Religion Unplugged
@religionmag.bsky.social
Award-winning, nonprofit digital magazine about religion in public life around the world. Part of The Media Project. Exec Ed Clemente Lisi. Member of @inn.org.
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Faith Deserves Better News Coverage: Here’s How You Can Help
As we enter the final two months of the year, I want to take a moment to thank you — for reading, for sharing and for supporting our work.
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Religion Unplugged publishes real stories from across the globe. We take religion seriously. It’s a force that shapes politics, culture and everyday life. We tell the stories no one else is. Support our journalism throughout this giving season religionunplugged.com/news/2025/10...
Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans together warrants our attention religionunplugged.com/news/thanksg...
Beyond Plymouth: Recovering The Many Thanksgivings America Forgot
(ANALYSIS) Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans together warrants our attention. The emphasis ...
religionunplugged.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans together warrants our attention religionunplugged.com/news/thanksg...
Jennifer Arul, a board member at The Media Project, interviewed Kinley Tshering, who is the world’s first — and so far only — Bhutanese Catholic priest. He currently serves in Bhutan, a kingdom nestled in the Himalayas between India and China www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-m5...
Meet the World’s First Bhutanese Catholic Priest
YouTube video by Religion Unplugged
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Jennifer Arul, a board member at The Media Project, interviewed Kinley Tshering, who is the world’s first — and so far only — Bhutanese Catholic priest. He currently serves in Bhutan, a kingdom nestled in the Himalayas between India and China www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-m5...
“Nuremberg” tries to claim a spot in this lineup, with an impressive cast, stoic moral gravity, and strong lessons. While the pieces are there, the sloppiness of the execution betrays the fragility of the secular religion it tries to reinforce religionunplugged.com/news/review-...
A Trial Without Tension: How The Movie ‘Nuremberg’ Fumbles Its Own Case
(REVIEW) This makes film’s presentation feel extremely — for lack of a better word — basic. The movie, however, never figures out exactly which of these threads it wants to follow. Is it about the tri...
religionunplugged.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:34 PM
“Nuremberg” tries to claim a spot in this lineup, with an impressive cast, stoic moral gravity, and strong lessons. While the pieces are there, the sloppiness of the execution betrays the fragility of the secular religion it tries to reinforce religionunplugged.com/news/review-...
Evangelical leaders in Italy are calling for a full repeal of curbs on religious freedom as the nation marks the 70th anniversary of the lifting of the fascist-era law religionunplugged.com/news/italy-e...
In Catholic Italy, Protestants Face Restrictions On Land Use, Chaplaincy
Italy’s Supreme Court ruled that an evangelical worship space, which is located in a former shop a short distance from the Vatican, does not qualify as a religious edifice due to its non-traditional a...
religionunplugged.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Evangelical leaders in Italy are calling for a full repeal of curbs on religious freedom as the nation marks the 70th anniversary of the lifting of the fascist-era law religionunplugged.com/news/italy-e...
What helps students from all walks of life have a good college experience? religionunplugged.com/news/college...
Most Colleges Score Low On Helping Students Of All Faiths
(ANALYSIS) Students’ sense of religious and spiritual belonging comes from everyday relationships — authentic connections and conversations that faculty and staff can help foster. I believe universiti...
religionunplugged.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:50 AM
What helps students from all walks of life have a good college experience? religionunplugged.com/news/college...
Pope Francis was undeniably controversial. So far, his predecessor has been less polarizing. Joseph Holmes interviews Christopher White about his book “Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy” www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhAA...
Will Pope Leo XIV Carry On Francis’ Legacy?
YouTube video by Religion Unplugged
www.youtube.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Pope Francis was undeniably controversial. So far, his predecessor has been less polarizing. Joseph Holmes interviews Christopher White about his book “Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy” www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhAA...
Thank you Editor and Publisher for honoring our journalism once again! www.eppyawards.com
Home - Eppy Awards
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November 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Thank you Editor and Publisher for honoring our journalism once again! www.eppyawards.com
“A living part of the memory of the city,” “a symbol of its identity,” say the people of La Paz when asked what the San Francisco church means in their lives religionunplugged.com/news/la-paz-...
‘A Living Memory’ Church Evolves Alongside City’s Storied Past<br/>
It’s been occupied twice by military forces; it’s been expanded to house Franciscan friars, and these days, it’s part museum, part sacred space. The Church of San Francisco’s building tells the histor...
religionunplugged.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:39 PM
“A living part of the memory of the city,” “a symbol of its identity,” say the people of La Paz when asked what the San Francisco church means in their lives religionunplugged.com/news/la-paz-...
Buying behavior, including gift giving, doesn’t just reflect needs and wants but also our values religionunplugged.com/news/2025/11...
How To Turn Shopping Stress Into Purposeful Giving During The Holidays
(ANALYSIS) Every fall I anticipate the winter holidays with almost childlike joy. I look forward to familiar traditions with friends and family, eggnog in my coffee, and the sense that everyone is fee...
religionunplugged.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Buying behavior, including gift giving, doesn’t just reflect needs and wants but also our values religionunplugged.com/news/2025/11...
