Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 24, 2020

Is belief in God a delusion?

As the pandemic raged in April, churchgoers in Ohio defied warnings not to congregate. Some argued that their religion conferred them immunity from COVID-19. In one memorable CNN clip, a woman insisted she would not catch the virus because she was “covered in Jesus’ blood”. Some weeks later, the cognitive...

Dec 9, 2020

The strange story of how nuns uncovered 'House of Jesus' in Nazareth

The house where Jesus supposedly grew up is back in the news, as archaeologist Ken Dark's new book on the Nazareth home is shining a spotlight on the team of sisters who completed much of the excavation and their discoveries. It was one of the earliest examples of a major...

Jan 3, 2021

What led to the emergence of monotheism?

Over half the world practices Christianity, Islam or Judaism, according to Pew Research Center. These religions are all monotheistic, involving the worship of one God. But according to scholars, our modern understanding of monotheism is a recent phenomenon — more recent even than the religions it describes. So, how did...

Jan 17, 2021

Can science 'prove' there's an afterlife? Netflix documentary says yes.

Is there life after death? A new Netflix series claims to prove there is. But in doing so, the series relies on a confusing mishmash of fully debunked phenomena alongside matters of faith that aren't in the realm of science, as well as questions that science truly hasn't answered yet....

Feb 17, 2021

Stained-glass 'graphic novel' reveals miracles of Archbishop of Canterbury

A medieval stained-glass window shows tales of miraculous healing from castration, lameness and blinding, in vivid panels that resemble the lurid pages of a modern graphic novel. For the first time since they were created in the 13th century, those scenes will be on display outside the window's cathedral home....

Feb 24, 2021

Atheists and believers have different moral compasses

The moral compasses of atheists and believers are different in a few key ways, a new study finds. In some aspects, the moral compass was incredibly alike between the two groups; they both highly rated fairness and protecting the well-being of vulnerable people, for instance, and both highly endorsed liberty...

Mar 27, 2021

Was the 'forbidden fruit' in the Garden of Eden really an apple?

What's the likely identity of the forbidden fruit described in the Bible's Garden of Eden, which Eve is said to have eaten and then shared with Adam? If your guess is apple, you're probably wrong. The Hebrew Bible doesn't actually specify what type of fruit Adam and Eve ate. We...

May 16, 2021

Why is the King James Bible so popular?

Shortly after he ascended the English throne in 1603, King James I commissioned a new Holy Bible translation that, more than 400 years later, is still widely read around the world. This Bible, known as the King James Version (KJV), helped King James leave behind a lasting cultural footprint —...

Jun 2, 2021

20 of the most bizarre stories from the bible

From a talking donkey to a man being eaten by a giant fish, the Bible has no shortage of strange stories. In her new book A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible (Oxford University Press, 2021), Kristin Swenson, an associate professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth...

Nov 19, 2021

When was Jesus born?

The birth of Jesus Christ is commemorated by millions of people around the world with Christmas celebrations on Dec. 25. Yet, most scholars agree that he wasn't born on that day, or even in the year A.D. 1. Why is Jesus' birthday celebrated on December 25?Researchers have speculated that the...

Dec 3, 2021

Is this really the biblical city where Jesus walked on water?

The biblical city where the Gospels tell of Jesus performing some of his most famous miracles is now a source of debate among archaeologists. The New Testament mentions the town, called Bethsaida, as the location where Jesus, who is thought to have been born around 4 B.C., restored the sight...

Feb 23, 2022

What is the Ark of the Covenant?

The Ark of the Covenant is a chest that is supposed to have held tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments, engraved by God for Moses on Mount Sinai, according to the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and Christian Old Testament. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Ark was constructed by the Israelites...

Mar 28, 2022

The apostles: How Jesus' followers founded Christianity

The apostles were 12 of the disciples of Jesus who went on to spread his message and found the early Christian church. After the crucifixion of Jesus in the 1st century, they split up and began to proselytize both the message of Jesus and the concept that he was the...

Jul 28, 2022

Cremated Remains of the 'Buddha' Discovered in Chinese Village

The cremated remains of what an inscription says is the Buddha, also called Siddhārtha Gautama, have been discovered in a box in Jingchuan County, China, along with more than 260 Buddhist statues. The translated inscription on the box reads: The monks Yunjiang and Zhiming of the Lotus School, who belonged...

Jul 28, 2022

Ancient Shrine That May Hold Buddha's Skull Bone Found in Crypt

Archaeologists have discovered what may be a skull bone from the revered Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. The bone was hidden inside a model of a stupa, or a Buddhist shrine used for meditation. The research team found the 1,000-year-old model within a stone chest in a crypt beneath a Buddhist temple...