Religion, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 2, 2017

The History Behind That Creepy Bone Chapel You Saw on Reddit

The monks couldn't have foreseen this. A photo trending on Reddit of a bone-covered chapel is bringing a medieval memento mori to the modern Internet user today. The post, with more than 20,000 upvotes on the popular social site, is simply labeled Chapel of Bones. Zoom in, and the pebbled...

Nov 11, 2017

What Drives Religious Belief? It's Not Intuition

Is religious belief driven by the heart or the head — that is, is it intuition or reason that explains why people believe in god or gods? The answer may be neither: A new study finds that cultural upbringing may explain religious creed. The finding challenges the standard view among...

Nov 20, 2017

Are the Museum of the Bible's Dead Sea Scrolls Fakes?

The Museum of the Bible finally opened its Genesis-inscribed doors Friday (Nov. 17) in Washington, D.C. But questions still linger over the authenticity of some of its star artifacts: fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The private museum is supporting research into the manuscripts to find out whether they are...

Nov 28, 2017

'Tomb of Jesus' Dates Back Nearly 1,700 Years

A tomb that, according to legend, held the body of Jesus Christ dates back almost 1,700 years, scientific tests show. Whether the tomb ever truly held the body of Jesus is unknown. The limestone bed dates to almost 300 years after the death of Jesus. Additionally, a number of other...

Dec 4, 2017

Jesus' Secret Revelations? Copy of Forbidden Teachings Found in Egypt

The oldest known copy of a text claiming to be Jesus' teachings to his brother James has been discovered in an ancient Egyptian trash dump, scattered among piles of fifth-century papyrus, ancient tax receipts and bills of sale for wagons and donkeys. The manuscript is a rare, Greek-language edition of...

Dec 19, 2017

Jesus in 2017: Biblical Archaeologists Had a Big Year

Introduction (Image credit: Nag Hammadi Library, Oxford University)2017 was a big year for those who love biblical history. Discoveries from ancient saints, new finds from the Holy Land and relics of Jesus himself revealed new insights into the people who lived and died during biblical times. This year, scholars and...

Jan 16, 2018

Is the Internet Changing the Way People Feel About Religion?

Spend enough time on the internet and you may well end up becoming an ordained minister of Dudeism. The vague religion dedicated to the mellow Zen of Jeffrey The Dude Lebowski (fictional hero of the Coen Brothers' cult smash film The Big Lebowski) fills no church halls, but does offer...

Jan 22, 2018

Could This Newfound Cave Hold More Dead Sea Scrolls?

Archaeologists are excavating a newfound cave in Qumran, with the hope of finding new Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 12 caves and date back around 2,000 years and consist of thousands of fragments from more than 900 manuscripts, including numerous copies of texts from the...

Feb 21, 2018

Is This Seal the Earliest Evidence of Biblical Prophet Isaiah?

Some 2,700 years ago, someone pressed a seal bearing the name Isaiah into a soft piece of clay, which hardened over time, say archaeologists who discovered the impression in Jerusalem. If the seal was for the prophet Isaiah, it would be the first archaeological evidence of the Jewish prophet, who...

Feb 27, 2018

What Did Jesus Really Look Like? New Study Redraws Holy Image

A quick Google search of Jesus will pull up an assortment of images showing a tall, white guy with long, blondish hair and a beard. But what did Jesus really look like? In her new book, a scholar says Jesus probably didn't look anything like this modern picture. The Gospels...

Mar 25, 2018

Why Is Easter Called 'Easter'?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. This April 1, Christians will be celebrating Easter, the day on which the resurrection of Jesus is said to have taken place. The date of celebration changes from year...

Mar 29, 2018

Jesus' Baptism Site Surrounded by Bombs and Booby Traps (But Not for Long)

You'll know you're getting close to Jesus' baptism site in the West Bank when you see the bright yellow signs warning, DANGER, MINES! Officially known as Qasr Al Yahud (literally, Castle of the Jews), the supposed site of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River Valley is surrounded by some 3,000...

Mar 29, 2018

Are Angels Real?

Angels surround us all the time — figuratively if not literally — especially during the holidays. They appear in paintings, etchings, figurines, T-shirts, posters and just about everything else. Angels appear in several religions; for example, in Islam, angels are said to be made of light, while Christian angels were...

Apr 20, 2018

Exorcisms Enter 21st Century with Cellphone-Enabled Demon Busting

This might make your head spin — officials of the Roman Catholic Church are offering a week-long course in exorcism, and dozens of Catholic priests have flocked to Rome to partake of the Holy See's demon-banishing tips and strategies. Titled Exorcism and Prayer of Liberation, the course is now in...

Jun 12, 2018

US Christians Think God Looks a Lot Like Them

What does God look like? U.S. liberals and conservatives may perceive the Almighty differently, as do young and old people, a new study finds. Psychologists asked more than 500 U.S. Christians how they perceived God using a new technique. The researchers showed participants hundreds of paired faces and asked the...