Religion Unplugged publishes real stories from across the globe. We take religion seriously. It’s a force that shapes politics, culture and everyday life. We tell the stories no one else is. Support our journalism throughout this giving season www.religionunplugged.com/donate
Donate For Better Religion News Coverage
Now through Dec. 31, every tax-deductible donation you make will be doubled, up to $35,000. That means your gift has twice the power to support independent, high-quality journalism at a time when it’s...
www.religionunplugged.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Religion Unplugged publishes real stories from across the globe. We take religion seriously. It’s a force that shapes politics, culture and everyday life. We tell the stories no one else is. Support our journalism throughout this giving season www.religionunplugged.com/donate
In American politics, being “pro-life” is often equated with being opposed to abortion. But as Leo’s comments highlight, it’s not so simple religionunplugged.com/news/analysi...
What Does It Mean To Be ‘Pro-Life’ In 2025?
(ANALYSIS) It would be a mistake to assume that everyone in these movements adheres to one viewpoint, or is interested only in stopping abortion. In reality, there are many motivations that lead to pe...
religionunplugged.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:23 PM
In American politics, being “pro-life” is often equated with being opposed to abortion. But as Leo’s comments highlight, it’s not so simple religionunplugged.com/news/analysi...
Its religious inscription — one found on other U.S. coins and paper currency — remained one of its most powerful features. The penny served as a daily reminder of divine trust in one of the smallest things religionunplugged.com/news/2025/11...
In God We Trusted: America Says Goodbye To The Penny
The United States Mint pressed its final penny — ending more than two centuries of production for the humble one cent coin that also bore one of the country’s most enduring spiritual mottos: “In God W...
religionunplugged.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Its religious inscription — one found on other U.S. coins and paper currency — remained one of its most powerful features. The penny served as a daily reminder of divine trust in one of the smallest things religionunplugged.com/news/2025/11...
A Kentucky woman who was turned down by dozens of churches of various denominations and sizes in the Bible Belt in donating formula to her hungry baby has created a TikTok sensation. Not all said yes religionunplugged.com/news/kentuck...
Woman’s Church ‘Baby Formula Test’ Goes Viral, Exposing Compassion Gap
A Kentucky woman who was turned down by dozens of churches of various denominations and sizes in the Bible Belt in donating formula to her hungry baby has created a TikTok sensation. Fortunately, a fe...
religionunplugged.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:53 PM
A Kentucky woman who was turned down by dozens of churches of various denominations and sizes in the Bible Belt in donating formula to her hungry baby has created a TikTok sensation. Not all said yes religionunplugged.com/news/kentuck...
The shrine of Nura Pagla in Bangladesh, once crowded day and night with devotees, now stands eerily deserted religionunplugged.com/news/sufi-sh...
Intra-Muslim Conflict Results In Death, Destroyed Shrines
DHAKA, Bangladesh — The shrine of Nura Pagla, once crowded day and night with devotees, now stands eerily deserted. For more than a month, it has remained sealed as a crime scene after a mob attack le...
religionunplugged.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM
The shrine of Nura Pagla in Bangladesh, once crowded day and night with devotees, now stands eerily deserted religionunplugged.com/news/sufi-sh...
Campaign University builds on Mercy Culture’s growing political reach as Schatzline, a pastor at the church, joins President Donald Trump’s National Faith Advisory Board and as the course now is offered at other congregations across the country religionunplugged.com/news/no-sepa...
Inside A Texas Church’s Training Academy For Christians Running For Office
In an attempt to better understand Mercy Culture’s approach to recruiting candidates, two journalists from the Fort Worth Report purchased and completed the more than five-hour Campaign University c...
religionunplugged.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Campaign University builds on Mercy Culture’s growing political reach as Schatzline, a pastor at the church, joins President Donald Trump’s National Faith Advisory Board and as the course now is offered at other congregations across the country religionunplugged.com/news/no-sepa...
How did a formerly homeless high school dropout end up with a doctorate in public policy and a poverty relief organization? Matthew Peterson interviews Dr. Terence Lester about his new book “From Dropout to Doctorate." www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBao...
From Dropout to Doctorate: How Education Can Help Fight Poverty
YouTube video by Religion Unplugged
www.youtube.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:09 PM
How did a formerly homeless high school dropout end up with a doctorate in public policy and a poverty relief organization? Matthew Peterson interviews Dr. Terence Lester about his new book “From Dropout to Doctorate." www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBao...
Published under the headline "Yes, the Bible Really Talks About (and Allows) Cannabis," the piece attempts to baptize modern drug culture in ancient authority. This isn’t the first effort to combine cannabis with Christianity, and it won’t be the last religionunplugged.com/news/high-on...
