To many, it seems like the stuff of horror movies, or old-timey religious revivals. But charismatic Christianity, for which speaking in tongues is a central practice, is one of the fastest growing Christian movements in modern history. So why has it not only persisted, but recently gained momentum? What exactly is happening to the mind and body when people engage in this practice? 

What is prayer? And why do it? People pray for all kinds of reasons, and in all kinds of ways: alone, together, aloud, in silence, from memory, or from instinct. But whatever form it takes, there’s a reason prayer has been part of just about every spiritual tradition out there: its effects run deep.

There’s a lot of talk these days about a crisis of masculinity. But is it a genuine problem or just another culture war talking point?

For centuries, Western science and philosophy have struggled to explain what consciousness is and where it comes from. What if the answer to both those questions is: everything?

People find faith or change faiths for many reasons: marriage, raising a family, dealing with grief or crisis. But sometimes it happens the other way around … faith finds you. A believing takes hold, a sense that something divine is there. And maybe not in the way or role that you might have expected.

Many would agree there are few things better than sharing a delicious meal with the people you love, which is one reason why breaking bread together is a cornerstone of religions the world over. But so too is the opposite — going without food.  From Ramadan to Yom Kippur to Lent, fasting is an important ritual in many faiths. But why do so many religions periodically take away the very thing that nourishes our bodies and souls?

We often think of belief as a religious or cultural idea that is a hallmark of modern humans. But what if the early sparks of belief burned in our ancestors’ minds long before modern humans walked the earth? What if beliefs about some of the biggest questions out there, like what happens after death, weren’t just pondered by Homo sapiens?

When it comes to finding happiness, many religions see marriage as the gold standard: a path to love, stability, and fulfillment. But is that really true? And if so, why are marriage rates plummeting in so many parts of the world?