Ideological rifts widen as Catholic bishops ponder endangered forests and married priests
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/10/04/a-high-noon-moment-for-pope-francis-over-the-amazon
Islam’s followers are not so much firebrands as nomads in search of a home
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/09/22/why-american-muslims-lean-leftwards-for-2020
Conflicts within Slavic Orthodoxy are having some strange side effects
Why Islamic debates over slavery matter to everyone
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/08/27/everywhere-in-chains
Despite the abolition of outdated laws, a culture of freedom is failing to take hold
A cherished tradition of independence can lead to abuses and poor management
The extraordinary events of 1989 are half-forgotten as clerics look elsewhere
It offers a fixed point in a transitory world
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/08/03/why-charismatic-christianity-is-popular-with-migrants
From the Roman to the Abrahamic, the prime minister’s spiritual history is a mess
Building bridges between an anti-racist movement and a conservative faith
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/07/24/overcoming-the-mormon-legacy-on-race
President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus accompanied his Russian counterpart to the magnificent monastery of Valaam this week
A new sensitivity over discrimination in the secular world is making it harder for religious institutions to apply a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy
State secularism and personal freedom clash over the hijab and the burkini
A twitter-spat over Donald Trump’s immigration policy reveals a deep cleavage in America’s religious right
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/07/05/when-american-evangelicals-fall-out
Why the government’s effort to create a more devout society has failed
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/07/01/in-turkey-demography-is-a-brake-on-islamisation
A controversial proposal for the Amazon basin would set a precedent for the Catholic church
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/06/18/why-pope-francis-may-open-the-door-to-married-priests
Squabbles between churches in Ukraine, Russia and Turkey are bound up in global politics
The home of the Enlightenment sees dark portents
Why Pope Francis likes the French view of temptation
A document urging clemency provides a snapshot of global Sunni Islam. It is revealing to see who did and did not sign
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/06/02/a-muslim-appeal-for-saudi-arabia-to-show-mercy
The Russian Orthodox church claims credit for preserving the country’s nuclear arsenal. It is extending its reach ever farther
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/05/29/religious-zeal-is-surging-in-russias-military-forces
Fundamentalist faith is proclaimed, and contested, in America’s forces
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/05/25/onward-christian-soldiers
A British judgment on preaching to colleagues and clients
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/05/19/dont-talk-too-much-about-religion-at-work
Devout women in the Teutonic world have had enough
When life at the margins goes mainstream
When a fast becomes a slow diplomatic dance
Members of a religious commission find common cause in relation to Russia and China
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/04/30/america-defends-freedom-of-conscience-abroad
Amid the ebullience of Orthodox festivities, disputes among Eastern churches ease just a little
The Religious Society of Friends wrestles with theism
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/04/26/quakers-ponder-the-ultimate-religious-question
Traditionalists take issue with Francis’s relatively liberal style, while finding merit in his predecessor’s conservatism
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/04/22/critics-of-francis-embrace-the-other-pope-benedict-xvi
Ancient churches are the greatest glory of Europe’s cities, and a headache for those trying to look after them
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/04/16/cathedrals-are-neglected-in-much-of-europe
A jarring blast from the past
A historically broad church is stretched to the limit
In both Ireland and Cyprus, the relationship between an armed rebel movement and a Christian church remains contentious
Stopping violence should not mean repressing belief
But in a secular age, Christian groups find common cause.
