Spirituality and religion

Painting of a crucifixion scene with a large crowd, a detailed medieval cityscape with mountains and a lake in the background.
ARTISTS AND ART HISTORY

A lesson from the Son of Man’s manhood

Renaissance artists paid uncommon attention to Jesus’ nether regions. What does this breach in modesty reveal about art?

by Sam Dresser

Photo of a cross in the sky with a blurred rainbow-coloured flag in the foreground.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Severe joy

I wanted conviction to tell me if I could be gay and Catholic. My convictions told me something bigger

by Will Martino

An elderly woman in a blue jacket holding a book, smiling warmly at the camera indoors.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

Converted by Sister Ruth

At a Texas convent, what could a sublimely uncouth sister in her mid-80s teach me about helping people?

by Ronald W Dworkin

Surreal painting of a celestial figure surrounded by angels and clouds, with vivid colours and dynamic movement.
THINKERS AND THEORIES

Embrace conflict, reject authority – William Blake’s radical vision of a meaningful life

Video by Great Books Explained

Photo of an elderly man with a beard wearing a hat and glasses, holding a notebook in a sunlit forest.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION

There’s a nourishing calm in quietly wandering, far from goals and distractions

Directed by Mykhailo Bogdanov

Black and white photo of two elderly women sitting on a wooden bench in a chapel with heads bowed, one has a handbag beside her.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
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Find meditation really boring? You’re not the only one

Other practices like sermons, yoga and retreats can also trigger ‘spiritual boredom’. Here’s why it’s normal and even useful

by Thomas Goetz

A yellow taxi on a busy street, people walking, child holding flowers, historic building in the background under a blue sky.
VALUES AND BELIEFS

Confessions of a teenage fundamentalist

My world was dark and scary. But beautiful things crept in, and threats of hell just couldn’t compete

by Liz Boltz Ranfeld

Black and white photo of a person wearing a jacket, eyes closed, with a foggy forest background and tree branches above.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION
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How to find new spiritual practices

Even if religion isn’t for you, there’s a world of rituals and tools to lift yourself up and connect to something greater

by Morgan Shipley

Ancient marble statue of a headless Hermaphroditus, draped lower garment, against a plain background.
GENDER
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There is nothing new about gender fluidity and nonconformity

From Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to precolonial India and medieval London, gender has always been more than a binary

by Chris Wheatley

Black and white photo of three children standing outdoors under a cloudy sky. The boy on the left wears a flat cap and checked shirt with trousers, while the two girls on the right wear patterned headscarves and dresses, smiling and looking into the distance.
VALUES AND BELIEFS

For Hutterites, ‘love thy neighbour’ is both gospel and practical necessity

Directed by Colin Low

A stylised figure drawn in glowing red lines stands on a cliff reaching towards a dark sky full of stars above a calm sea. The scene has a mystical atmosphere.
SYMBOLS AND MYTH
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A Navajo creation story illustrates why humans must forge their own path

Directed by Dallin Penman

Photo of a person in a white robe on a sunlit stone staircase with large windows and ornate railings.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

A monk showed me that spirituality needs more space in medicine

As a doctor, I’ve seen how brain diseases can become entwined with spiritual pain. Who is responsible for addressing it?

by Michael P H Stanley

Black and white photo of a man with a ball on a littered street, graffiti and a fire escape visible on a brick building.
TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCE

Our days are both rough and slippery. Hope brings traction

I want to defend and buoy hope – it’s a fragile, quirky thing, but it has the power to help us act in the face of finitude

by John Lysaker

A group of people in traditional attire with gold embroidery, holding flowers and smiling while singing.
MUSIC
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Six minutes with a pan-African gospel choir is a shot of joy for the weary soul

Directed by Samuel Bradley

Illustration of two people holding hands while walking in the sea, with a sunset in the background. One wears a pink shirt; the other a skirt.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Sarah recalls how sex, religion and shame have intertwined in her mind

Directed by Lori Malépart-Traversy

Photo of a man in white with a medallion standing in front of a building labelled “UFOland,” looking upwards confidently.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

UFO belief is a modern outlet for ancient spiritual yearnings

Even when it’s not explicitly religious, belief in alien visitors resembles our oldest ways of making sense of the world

by Francesco Dimitri