High On Heresy: The Biblical Cannabis Myth Exposed
Some cannabis proponents baptize modern drug culture in ancient authority. This isn’t the first effort to combine cannabis with Christianity, and it won’t be the last.
religionunplugged.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Published under the headline "Yes, the Bible Really Talks About (and Allows) Cannabis," the piece attempts to baptize modern drug culture in ancient authority. This isn’t the first effort to combine cannabis with Christianity, and it won’t be the last religionunplugged.com/news/high-on...
The Oversight Board is a body examining whether Meta’s decisions are in line with its policies, values and human rights commitments religionunplugged.com/news/oversig...
Oversight Board Urges Meta To Address Information Gaps After Syria Case
(ANALYSIS) The Oversight Board, a body making precedent-setting content moderation decisions on the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads, issued a decision calling on Meta to mitigat...
religionunplugged.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:31 AM
The Oversight Board is a body examining whether Meta’s decisions are in line with its policies, values and human rights commitments religionunplugged.com/news/oversig...
Trump designated Nigeria a "Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. Like most of his acts, this ignited major controversy, much of it reflecting longstanding disputes about what is really happening in that country religionunplugged.com/news/nigeria...
Genocide In Nigeria: Trump's Designation Is Long Overdue
(ANALYSIS) President Trump recently designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act. Like most of his acts, this ignited major controversy, much o...
religionunplugged.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Trump designated Nigeria a "Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. Like most of his acts, this ignited major controversy, much of it reflecting longstanding disputes about what is really happening in that country religionunplugged.com/news/nigeria...
Relics — including swatches of saints’ veils or clothing and even full bones or skulls — have long been collected and displayed in Catholic churches across the world religionunplugged.com/news/catholi...
Catch Them All: Catholics Collect Saints' Bones, Hair
When other boys his age were trading Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards, Eric Lavin was collecting saints’ relics. In seventh grade, Lavin began writing to other dioceses to request relics, and now, more than ...
religionunplugged.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Relics — including swatches of saints’ veils or clothing and even full bones or skulls — have long been collected and displayed in Catholic churches across the world religionunplugged.com/news/catholi...
When she began wearing the hijab, critics accused Wafaa Al-Khudari of abandoning her sect, but now she and other Syrian women are leading the charge to ease religious tensions in their communities religionunplugged.com/news/syrian-...
Syrian Women, Emerging From War, Unite For Sectarian Peace
When she began wearing the hijab, critics accused Al-Khudari of abandoning her sect, but now Al-Khudari and other Syrian women are leading the charge to ease religious tensions in their communities.
religionunplugged.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:24 PM
When she began wearing the hijab, critics accused Wafaa Al-Khudari of abandoning her sect, but now she and other Syrian women are leading the charge to ease religious tensions in their communities religionunplugged.com/news/syrian-...
Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist whose campaign was powered by youthful energy, a surge of new voters and a promise of unconventional change, was elected the 111th mayor of New York City and the first Muslim to hold the office religionunplugged.com/news/link-re...
Mamdani Makes History, Becomes New York’s First Muslim Mayor
Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist whose campaign was powered by youthful energy, a surge of new voters and a promise of unconventional change, completed his yearlong journey with a ...
religionunplugged.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist whose campaign was powered by youthful energy, a surge of new voters and a promise of unconventional change, was elected the 111th mayor of New York City and the first Muslim to hold the office religionunplugged.com/news/link-re...
“How has Christianity changed by the means of transmission?” This is one of the core questions Prof. David N. Hempton asks with his book “Christianity at the Crossroads" www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYnt...
Christianity’s Evolution From The Gutenberg Bible To Church Live-Streams
YouTube video by Religion Unplugged
www.youtube.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:18 PM
“How has Christianity changed by the means of transmission?” This is one of the core questions Prof. David N. Hempton asks with his book “Christianity at the Crossroads" www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYnt...
Trump designated Nigeria a "Country of Particular Concern" for tolerating religious freedom violations especially against Christians, and threatened sanctions and military force to discourage such persecution religionunplugged.com/news/2025/11...
Trump Calls Out Nigeria For Christian Persecution, Threatens Military Response
President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) Oct. 31 for tolerating religious freedom violations especially against Christians, and threatened sanctions and military...
religionunplugged.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Trump designated Nigeria a "Country of Particular Concern" for tolerating religious freedom violations especially against Christians, and threatened sanctions and military force to discourage such persecution religionunplugged.com/news/2025/11...
As pundits over-interpret the nationwide impact of elections in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and California, let’s contemplate this: What do the data on religious dynamics say about prospects for a rather demoralized Democratic Party? religionunplugged.com/news/electio...
Democrats Still Need Religious Voters
As media pundits over-interpret the nationwide impact of elections in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and California, let’s contemplate this: What do the data on religious dynamics say about prosp...
religionunplugged.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:54 AM
As pundits over-interpret the nationwide impact of elections in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and California, let’s contemplate this: What do the data on religious dynamics say about prospects for a rather demoralized Democratic Party? religionunplugged.com/news/electio...