Art Farnsley People all over the country are turning away from traditional religious organizations. But according to Art Farnsley, professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University, they may have very different reasons for doing so. Farnsley’s opinions are based on in-depth interviews he conducted with a very specific subgroup: flea market dealers at a […]

The Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California. Photo by Hana Baba Jan. 21, 2015–Through much of their history, Sunni and Shia Muslims have lived peacefully together in countries like Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. But since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, sectarian conflict has escalated in the region. Here in the Bay Area, as […]

Architecture has the power to transform. A building can make us feel joy, or sadness, powerful or weak. Nowhere is this more true than in a church, a chapel, synagogue, Buddhist temple, or a mosque. For centuries, religion has sparked the design of some of the world’s most beautiful buildings. But what is that process? […]

September 10, 2014–It’s intense in a sweat lodge. You enter a round structure, about five feet high at the center, and sit down on an earthen floor. The flap of heavy blankets closes and you’re left in utter darkness. Moments later, the leader pours water over hot, volcanic rocks. Like a sauna, thick steam rises […]

Religious innovation can happen in many ways. It can involve a kind of backwards adaptation, retrieving rituals lost to other generations, but that still hold significance for our modern times. It can also involve tossing aside interpretations that aren’t relevant any more. The later is the case for the Jewish LGBTQ community. Several Biblical passage […]

Across the American religious landscape, people are turning away from their religions of birth. For Islam, a new documentary points a finger at mosques, saying they are the reason why Muslim youth don’t want to stick around. But these days, there are other options. NPR’s Code Switch aired a story about the documentary and a […]

Art Farnsley People all over the country are turning away from traditional religious organizations. But according to Art Farnsley, professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University, they may have very different reasons for doing so. Farnsley’s opinions are based on in-depth interviews he conducted with a very specific subgroup: flea market dealers at a […]