the president's religion.

A black and white photograph taken in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 during World War II. It shows Jews, both adults and children, held at gunpoint as SS troops look on.

What is genocide?

By Tom Metcalfe published

Acts of genocide — trying to partially or completely destroy an entire people or group — have been committed countless times throughout history.

A mask of the rain god Chac decorates the facade of a pyramid at North Acropolis, in Mayan ruins, located in Tikal, Guatemala.

The Maya: History, civilization & gods

By Owen Jarus, Jessica Leggett last updated

The Maya civilization stretched throughout Central America and reached its peak during the first millennium A.D.

New Surprising Results on Abortion and Religiosity

By Live Science Staff last updated

Pregnant teens and 20-somethings from private religious schools are more likely to obtain abortions than their public school peers.

Here we see the Tian Tan Buddha (the Big Buddha). It is the world’s tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. The giant statue is sitting cross-legged, with one hand resting on his knee (palm up) and one hand held out in front of him, palm facing outwards. The statue is surround by a number of dark green trees, which only reach up to its knee. The morning sky is blue with a few clouds.

The Buddha: History, meditation, religion and images

By Tom Garlinghouse last updated

Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha, was a spiritual teacher who lived during the fifth and sixth centuries B.C. in India and founded the Buddhist religion.

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