Bad news for a Canadian conservative and an Ulster liberal
For many Muslims, the far right isn’t the main problem
Many groups, Jedi fans among them, have sought religious classification in Britain
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/03/20/the-charitable-status-of-religions-is-up-for-debate
Where peace comes dropping slow
The prayerfulness of small new states
When conservative Islam meets secular thinking on equality
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/03/06/battles-over-lgbt-education-reach-a-messy-stalemate
The verdict casts doubt on the church’s ability to cleanse itself
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/02/26/the-downfall-of-cardinal-george-pell
Many faiths can make light work
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/02/25/care-for-migrants-is-changing-the-world-of-religion
Social media are a source of danger
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/02/19/a-plan-to-counter-anti-jewish-prejudice
The decision comes ahead of a Vatican summit on sexual abuse this week
A judge makes life easier for churches and faith schools
Creationism retains a broad appeal
Even though they profess indifference to them
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/02/09/jehovahs-witnesses-often-clash-with-earthly-powers
Irish and American clergy are at odds on the matter
In Britain, words like extremism and Islamophobia are furiously contested
After years on death row, a Christian woman accused of blasphemy is vindicated once more
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/01/29/pakistans-supreme-court-upholds-asia-bibis-acquittal
Behind the scenes, Francis gives heart to the protesters
In the southern Balkans, ethnic and ideological conflict has a sectarian edge
It has emerged in different forms in both Russia and China
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/01/17/could-state-guided-faith-be-a-trend-of-the-future
The departure of American forces from Syria worries some ancient faiths
A tolerant society that also includes the religious right
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/01/09/in-the-easy-going-netherlands-two-worlds-have-clashed
A religious split echoes geopolitical tensions
A religious ascetic who relished the human body
A delightful documentary considers the link between American Jews and songs for the winter holidays
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/12/25/on-the-origin-of-christmas-ditties
A ruling on Greece has wider European implications
In Kiev and Moscow, church loyalties are a matter of state
It is one thing to draw up a list, another to punish an offender
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/12/14/america-scolds-pakistan-eases-up-on-uzbekistan
On opposite ends of the migration debate
But faith groups could do more with their money
The Episcopal church, with its grandeur and nostalgia, was a natural spiritual dwelling-place
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/12/04/for-george-hw-bush-religion-was-low-key-but-deep
But some believe that church matters are starting to resemble earthly power struggles too closely
In Britain and Belgium, religion and animal rights go head to head
A concept born in the cold war comes home to roost
Archbishop Ieronymos is struggling to sell a deal to his bishops
It has other failings. Here, at least, it is sincere
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/11/15/the-papacy-is-working-hard-to-combat-the-sex-trade
But now it emphasises reconciliation, peace and the human sinfulness that lead to war
The leader of the faith objects to appellations that omit the name of Jesus Christ
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/11/06/mormons-fight-to-be-called-by-their-full-name
In the West, it is considered less important
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/10/31/east-europeans-see-faith-as-a-gateway-to-nationality
On free speech and liberty of belief, Europe pulls in different directions
On both sides of the Atlantic, the Salafist form of Islam exists in all its complexity
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/10/24/how-to-understand-salafism-in-america
Disagreements about a 17th-century letter could prefigure a split in the Eastern church
In America, Germany and elsewhere, churches and other places of worship are testing their standing against the state
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/10/17/when-houses-of-prayer-become-places-of-shelter
Decisions taken in Istanbul could have serious ramifications for religious and geopolitical relations in eastern Europe
The couple had the right to refuse a customer’s request for a cake declaring support for gay marriage
The English and Americans offer pragmatism, the French zeal
A rambunctious prelate, sometimes ceremonial, never pompous
A happy breed of nativists who like their religion cool and English
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/09/28/the-odd-connection-between-brexit-and-lukewarm-religion
But traditionalists fear that principles have been sold out
The small Middle Eastern community is losing its young to secularism
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/09/21/a-secretive-religion-tries-to-secure-its-future
The row could increase support for Ukraine's embattled president
A group of Muslim scholars offer a view from the Islamic tradition
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/09/14/a-sobering-look-at-islam-and-human-rights-discourse
Faith can mould politicians even if they reject it
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/09/08/the-role-of-religion-in-anglophone-democracies
A meeting between the Patriarchs of Moscow and Constantinople seems to bode well for the country’s aim of autocephaly
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/09/02/a-fillip-for-ukrainian-hopes-of-spiritual-independence
Jonathan Sacks accuses him of using the language of classic, pre-war European anti-Semitism
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/08/29/a-senior-british-rabbi-takes-the-fight-to-jeremy-corbyn
Where does the country stand on the spectrum from Catholic to post-Catholic?
A court recognises an Islamic union, but insists it is not setting a precedent
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/08/17/how-should-the-law-deal-with-religious-marriages
Rod Dreher favours introversion inspired by a spirit of repentance
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/08/16/a-christian-responds-to-revelations-of-clerical-abuse
Attempts to recreate the nature-loving worship of old are gaining popularity even if they are based on guesses
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/08/10/neo-paganism-offers-something-old-and-something-new
Boris Johnson is accused of wooing the Islamophobes
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/08/08/being-muslim-and-tory-is-hard-and-may-get-harder
A rainmaker who cajoled the religious and made them greener
https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/08/05/remembering-tessa-tennant-giant-of-green-finance
A cardinal loses his rank for the first time in nine decades
A gathering in Washington, DC this week carried a message of hope
Religions gather strength as they cross the ocean
A dialogue of the deaf over faith and schooling