Articles tagged as Religion | Smithsonian Magazine

Benjamin Lay said he was “illiterate,” but his antislavery arguments were erudite. This portrait, commissioned by Lay’s friend Benjamin Franklin, shows him with a book.

The “Quaker Comet” Was the Greatest Abolitionist You’ve Never Heard Of

Overlooked by historians, Benjamin Lay was one of the nation’s first radicals to argue for an end to slavery

September 2017

Over five decades, the German-born physician and nun treated thousand of patients and got the leprosy epidemic under control in Pakistan

August 11, 2017

The engraved bones found in Gough's Cave

New Research

New Analysis Indicates Early Britons Engaged in Ritualistic Cannibalism

A zigzag pattern on an arm bone indicates around 15,000 years ago, humans in Britain may have consumed others as part of a funeral rite

August 10, 2017

New Research

Lights Are Driving Bats From Their Belfries

The trend of pointing floodlights at churches in Sweden has driven some long-eared bat colonies out of their historic roosts

August 9, 2017

New Research

Survey Finds Most People Are Biased Against Atheists, Including Atheists

The findings revealed that the bias was strongest in more religious countries including the United States, United Arab Emirates and India

August 9, 2017

The sport of angling ("angle" is an old work for "hook") was a popular 1600s pastime that had a number of guides written about it.

This Obscure Fishing Book is One of the Most Reprinted English Books Ever

‘The Compleat Angler’ is much more than an instruction manual on fishing. It’s a Walden-like meditation on nature and friendship

August 9, 2017

Even the name "Daniel Defoe" was a pseudonym of sorts—born Daniel Foe, Defoe added the first syllable to his last name to sound more aristocratic.

The Author of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ Used Almost 200 Pseudonyms

Daniel Defoe honed his pen on political writing before he came to the novel

July 31, 2017

The Secret Ingredient in Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Is Seventh-Day Adventism

America’s favorite processed breakfast was once the pinnacle of healthfulness—and spiritual purity

July 28, 2017

Why Religious Freedom and Diversity Flourished in Early America

Jam-packed exhibition features artifacts as diverse as Jefferson’s Bible, a steeple bell cast by Paul Revere and a storied Torah

July 14, 2017

The memorial (shown here in early June) will be dedicated on the 325th anniversary of the hangings.

The Site of the Salem Witch Trial Hangings Finally Has a Memorial

In a town that has long profited from witchcraft-seekers and Halloween revelers alike, a new memorial strikes a different tone

July 13, 2017

Vatican Vetoes Gluten-Free Communion Wafers

It’s a sticky issue for Catholics with celiac disease or other gluten sensitivities

July 11, 2017

This island has been a boy's club for hundreds of years.

Trending Today

This Island Can Only Be Visited by Men

Okinoshima is officially an Unesco world heritage site—but tradition bans women from its shores

Updated: July 11, 2017 | Originally Published: May 11, 2017

This dwelling housed resistance to Mexico City's new Spanish conquerors.

Cool Finds

Mexico City Dig Uncovers Traces of Aztec Resistance to Spain

For residents of Tenochtitlan, rebellion didn’t just happen on the battlefield

July 6, 2017

Utahns will once again be allowed to see this view when they order a drink.

As liquor laws loosen, the “Zion Curtain” may become a thing of the past

July 5, 2017

Horatio Greenough’s 12-ton marble statue of George Washington heralds the newly reopened west wing gallery.

Renovated Museum Wing Delves Into Untold Chapters of American History

“The Nation We Build Together” questions American ideals through exhibits on democracy, religion, diversity and more

June 30, 2017

Vodou adherents, or Vodouisants, also call their faith sevis lwa, or “service to the spirits.”

Portraits of Faith

Explore the Timeless World of Vodou, Deep Within the Caves of Haiti

Photographer Troi Anderson captures the religion that has been misunderstood for centuries

July 2017

A skull believed to have belonged to a companion of St. Ursula. The bones of other saints are said to lie under the gemstones and gold fabric.

Portraits of Faith

A Pittsburgh Church Holds the Greatest Collection of Relics Outside of the Vatican

Behold the treasures of this tiny neighborhood church

July 2017

Portraits of Faith

In a world changing faster than ever, the enduring appeal of religious tradition shines in these photographs

July 2017

It is not uncommon for highlands churches to be situated within caves. Mekina Medhane Alem, built of wood and layered stone, contains 800-year-old paintings but is believed to be centuries older.

Portraits of Faith

A Legendary Photographer Visits an Isolated Christian Community in Ethiopia

High in the mountains of eastern Africa, an ancient way of life continues apace

July 2017

New Exhibition Asks “What Kind of Nation Do We Want to Be?”

The American History Museum opens a trio of timely new shows on democracy, religion and immigration

June 29, 2017