RELIGION

10 Things You Might Not Know About Yom Kippur

On Yom Kippur, the second of the two Jewish High Holy Days, even the Torah gets a special white outfit.

Peek Inside Malta's Lost 19th Century Subterranean Crypt

The ossuary is believed to be fully intact underneath chapel ruins.

A "Speaking" Arm Reliquary of Saint Pantaleon

The arm reliquary was a kind of prop that stood in for the saint.

Psychiana: Idaho's Mail Order Religion

The ad Frank B. Robinson placed in Psychology magazine claimed he could teach people how to “literally and actually” speak to God.

Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain // Getty Images

Gaudí’s Accidental Death: Why The Great Architect Was Mistaken For A Beggar

The famed Catalan designer was well-known in Barcelona, but he died a pauper's death when no one recognized the injured old man on the street.

8 Lesser-Known Miracles of Christian Saints

While stories about the deeds of some holy healers and leaders remain popular decades or centuries after they were inspired, many of the most surprising miracles have been forgotten.

Getty Images, Google Street View composite

Holy Music: San Francisco's Church of Saint John Coltrane

One congregation worships to the sounds of the late saxophonist's landmark album 'A Love Supreme.'

These Maps Illustrate the History and Demographics of the Middle East

Learn about the region's history, culture, and current political climate.

8 Famous Historical Figures Excommunicated by the Catholic Church

The Vatican doesn't like it when you start your own religion (among other things).

Force of Habit: The Nun Who Became an FBI Agent

How Sister Joanne Pierce went from a convent to carrying a .38 revolver.

The Earliest-Known Version of the King James Bible Was Found in a Cambridge Library

The historic 400-year-old manuscript gives historians a glimpse into the seminal work's translation process.

Why Do Popes Change Their Names?

It started with Mercurio.

unknown via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

The Legend of Pope Joan

If the pope suddenly gave birth to a baby right out in public, he'd certainly become a legend.

11 Gossipy Confessions I Learned from Mexican Folk Art

Need to thank Saint Francis because your wife stopped alphabetizing her pets? "Retablos" are the wild, wonderful art form you've been waiting for.

This Bible Museum Features Rejected Celebrity Wax Figures

At Ohio's BibleWalk Museum, surprise appearances from celebrities like Steve McQueen and Ringo Starr are tucked into scenes of Old Testament miracles and the life of Christ.

15 Historic Wonders Housed in the Vatican's Secret Archives

Why Do So Many Churches Have "First Church of" in their Names?

And why do we rarely see 'second' or 'third' churches?

Hieronymus Bosch (via Wikimedia Commons)

What is a Black Mass?

Why Isn't Fish Considered Meat During Lent?

Why do Catholics swap Big Macs for Filet-O-Fish during Lent? According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, the meat/fish divide boiled down to sex, simplicity, and farts.

Crossing your fingers for luck has a long history.

Why Do We Cross Our Fingers For Good Luck?

Why do we cross our fingers when we’re hoping for a lucky break? Dig into the theories and symbolism behind this age-old gesture.

How Do Muslims Fast for Ramadan if There's No Sunset?

What's a Muslim in Longyearbyen, Norway or Barrow, Alaska supposed to do when there's no sunrise or sunset to guide their fasting? Starve? Fly south for Ramadan?

11 Patron Saints of Food, Coffee, and Alcohol

Can You Fire the Pope?

Reader Gabrielle wrote in to ask: “Can a pope be ousted? And has it happened before?”

How Do They Make the "Pope Smoke"?

When the Catholic cardinals meet to pick a new pope in the “papal conclave,” they’re sequestered in the Sistine Chapel so that their deliberations aren’t influenced by the outside world and that their ballots, burned after each round of voting, remain sec

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